Microsoft has outlined a new DirectX 12 feature that can unlock extra power from existing integrated GPUs.
DirectX 12’s new feature is called Multiadapter and gives your PC the option to draw resources from a motherboard’s integrated GPU alongside your standalone graphics card.
“Before Windows 10 and DirectX 12, all the performance potential from the second GPU goes unused,” said Microsoft’s Andrew Yeung on the DirectX Developer Blog. “[Now] application developers can use every GPU on the system simultaneously.”
“We recognised that most mixed GPU systems in the world were not making the most out of the hardware they had. WE set out to enable separable and contiguous workloads to be executed in parallel on separate GPUs.”
Related: DirectX 12 vs Direct X 11 – What’s new?
Although the advantages of Multiadapter are fairly wide-reaching, Microsoft used the example of postprocessing to help illustrate the benefits.
“Virtually every game out there makes use of postprocessing to make your favourite game visually impressive; but that postprocessing work doesn’t come free. By offloading some of the postprocessing work to a second GPU, the first GPU is freed up to start on the next frame before it would have otherwise been able to, improving overall framerate.”
This announcement follows previous rumours that DirectX could allow users to harness the power of multiple GPUs from different companies.
Multiadapter might sound similar, but it seems that its usefulness only extends to an integrated GPU with a standalone graphics card.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
