DX9 FAQ

[Guest]

Some time back there was a post wherein users,including me, claimed better frame rates and FSAA with DX9.0. Many pundits immediately discarded it as "placeibo" effect or whatever that means. Well, here is a reproduction of the FAQ posted at microsoft directx site.Q. Do I need DirectX 9.0? A. Typically, any title that uses DirectX will install the version of DirectX it requires in order to run. Therefore, you generally should not need to download DirectX 9.0 in order to get your programs to run. That said, it does not hurt to install DirectX 9.0. Some of the new functionality built into DirectX 9.0 may even enhance the quality and performance of your existing titles. Additionally, many game demos do not come with DirectX, so you may need to install DirectX 9.0 if you plan to play the latest demos. Q. Will installing DirectX 9.0 cause my existing titles to fail? A. Backward compatibility is a key feature of DirectX. We do application compatibility testing with a large number of released DirectX-enabled titles and a number of pre-release titles every time we release a new version of DirectX. In rare cases, some titles are "version coded" to accept only a single version of DirectX. These titles are almost always updated by the manufacturer to fix this behavior. These few cases aside, we are not aware of any compatibility problems with any previously released DirectX-enabled titles. In some cases, these programs may even run better with DirectX 9.0. The microsoft dx9.0 faq site is here http://www.microsoft.com/windows/directx/p...verview/faq.aspMoral of the story? Lets leave it for another day:-smile12

[Guest PaulL01]

The Phrase "may even enhance the quality and performance" does not guarantee anything does it? That statement might be true in FS2k2's case >IF< for instance FS2k2 was coded with DX9 in mind and made use of Occlusion culling,(scheme to accelerate 3D rendering in 3d hardware) DX9 unlocks some features such as Occlusion culling that have been supported by older cards like the GF3 and older Radeon's but was not supported by DirectX until now. And to benefit you will need a game that supports these features in DX, FS2k2 >isn't:)

[Guest PaulL01]

From the same FAQ:Q. Are there any immediate benefits to installing DirectX 9.0? A. When coupled with a DirectX 9.0 compatible video card and driver, you may see a visual improvement in games that were designed with DirectX 9.0 in mind.Improvements to DirectPlay let computers within a Windows Me or Windows XP Internet Connection Sharing network connect with each other, as well as with players elsewhere on the Internet. Users with modern UPnP network routers no longer need to configure them for DirectPlay, because DirectPlay will open and close the multiplayer gaming ports as needed. Facts, just the facts.I not Joe Friday, but it is Saturday and thats close enough. :)

[Guest]

Paul it is obvious and true that on cards with codes written specifically for dx9.0 there will be improvements. The point MS made was there is a possibility that your old games running on old cards "MAY" run better with dx9. MS never said "guaranteed" it will NOT run better like you are saying. For some this "MAY" was applicable for most of others it was not. There was nothing placaebo about that!!Just check out was steve of fsd and other have to say here http://www.flightsimnetwork.com/dcforum/DC...ID10/34175.html

[Guest]

On my machine, which has an older model videocard with older drivers (because of problems with the latest ones), an older OS and FS2002 (neither of which is optimised for DX9 I see a slight improvement.Textures are a bit more crisp (no more blurries out in the distance) and framerates are a tad higher (but no more than 1 or 2 at most).

[Guest PaulL01]

This is not even debatable, Subjective comments such as "seems smoother" "appears to have better or sharper textures" have more in common with system problems fixed with a re-install of DX(runs smoother) as well complete placebo effect (sharper textures etc.) and have nothing to do with DX9 running FS2k2 over DX8.1 other than directplay that was broken and now fixed again.Real testing occurs when one benchmarks, and takes screen shots to compare, and ALL Real testing shows no gain what so ever, or don't you think you would see things like: "Download DX9 now for a real boost in performance in XX game now!" smathered all over the web pages at respected game and video card sites on the web?

[Guest]

Feel like your wasting your time Paul :-) . I've given up even responding to posts like this. There's an old saying here in the south - Never try to teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time and annoys the pig. Trip

[Guest]

DX9 has improved my sim in both texture quality and smoothness, no idea why I am not technical !!Set upAthlon 1.5GNVidia GeForce MX400 AGP512M RamMouse and a dog

[Guest jase439]

It's the classic case of "if I can't do it...neither can you" syndrome.I would venture to guess that while not all here may be competent enough to take a benchmark, most of us can make observations and report FPS measurements in FS2K2. There is a whole slew of variables and reasons DX9 is providing improvements for some, nothing at all for some, and performance hits for others. I don't understand the emotional compulsion by some to vehemently deny that no benefit is to be found. The same argument can be made of video drivers.I neither confirm nor deny anything, but believe that some people can and do benefit from the installation of this product release (as I have). If such is the case, I say: more power to you. If not: hey, stick with what works. Win95, 98 and 2000 users may wisely opt NOT to install this release since there is no official means of going back to older versions of DirectX (short of a backup restore or reinstallation of the OS...there are some tools running around on the web which profess to clean DirectX files, however). If you have ME or XP - what the heck...give it a go, take her for a spin, and see for yourself?J

[Guest BC_KBOS]

Hey Trip!I thought it was "Never mud wrestle with a pig, you both get dirty and you annoy the pig".Same thing really, but the visualization.....BC

[Guest kilo_sierra17]

Textures look better, got maybe 2 or 3 FPS better.PIII 500GeForce 3 Ti 200512 MB RAM17" LCDXP PRO80 GB ATA 133 7200RPM

[Guest]

It depends on where you're from BC. If you live in the hill country like my folks you sing a lot and if you're lucky enough to own some bottomland you're always walking in the mud. But both would agree that life's too short to dance with ugly women :-).Trip

[Guest TerryT]

Here are my results on the DX-9 upgrade.My frame rates have gone up slightly on the ground and maybe 5-10 FPS in the air. Flying around my home field of ABQ I now get a solid 25 FPS (locked) where as before it was 23-25 range. Flying around ORD, almost steady at 25 FPS (locked) where as before it was 18-21 range. Maybe 1-3 FPS better on the ground but now not as jerky.Now for some numbers that can be quantitatively reviewed. In the 3D Mark2001 SE bench mark, I gained slightly from 9256 to 9305. I have not tried this test with the newer and yet un-certified NVIDIA drivers (41.09). I am currently using the 40.72s.System specs are:CPU: P4 2.2 GHzRam: 512 DDR 2700 (333 MHz)Video Card: Gf4 4600O/S: Win XP Home with SP1Final note: Before I installed SP1 (service pack one), my 3D Mark2001 Se numbers were 10896 with the above equipment. It would have been interesting to see what kind of performance I might be getting now with the new Dx9 in "That" configuration.Terry

[Guest]

As everyone seems to have positive results with DX9,it seems clear to me that DX9 is no danger to install?

[Guest PaulL01]

>As everyone seems to have positive results with DX9,it seems >clear to me that DX9 is no danger to install? I wouldn't put it that way as there are many confirmed reports of a poor mipmap scheme in the final DX9 (Not solved by LOD adjustments to the display drivers), as far a stability goes it is better than 8.1 in some respects but I would still wait unless you have a specific problem such as in online gaming.