How to Download and Install DirectX 12 for Windows 10/11
If you are a PC gamer, you might have heard of DirectX, a collection of APIs that allows software, especially games, to work directly with your graphics and audio hardware. DirectX can improve your gaming experience by enabling multimedia features that are built-in to your hardware.
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DirectX 12 is the latest version of DirectX that is available for Windows 10 and Windows 11. It offers several advantages over previous versions, such as better performance, lower CPU overhead, and support for advanced features like ray tracing, variable rate shading, mesh shading, and sampler feedback. These features can make your games look more realistic, run faster, and load smoother.
In this article, we will show you how to download and install DirectX 12 on your Windows 10 or Windows 11 PC, as well as how to enable some of its features. We will also explain the benefits of DirectX 12 for PC gaming, and provide a list of some compatible games and system requirements.
How to check which version of DirectX is installed on your PC
Before you download and install DirectX 12, you might want to check which version of DirectX is already installed on your PC. To do this, you can use the DxDiag tool, which reports detailed information about the DirectX components and drivers on your system.
Here are the steps to use the DxDiag tool:
Press Windows + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
Type dxdiag and click OK.
The DxDiag tool will launch and scan your system. This may take a few seconds.
On the System tab, look for the DirectX Version field. This will show you the current version of DirectX installed on your PC.
You can also click on the Display, Sound, or Input tabs to see more information about your graphics card, audio device, or input device.
If you want to save the information as a text file, click on the Save All Information button at the bottom.
When you are done, click on the Exit button at the bottom.
How to download and install DirectX 12 using Windows Update
The easiest way to download and install DirectX 12 is to use Windows Update. Windows Update will automatically check for updates and install them on your PC. This will ensure that you have the latest version of DirectX that is compatible with your operating system.
To use Windows Update, follow these steps:
Press Windows + I keys to open the Settings app.
Click on Update & Security.
Click on Windows Update on the left pane.
Click on the Check for updates button on the right pane.Windows Update will scan for available updates and download them in the background. This may take some time depending on your internet speed and the size of the updates.
Once the updates are downloaded, you will see a notification that says Restart required. Click on the Restart now button to restart your PC and apply the updates.
After your PC restarts, you can check the DirectX version again using the DxDiag tool to confirm that you have DirectX 12 installed.
How to enable DirectX 12 Ultimate and hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling
DirectX 12 Ultimate is a set of features that are supported by some of the latest graphics cards from NVIDIA and AMD. These features include DirectX Raytracing, Variable Rate Shading, Mesh Shading, and Sampler Feedback. To use these features, you need to have a compatible graphics card and driver, as well as enable them in the Windows settings.
Hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling is another feature that can improve the performance and responsiveness of your games by allowing the GPU to manage its own memory more efficiently. This feature is available for Windows 10 version 2004 or later, and Windows 11, and requires a compatible graphics card and driver as well.
To enable DirectX 12 Ultimate and hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling, follow these steps:
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Press Windows + I keys to open the Settings app.
Click on System.
Click on Display on the left pane.
Scroll down to the bottom and click on Graphics settings.
Under Choose an app to set preference, select Desktop app from the drop-down menu.
Click on the Browse button and navigate to the folder where your game is installed. Select the game executable file and click on Add.
The game will appear in the list below. Click on it and then click on Options.
A pop-up window will appear with three options: Let Windows decide, Power saving, and High performance. Select High performance and click on Save.
This will ensure that your game will use the best available graphics card and driver for DirectX 12 Ultimate features.
To enable hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling, go back to the Display settings and scroll down to the bottom. Click on Advanced display settings.
Click on Display adapter properties for Display 1.
A new window will open with information about your graphics card. Click on the List All Modes button at the bottom.
A list of supported display modes will appear. Select the one that matches your monitor's resolution and refresh rate, and click on OK.
You will be prompted to apply the changes. Click on OK.
You will see a message that says To use hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling, you must restart your computer now or later. Click on Restart now.
Your PC will restart and apply the changes. You can now enjoy DirectX 12 Ultimate features and hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling in your games.
Benefits of DirectX 12 for PC Gaming
In this section, we will explain some of the benefits of DirectX 12 for PC gaming, especially for those who have DirectX 12 Ultimate compatible graphics cards. These benefits include:
Rasterization is a technique that converts 3D models into pixels on a screen. It is fast and efficient, but it has some limitations when it comes to rendering realistic lighting effects, such as shadows, reflections, refractions, and global illumination.
, on the other hand, is a technique that simulates how light rays interact with objects in a scene. It can produce more realistic lighting effects, but it is very computationally intensive and requires a lot of processing power.
(DXR) is a feature that allows developers to use ray tracing in their games, while still using rasterization for the rest of the graphics. DXR can enhance the realism and immersion of games by adding dynamic lighting and shadows, realistic reflections and refractions, ambient occlusion, and global illumination.
Some examples of games that use DXR are .
Shading is a process that calculates the color and brightness of each pixel on the screen, based on the lighting, texture, and material of the objects in the scene. Shading can be very expensive in terms of GPU resources, especially for high-resolution displays and complex scenes.
(VRS) is a feature that allows developers to vary the shading rate within a frame, depending on the level of detail and importance of each region. For example, regions that are in focus, close to the camera, or have high contrast can have a higher shading rate, while regions that are out of focus, far from the camera, or have low contrast can have a lower shading rate. This can reduce the GPU workload and improve the performance and frame rate of games, without sacrificing much visual quality.
Some examples of games that use VRS are .
A mesh is a collection of vertices, edges, and faces that define the shape of an object in 3D space. Meshes are usually created by artists using modeling tools, and then imported into games as static assets. However, this can limit the amount of detail and variety that can be achieved in games, as well as the flexibility and interactivity of the objects.
is a feature that allows developers to use GPU compute shaders to generate and manipulate meshes on the fly, based on the camera view, distance, and other parameters. This can enable more detailed and dynamic worlds with millions of objects, such as grass, trees, rocks, debris, crowds, etc. Mesh shading can also allow for more realistic animations and physics effects for the objects, such as deformation, destruction, collision, etc.
Some examples of games that use mesh shading are .
A texture is an image that is applied to a surface of an object to give it color, detail, and realism. Textures can have different levels of detail (LOD), depending on the resolution and quality of the image. Higher LOD textures can improve the visual quality of games, but they also require more memory and bandwidth to load and render.
is a feature that allows developers to use GPU feedback to optimize the texture streaming process. Texture streaming is a technique that dynamically loads and unloads textures based on the camera view, distance, and other factors. Sampler feedback can help to reduce the memory and bandwidth usage, as well as the loading time and stuttering, by only loading the necessary LOD textures for each frame. This can also improve the visual quality by avoiding blurry or popping textures.
Some examples of games that use sampler feedback are .
DirectX 12 Compatible Games
There are many games that support DirectX 12 features, either natively or through patches or updates. Here are some of the popular games that you can play with DirectX 12 on your Windows 10 or Windows 11 PC:
Game
DirectX 12 Features
DirectX Raytracing, Variable Rate Shading, Mesh Shading, Sampler Feedback
DirectX Raytracing, Variable Rate Shading, Mesh Shading, Sampler Feedback
DirectX Raytracing, Variable Rate Shading
DirectX Raytracing, Variable Rate Shading, Mesh Shading
DirectX Raytracing, Variable Rate Shading, Mesh Shading, Sampler Feedback
DirectX Raytracing, Variable Rate Shading, Mesh Shading
DirectX Raytracing, Variable Rate Shading
DirectX 12
DirectX 12, DirectX Raytracing
DirectX 12
DirectX 12
DirectX 12
DirectX 12, Variable Rate Shading, Sampler Feedback
DirectX 12 System Requirements
To run DirectX 12 games on your PC, you need to meet the minimum and recommended system requirements for each game. These requirements may vary depending on the game, the graphics settings, and the features that you want to use. However, as a general guideline, here are some of the common hardware and software specifications that you need for DirectX 12 gaming:
Minimum System Requirements
A Windows 10 or Windows 11 PC with the latest updates installed.
A DirectX 12 compatible graphics card with at least 2 GB of VRAM.
A DirectX 12 compatible sound card.
A CPU with at least 4 cores and 8 threads.
At least 8 GB of RAM.
At least 50 GB of free disk space.
A monitor with at least 1080p resolution and 60 Hz refresh rate.Expand the Display adapters category and right-click on your graphics card.
Select Update driver.
Select Search automatically for updated driver software.
Windows will search for the latest driver and install it on your PC. This may take some time depending on your internet speed and the size of the driver.
Once the driver is installed, you will see a confirmation message. Click on Close.
You may need to restart your PC to apply the changes.
Use Manufacturer's Website: You can also download the latest driver from the manufacturer's website, such as . You need to know the model and specifications of your graphics card, as well as your operating system and DirectX version. You can use the DxDiag tool to find this information. Once you download the driver, you can run the installer and follow the instructions to install it on your PC. You may need to restart your PC to apply the changes.
Q: How can I enable or disable DirectX 12 in my games?
A: To enable or disable DirectX 12 in your games, you need to check the game settings and options. Some games may have a toggle or a drop-down menu that allows you to choose between DirectX 11 and DirectX 12, while others may require you to edit a configuration file or launch the game with a command line parameter. You can refer to the game manual or website for more information on how to enable or disable DirectX 12 in your games.
Q: How can I troubleshoot DirectX 12 issues on my PC?
A: If you encounter any issues with DirectX 12 on your PC, such as crashes, errors, performance drops, or visual glitches, you can try some of the following troubleshooting steps:
Update your graphics card driver: As mentioned above, you can use Windows Update, Device Manager, or Manufacturer's Website to update your graphics card driver to the latest version that supports DirectX 12.
Update your Windows: You can use Windows Update to check for updates and install them on your PC. This will ensure that you have the latest version of Windows that is compatible with DirectX 12.
Run the DirectX Diagnostic Tool: You can use the DxDiag tool to scan your system and report any problems with DirectX components and drivers. To do this, follow these steps:
Press Windows + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
Type dxdiag and click OK.</li The DxDiag tool will launch and scan your system. This may take a few seconds.
On the System tab, look for the Notes section at the bottom. If there are any problems detected, you will see a message that says Problem report. You can click on the View report button to see more details and possible solutions.
You can also click on the Display, Sound, or Input tabs to see more information about your graphics card, audio device, or input device. If there are any problems detected, you will see a message that says Problem report in the Notes section at the bottom. You can click on the View report button to see more details and possible solutions.
If you want to save the information as a text file, click on the Save All Information button at the bottom.
When you are done, click on the Exit button at the bottom.
Contact the game developer or publisher: If none of the above steps resolve your issue, you may need to contact the game developer or publisher for further assistance. You can find their contact information on their website, social media, or customer support page. You may need to provide them with your system information, DirectX version, graphics card driver version, game settings, and error messages or screenshots.
Q: How can I improve my PC gaming performance with DirectX 12?
A: If you want to improve your PC gaming performance with DirectX 12, you can try some of the following tips:
Adjust your game settings: You can lower some of the graphics settings in your game, such as resolution, anti-aliasing, texture quality, shadow quality, etc. This can reduce the GPU workload and increase the frame rate. However, this may also affect the visual quality of your game.
Upgrade your hardware: You can upgrade some of the hardware components in your PC, such as graphics card, CPU, RAM, SSD, etc. This can improve the performance and compatibility of your PC with DirectX 12 games. However, this may also require additional cost and installation.
Use optimization software: You can use some of the optimization software that are designed to boost your PC gaming performance, such as . These software can automatically update your drivers, optimize your game settings, free up system resources, and enhance your gaming experience. However, you should be careful when using these software and only download them from trusted sources.
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