For some time now we have not stopped hearing things like Ray Tracing, Variable Rate Shading, DirectStorage and other words that are related to the DX12 Ultímate API and that mark the future of games. But such a future is far from the low-end cards on the market where full DX12 Ultimate support is completely absent.
One of the good things that the PC allows is to be able to configure our PC as we want and in the case of gaming PCs we have seen different configurations, for all pockets and needs. But, at this point the lack of support begins to be a bit worrying
What does DirectX 12 Ultimate provide?
DX 12 Ultimate is the latest update to the DirectX 12 API, which adds support for a number of technologies that have been integrated into high-end and mid-high-end graphics cards from both AMD and NVIDIA. Among the technologies that have been added we can consider the following:
- Ray Tracing.
- Variable Rate Shading.
- DirectStorage, the ability to use the SSD by the graphics card.
- DirectML, the ability to run AI algorithms on the GPU, and dedicated chips and drives such as neural processors and systolic arrays.
- Mesh Shaders
- Etc.
A good part of these technologies if we buy a GPU above € 400 and that this in the new generations are supported, but not in lower-end GPUs, so this means that when games begin to use several of these technologies let’s see how those cards are really going to be numbered.
No GPUs compatible with DX12 Ultimate in the low-end
The combination of the different technologies integrated in DX12 Ultimate is not only designed to beautify the graphics in a game but also to speed up the execution of the same, thus increasing the number of frames per second.
If these technologies are not found in the lower-mid-range GPUs then we find that the offer that is currently in the market is very poor, so buying one of these cards for our PCs can certainly lead us to see each other. limited in the short term and completely out of the picture in the medium term.
Neither AMD nor NVIDIA have in their mid-lower range at the time of writing this article, graphics cards fully compatible with DX 12 Ultimate.
Why is DX12 Ultimate support important in the low ranges?
Imagine that a game uses the DirectStorage to access the game data more quickly, which is stored on an SSD. But, you find yourself with the paradox that your GPU does not support DirectStorage and the SSD cannot be used by said GPU despite being fast enough to move the game.
Another example is with the VRS, imagine for a moment a situation where your GPU which is theoretically more powerful outputs a lower frame rate in certain games that have been optimized for the use of the DirectStorage that allows it to capitalize on the SSD. Well, not only for the SSD but also for many other technologies that include the latest Microsoft API and that still do not have support in the lower-middle range.
This means that when you buy a graphics card that is not at the top of the range at the moment, you should take into account that the lack of full support for the most advanced version of Microsoft’s API could force you to replace it sooner than due, to Unless you consider investing a little more and ensuring full support.
Will 2021 be the year of the mid and low range?
All indications indicate that in a few weeks we will see both the AMD RX 6700 and the NVIDIA RTX 3060, which will be aimed at the mid-range and will have the same characteristics as their older sisters. At the moment we do not know their official price and rumors place them between € 300 and € 400 in terms of their starting price.
But the question that continues to haunt us is about the charts below € 300. Will we still have to wait another year or are we finally going to have a GPU of each brand in the low range with DX12 Ultimate support? Today the performance of an RTX 2060 SUPER should be more than possible on a € 250 GPU and seeing the improvements that NVIDIA has made in the RTX 3000 even for less than € 200, although that is
But the reality is that while waiting for the new range of cards we do not have it and the fact of having a GPU with full support for DX12 Ultimate can be the difference between a low-mid-range GPU that lasts a longer useful life. or less.