Exploring DirectX 12: 3DMark API Overhead Feature Test
by Ryan Smith & Ian Cutress on March 27, 2015 8:00 AM EST- Posted in
- GPUs
- Radeon
- Futuremark
- GeForce
- 3DMark
- DirectX 12
Closing Thoughts
Wrapping things up, Futuremark’s latest benchmark certainly gives us a new view on DirectX 12, and of course another data point in looking at the performance of the forthcoming API.
Since being announced last year – and really, since Mantle was announced in 2013 – the initial focus on low-level APIs has been on draw call throughput, and for good reason. The current high-level API paradigm has significant CPU overhead and at the same time fails to scale well with multiple CPU cores, leading to a sort of worst-case scenario for trying to push draw calls. At the same time console developers have low enjoyed lower-level access and the accompanying improvement in draw calls, a benefit that is an issue for the PC in the age of so many multiplatform titles.
DirectX 12 then will be a radical overhaul to how GPU programming works, but at its most basic level it’s a fix for the draw call problem. And as we’ve seen in Star Swarm and now the 3DMark API Overhead Feature Test, the results are nothing short of dramatic. With the low-level API offering a 10x-20x increase in draw call throughput, any sort of draw call problems the PC was facing with high-level APIs is thoroughly put to rest by the new API. With the ability to push upwards of 20 million draw calls per second, PC developers should finally be able to break away from doing tricks to minimize draw calls in the name of performance and focus on other aspects of game design.
GDC 2014 - DirectX 12 Unveiled: 3DMark 2011 CPU Time: Direct3D 11 vs. Direct3D 12
Of course at the same time we need to be clear that 3DMark’s API Overhead Feature Test is a synthetic test – and is so by design – so the performance we’re looking at today is just one small slice of the overall performance picture. Real world game performance gains will undoubtedly be much smaller, especially if games aren’t using a large number of draw calls in the first place. But the important part is that it sets the stage for future games to use a much larger number of draw calls and/or spend less time trying to minimize the number of calls. And of course we can’t ignore the multi-threading benefits from DirectX 12, as while multi-threaded games are relatively old now, the inability to scale up throughput with additional cores has always been an issue that DirectX 12 will help to solve.
Ultimately we’re looking at just one test, and a synthetic test at that, but as gamers if we want better understand why game developers such as Johan Andersson have been pushing so hard for low-level APIs, the results of this benchmark are exactly why. From discrete to integrated, top to bottom, every performance level of PC stands to gain from DirectX 12, and for virtually all of them the draw call gains are going to be immense. DirectX 12 won’t change the world, but it will change the face of game programming for the better, and it will be very interesting to see just what developers can do with the API starting later this year.
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Vayra - Saturday, March 28, 2015 - link
Oh hi Star Citizen, how are you today.Michael Bay - Sunday, March 29, 2015 - link
Wait until they hit optimizations stage.Refuge - Friday, March 27, 2015 - link
As mentioned below this will make the ports much more scalable to PC's. So when taking a game meant ton run on 6 year old hardware meets brand new hardware it isn't like taking a Porsche 911 from your city streets to a mud pit like it is now. It will be more like going from the city to the Autobahn.Ports will actually run better on better computers, not worse. Also, it will speed up the time of release for ports, in fact in a few years I wouldn't be surprised if multiform games were released on consoles and PC's at the same time as standard policy.
Belgarathian - Friday, March 27, 2015 - link
I'm more interested in being able to display more dynamic enviroments with more artifacts, more units on screen etc.Can someone please remaster Supreme Commander Forged Alliance for DX12, and fix the bad AI. SC:FA is by far the best RTS, it's a shame that it was released before the technology was there to support it.
DarkXale - Sunday, March 29, 2015 - link
The performance issues with SupCom Forged Alliance Forever (or you're just doing it wrong), are from the sheer quantity of units the game needs to manage. Not the number of issued drawcalls.The 'gameplay' simply requires the CPU to do too much - all of which must be done in a single thread - for any machine to reasonably manage in large games. DX12 can't help much with that.
FlushedBubblyJock - Tuesday, March 31, 2015 - link
Q: " How much can they do with it really? "A: "How much did mantle do ?"
akamateau - Thursday, April 30, 2015 - link
Hmmmm... yes you are right. Partially. Console games will be developed to the limit of the console and Microsoft just announced that DX12 was going into XBOX.AMD 8 core Jaguar will scale much higher tan 4.4 million draw calls on XBOX.
But you also have to realise the GAMES are about the storey and eye candy. Games studios are also highly competitive. It is the nature of business that all things evolve to the lowest limiting factor. Until now DX11 was THE factor that limited the size and complexity of games. DX12 removes those limits.
Expect games to be photorealistic at 4k easily!
So the decision the consumer must make si simple. Great gaming with exensive Intel silicon or better gaming with inexpensive AMD silicon!!!
akamateau - Thursday, April 30, 2015 - link
FINALLY THE TRUTH IS REVEALED!!!AMD A6-7400 K CRUSHES INTEL i7 IGP by better than 100%!!!
But Anand is also guilty of a WHOPPER of a LIE!
Anand uses Intel i7-4960X. NOBODY uses RADEON with an Intel i7 cpu. But rather than use either an AMD FX CPU or an AMD A10 CPU they decided to degrade AMD's scores substanbtially by using an Intel product which is not optimsed to work with Radeon. Intel i7 also is not GCN or HSA compatible nor can it take advantage Asynchronous Shader Pipelines either. Only an IDIOT would feed Radeon GPU with Intel CPU.
In short Anand's journalistic integrity is called into question here.
Basically RADEON WOULD HAVE DESTROYED ALL nVIDIA AND INTEL COMBINATIONS if Anand benchmarked Radeon dGPU with AMD silicon. By Itself A6 is staggeringly superior to Intel i3, i5, AND i7.
Ryan Smith & Ian Cutress have lied.
As it stands A10-7700k produces 4.4 MILLION drawcalls per second. At 6 cores the GTX 980 in DX11 only produces 2.2 MILLION draw calls.
DX12 enables a $150 AMD APU to CRUSH a $1500.00 Intel/nVidia gaming setup that runs DX11.
Here is the second lie.
AMD Asynchronous Shader Pipelines allow for 100% multithreaded proceesing in the CPU feeding the GPU whether it is an integrated APU or an 8 core FX feeding a GPU. What Anand sould also show is 8 core scaling using an AMD FX processor.
Anand will say that they are too poor to use an AMD CPU or APU set up. Somehow I think that they are being disingenuous.
NO INTEL/nVidia combination can compete with AMD using DX12.
RandomUser15 - Friday, March 27, 2015 - link
First and foremost this is the first comment, also great article, very well done!RandomUser15 - Friday, March 27, 2015 - link
Damn, nooooooooo.