DX10 and its Application

Direct X 10, the selling point of Microsoft's Windows Vista, but what makes this so different from DX9? I will explain in basic terms and what it means to you; the non-developer end user.

DX10 is Microsoft's Vista exclusive API (Application Programming Interface), it boasts high-end graphics, and a radically new construction. What really makes DX10 different from DX9, is that it was not just built from the ground up, but its also a compilation of the older DirectX API's. But what really makes it awesome is how it runs; before the CPU (Central Processing Unit)would handle Physics, and Game Objects entity rendering which caused major stress on the CPU, limiting performance.

With the new API, the GPU (Graphical Processing Unit) runs the physics, the entity spawning, the rendering, etc. This boosts HUGE performance increases with the CPU, freeing up memory, thus increasing Frame Rates.

Microsoft has made it a requirement for a graphics card to be labeled DX10 compatible, is things such as: Physics processing, Unified Shader Units, etc. Before this, company's would include somethings, and leave out others to save money, but with this; company's MUST follow the guidelines or not receive a DX0 compatible seal.

DX10.1

DX10.1 is basically a patch up for DX10, small improvements such as required AA (Anti-Aliasing)and it improves on GPU usage and reduces strain on the CPU furthermore, thus increasing performance. THIS DOES NOT MAKE DX10 OBSOLETE; it is just a patch up, though a game must support DX10.1 to make advantage of the new features.

DX10 for the End User

DX10 is mostly for a Performance/Graphical upgrade, it is the real selling point for Vista, and with SP1 (Service Pack 1) coming out for Vista soon, the performance upgrade will be more apparent.

DX10 uses a Unified Shader Unit(s), which basically means the GPU will adapt the the games needs. Say a game requires more shader than physics processing units, the card will level the shader units to the correct level also the physics units level to form an even ration; Ex. Card supports 30 Units, game requires more Shader, card adapts to 20:10, shader:other.

This increases performance, and doesn't waste your units like the DX9 and below API's.

Heres some basic information from Wiki about Shader Units, etc:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shader

Performance in Games

A game running DX10 will typically run 1.5 - 3x slower in full graphics, AA to high, etc; this is mainly because you trade off a little performance for an increase in graphics; currently the game making this the most obvious is Bioshock
, though to run DX10, you must have extremely good hardware, at least a 8800 GTS to run with mediocre to high graphics w/ DX10; though some people prefer a frame rate over 50 (the human eye cannot tell the difference over 60).

Heres a load out I recommend:

CPU - E6600+ Intel Cpu
GPU - 8800 Nvidia GTS or above
Memory - 2 Gigabytes of memory or more
Hard Drive - at least a 500 Gigabyte or more HDD
Sound Card - Creative sound card (Audigy 2ZS +)

This will allow you to play on maximum graphics with todays current DX9 games at high-resolution; and will enable medium to high graphics at a 1680x1020 resolution with DX10 enabled.

Hope this helped

My apologize

Due to my extremely busy schedule I was not able to update this blog, but I am back, and will be able too :)

This month: Video Game hardware

This month on Techno World, I will be discussing hardware concerning Video Games; tweaks, updates, patches, and more! Stay tuned!

April 2007's topic : Computer Hardware

This month I shall be talking about computer hardware. Either your building a computer or jsut upgrading, expect to find this helpful. I will post a Hardware guide for Video Games and other applications, around the 14th or so.

Awesome Vista Tweaks Site

I just found an awesome Windows Vista tweaking site, check it out :

Tweak Vista

Installing Windows Vista

- Installing Windows Vista the Right Way -
To Install Vista properly make sure you have the following done :

- All your Driver CDs'
* Make sure they are compatible with Vista, or make sure manufacture has Drivers on their site *

- Everything Backed-Up, onto a External HDD or DVD/CD
* Click here to learn how to back-up *

- Check to see if your computer is Compatible with Vista
* If its barely Compatible, don't use Vista till your computer exceeds expectations *

- Unplug your computer from the internet
* So Viruses, etc don't find their way in during install *

After this is done, your going to do a Clean install of Windows Vista; this makes sure that your computer has a fresh start, even if your computer has a fresh install of XP; DON'T DO A UPGRADE INSTALL, I made a mistake doing that and my install crashed (I will explain later).

Now, pop the Vista install DVD in to your DVD drive, it should show this :



Click on Install now, then on the Welcome page click Next, make sure you have all programs Closed. Now, under " How do you want to transfer files and settings to your new computer ? ", select, " Use a Type of Removable Storage or Use a Network ".

Then under, " How to transfer files and settings ", choose the location that suits your needs. If you saved your things to a network, select, " Use a Shared Network Location ". If you saved to a External HDD or a DVD/CD, select, " CD or DVD, USB Flash Drive, or External Hard Disk ".

Under," Where do you want to save your files? ", click " Browse " to navigate to the location on an external storage location in which you would like to save your files. You can even assign a password if you'd like.

Under, " What do you want to transfer to your new computer? ", select one :

•	All user accounts, files, and settings
	My user accounts, files, and settings only
	Advanced options

Windows Easy Transfer will gather all of the information, the data is listed; confirm the list and click " Transfer ".

When the is complete, click " Close ".

Once the information is transferred, you're ready to complete the installation of Windows Vista.

Install of Windows Vista

	On the " Install Windows " page, click " Install now ".
	When asked, click " Go online to get the latest updates ".
	When prompted for the Authentication key, don't enter it just in case of a failed install..
	Accept the terms of the License Agreement, and then click " Next.

Once installation and setup are complete, you can restart Windows Easy Transfer.

Congratulations, Vista has been setup !!!

Transferring data to the computer :

	On the " Start " menu, select " All Programs ", select " Accessories ", select " System Tools ", and then select " Windows Easy Transfer ".
	Click" Continue "to allow the program access.
	Click " Next "to start the wizard.
	If you have programs open and are prompted to close them, click " OK ".
	Under " Do you want to start a new transfer or continue one in progress? ", select " Continue a transfer in progress. "
	Under " Are you using a local network? ", select one of the following: • Yes, I'm using my local network to connect my two machines • No, I've already saved my files to CD, DVD, or removable storage
	If asked to allow an exception for Windows Firewall, click " Yes ".
	If asked to input a Windows Easy Transfer key, type the key, and then click" Next ".
	Browse to the location of the transferred data. If you've selected a network drive or network connection, you may have to work through some additional steps to connect to the network. You will be asked if this is the case.
	Find the file you saved, generally with a name like SavedData.mig, and click " Open ". Click " Next ".
	Type your user name or choose one from the list, and then click " Next ".
	Click " Transfer " to begin the transfer process When your done, wait till 25 of the 30 days of the activation days are over till you activate. !!! CONGRATULATIONS, VISTA HAS BEEN SETUP !!!

March 2007's topic : Vista

This months topic is Windows Vista, a brand-new OS from Microsoft; is has had many criticisms, but if you ask me; its just what the doctor ordered. Heres what I recommend for your computer for the hardware in your rig:

Vista * any edition *

- a 2Ghz or faster processor
- 1 gigabyte of ram
- an HDCP compatible graphics card
- 17" or larger moniter
- Broadband (theres no point in having Vista if you use dial-up)

The rig I run running now, is fairly top-of-the-line, but thats only because I also use its as Media Center, so the computer pretty much needs to be top-notch for its HDCP-ness, other than that, if your not using Vista for gaming nor as a Media Center; its best you just stick with XP.