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Became often faced with all sorts of misconceptions on the topic DirectX... For example, users try to install DirectX of some implausible versions, download it is not clear what from some "left" sites, etc., as a result, getting all sorts of errors in running Windows and games.
I will deal with all this in this article, trying to dot the i's in the case of DirectX gaming technology.
What is DirectX
To figure out where the truth is, and where the fiction is, let's first find out - what is DirectX? Wikipedia tells us:
DirectX (from the English. direct - direct, direct) is a set of APIs designed to solve problems associated with programming under Microsoft Windows... Most widely used when writing computer games... ... Often updated versions DirectX comes with gaming applications.
More in simple words: DirectX is a "layer" between the video card and games, which allows you to fully realize all the computing power of your computer for rendering beautiful graphics.
I remember how, in 2003, I was delighted with believable reflections in car windows and puddles on the road in Need for Speed: Underground when I installed a DirectX 9 graphics card in my computer. Of course, this is not limited to reflections, but let's talk about everything in order.
What are the differences between DirectX versions
Technology is progressing quite rapidly. Each new version of DirectX allows programmers to add some new effect to the game, and old ones to optimize.
I think the most obvious difference between DirectX capabilities different versions will show this video:
Pay attention to the beautiful effects of flying snow from under the wheels of the car and soft shadows in DirectX 11 version (left). In principle, such effects as soft shadows and snow from under the wheels can be realized by limiting ourselves to DirectX 9 technology, but the drop in performance will be noticeable - there is no optimization or competent implementation of such effects in the nine.
The second example is Crysis 2:
In general, the higher the DirectX version, the better the picture. But do not expect a miracle - often the changes are not striking. In my opinion, the main reason for such a small difference in image quality is that now games are being developed simultaneously for gaming xbox consoles, Sony Playstation and PC. Set-top boxes are weak in terms of performance and supported technologies compared to modern personal computers. As a result, we play games on the computer, the graphics of which remained at the level of the year the consoles were released, admiring the blurry textures and simplified effects. Yes, there are games developed or modified for the PC, but there are only a few.
A typical example of cross-platform is Skyrim:
The difference in graphics between Playstation 3 and Xbox360 lies in the details: on PS3, little water drips somewhere, on Xbox 360, shadows do not react to flickering light sources. On a PC (labeled "Windows" in the video) there are no such problems, plus objects are visible at long distances, but there are no further improvements. Later, the developers released a set of high-definition textures for the PC version of the game, but this did not dramatically improve the graphics.
So that you can see what kind of graphics the computer is capable of producing - an example of a game tailored to use all the capabilities of a video card and processor:
See the difference? Beautiful lighting, crisp textures, smooth movements. Incidentally, this level of detail would have been unattainable with outdated DirectX 9 technologies - too many objects are in the frame at the same time. There are also many effects that are implemented by video cards with support for DirectX 10 at least.
Crysis 3 graphics engine features:
Contrary to the opinion of some users, DirectX does not improve graphics in games, but only give a chance programmer to make the game more beautiful. If the game was developed for DirectX 9, then the presence of DirectX 10th version will not change anything. It all depends not only on the capabilities of the video card, but also on the technology support for the game. If you combine everything, you get a wonderful game in terms of graphics.
Different Windows and DirectX versions
DirectX is essentially a collection of files - software libraries. If they are not in system folders, then games at best will be displayed without effects, at worst they will not start, giving an error (when starting the game, an error “d3dx9_42.dll not found” appears, where the numbers may be different).
The minimum set of these files is already present in the just installed Windows... Depending on the version of the operating system, there will be a different set of files, which means support for different versions of DirectX (information from here):
- Windows XP SP2 - DirectX 9.0c
- Windows Vista - DirectX 10
- Windows Vista SP1 - DirectX 10.1
- Windows Vista SP2 - DirectX 11
- Windows 7 - DirectX 11.1
- Windows 8 - DirectX 11.1
- Windows 8.1. - DirectX 11.2
- Windows 10 - DirectX 12
Previous versions are included. Those. Windows 10 has support for version 12, DirectX 11.2, 11.1, 11, 10.1, 10, 9 and below.
How to install the full set of DirectX files will be in the text.
DirectX video card support of different versions
Than newer graphics card, the higher directX version she supports. Everything previous versions will also be supported.
Windows must support this version too. With a video card that supports DirectX 12, in Windows XP you will not be able to do anything - games that run only through the ninth DirectX and below will start. In the still popular Windows 7, the situation is similar - DirectX latest there is no version.
How do I know which version of DirectX my graphics card and Windows support?
Video card
You can spy information about which version of DirectX your video card supports on the official page of the manufacturer's website and in any online store. For example, in Yandex.Market.
Windows
Finding out which version Windows supports is more difficult because a lot depends on the updates installed.
The algorithm is as follows:
1. Make sure you have all Windows updates installed (Start - All Programs - Windows Update - Search for Updates - Install).
2. Optional item: update your graphics card driver to the newest version:
You can download a DirectX installer from the Microsoft website that developed DirectX. In fact it is not DirectX installer, but only an installer program that will download and install new versions of old DirectX software libraries from the Internet and add new ones. Despite the numbers 9, 10, 10.1, etc., DirectX has an internal numbering that is related to updates. That is, fixes and improvements are possible within versions.
Windows 7, 8 and 10 these libraries, in general, not needed, because the required updates come through the Update Center. But if you can't start some old (2005-2010) game using DirectX 9, try to install the same installer.
D3DX9_ 24
.dll -D3DX9_ 43
.DLL
D3DX10. DLL - D3DX10_ 43
.DLL
D3DCompiler_33.dll - D3DCompiler_43.DLL
D3DX11_42.DLL
D3DX11_43.DLL
D3DCSX_42.DLL
D3DCSX_43.DLL
XACTENGINE2_0.dll - XACTENGINE2_9.DLL
XACTENGINE3_0.dll - XACTENGINE3_7.DLL
XAUDIO2_0.DLL
XAUDIO2_1.DLL
XAUDIO2_2.DLL
XAUDIO2_3.DLL
XAUDIO2_4.DLL
XAUDIO2_5.DLL
XAUDIO2_6.DLL
XAUDIO2_7.DLL
XAPOFX1_0.dll -XAPOFX1_5.DLL
X3DAUDIO1_0.dll - X3DAUDIO1_7.DLL
XINPUT1_1.DLL
XINPUT1_2.DLL
XINPUT1_3.DLL
To check what is installed by the installer, I downloaded the DirectX standalone installer, which is needed to install DirectX updates on computers without the Internet:
Based on the dates, at the time of this writing, DirectX component updates were out on April 18, 2011 (update from 01/29/2016: now everything comes through the Update Center in other packages).
The downloaded program is essentially a self-extracting archive. Let's open it with the 7-zip archiver:
Pay attention to the file names - the installer contains both files related to DirectX 9 (d3dx9_31, d3dx9_32, d3dx9_33, etc.) and DirectX 10 (d3dx10_35, d3dx10_40, etc.). Each version is updated - new versions of ..dll libraries are released, new ones are added.
Let me remind you again: this is not directX update from version to version. This update of versions of software libraries and has nothing to do with numbering 9, 10, 10.1, 11, 11.1. You won't be able to upgrade installed DirectX in this manner.
After installation, new libraries will be added and old ones will be updated, which will make it possible to start those games that report an absence error d3dx *... So you can try to install.
Where to download DirectX from?
Just install updates via the Update Center!
Download DirectX from any sites you can't! You risk getting infected with viruses!
DirectX components are updated via Windows Update... The only way you can get DirectX support 10.1 and 11 on Windows Vista, 11.1 on Windows 7.
Microsoft DirectX is included as part of operating windows systems... You can update DirectX by applying the latest service pack or other updates through Windows Update.
If you download and install DirectX on Windows XP, will DirectX 11 appear there?
Will not appear... DirectX 10, 11 and later on Windows XP will never be. We can dwell on this topic for a long time, I will just say the following: owners of Windows XP, accept - this OS has long ceased to be "gaming". Many modern games do not support Windows XP. Even Microsoft officially gave it up.
It is worth noting that there is a DirectX 10 assembly for Windows XP made by craftsmen. In fact, this is just a set of software libraries, not addingeffects of DirectX 10, but only allowing some games to start without errors in XP, if their settings enable the mode "DirectX 10". Anyway, this set of libraries is highly likely to cause glitches in operating system, so in no case should you put such a division.
How do I install DirectX 11.1 on Windows 7?
In connection with the advent of Windows 10 this question is more relevant than ever. There's DirectX 11 support .1 already exists initially. Windows 7 is originally installed with version 11 ... Support for the new version of DirectX will come via Center Windows Updates (Start - All Programs - Windows Update). The update is called KB2670838.
So keep Windows up to date through Update Center. This also applies to Windows 8.
DirectX 12
There are a lot of rumors circulating around DirectX 12. Let's try to gather facts and guesses.
Windows 7, 8 and DirectX 12
DirectX 12 on Windows 7 and 8 not will be.
Older video cards will partially support DirectX 12
Manufacturer's representatives aMD graphics cards and nVidia said that DirectX 11 graphics cards would partially support DirectX 12. This turned out to be marketing slyness. The advantage of DirectX 12 over 11 is a 7-10-fold increase in performance due to optimization of work with the components of the video card (memory, video processor). The "hardware" part of the video cards released in the era of DirectX 11 and earlier are not adapted for DirectX 12, so the main feature of the new version of the API - graphics acceleration - will not work.
What do we have? There are three levels of support for older graphics cards for the new graphics API: Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3. Tier 3 is the most complete support for the standard.
Video cards without DirectX 12 support (but supporting DX10 and / or 11):
Intel ValleyView2 HD Graphics
Intel HD Graphics 2500
Intel HD Graphics 4000
And newer.
AMD Radeon HD 5xxx
AMD Radeon HD 6xxx
AMD Radeon HD 7xxxG, M, and D Series
AMD Radeon HD 8xxxG
And newer.
It seems like everyone should, but there are different levels of support. More on this later
DirectX 12 Tier 1 capable graphics cards
Intel HD Graphics 4400
Intel HD Graphics 4600
Intel HD Graphics 5000
Intel Iris Graphics 5100
Intel Iris Pro Graphics 5200
NVIDIA GeForce GT 430
NVIDIA GeForce GT 440
NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460
NVIDIA GeForce GT 520M
NVIDIA GeForce GT 520
NVIDIA GeForce GT 525M
NVIDIA GeForce GT 540M
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 Ti
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580
NVIDIA GeForce 610M
NVIDIA GeForce GT 610
NVIDIA GeForce GT 620M
NVIDIA GeForce GT 620
NVIDIA GeForce GT 630M
NVIDIA GeForce GT 630
NVIDIA GeForce GT 635M
NVIDIA GeForce GT 640M
NVIDIA GeForce GT 640
NVIDIA GeForce GT 730
And newer.
DirectX 12 Tier 2 capable graphics cards
Intel - no.
AMD - no.
NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 Ti
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660M
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 Ti
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680
NVIDIA GeForce GT 740M
NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 Ti
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 765M
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti
NVIDIA GeForce 840M
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 860M
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
And newer.
DirectX 12 Tier 3 capable graphics cards
Intel - no.
AMD Radeon HD 7750
AMD Radeon HD 7770
AMD Radeon HD 7850
AMD Radeon HD 7870
AMD Radeon HD 7950
AMD Radeon HD 7970
AMD Radeon R4 Graphics
AMD Radeon HD 8600
AMD Radeon HD 8800
AMD Radeon R7 200
AMD Radeon R9 200
AMD Radeon R9 390X
And newer.
But nVidia does not yet have video cards with full DirectX 12 support.
Update from 3.03.2018: has already. All modern ones support the 12th version completely.
Additional levels - Feature levels
As the owner of AMD Radeon HD7950, I would like to rejoice, but it doesn't work. The fact is that Microsoft went further and introduced additional levels of features ("Feature levels"). Tier levels are an indicator for buyers, Feature levels are for developers.
Feature level 11.0 - Support for DirectX11 video card and Resource Binding function from Tier 1. Representatives of such video cards: Nvidia GeForce GTX 400/500/600/700.
Feature level 11.1 - DirectX 11 .1 and support for many functions that I will not give here (why?). Representatives:
- Nvidia GeForce GTX 745/750;
- AMD Radeon HD 7700-7900 / 8500-8900, Rx 240-280 series;
- Intel HD Graphics 4200-5200, 5300-6300;
Feature level 12.0 - support for some Tier 1 and Tier 2 features. Representatives: AMD Radeon HD 7790/8770, Rx 260/285/290 and newer.
Feature level 12.1 - Full Tier 1 support, hardware support for all DirectX 12 features.
Thus, none of the existing video cards fully support DirectX 12. Some of the features are implemented at the software level, so the same game using DX 11 and DX 12 will not receive a noticeable performance increase when switching to new version API.
Outcome
It's amazing how much computing performance depends on the level of access to the computer hardware. DX 12 provides features that developers should not neglect. Due to the fact that Xbox One will also support the twelfth version, at the end of 2015 we will have a lot of games with its support. But there will be no miracles - the existing (for 2015) video cards are not optimized for using DirectX 12, the performance gain will be small.
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Greetings to all visitors to my blog. Historically, I immediately grasped the connection between the absence dll files on the system and the DirectX version. Therefore, if, when starting the game, instead of the toy itself, you see something like "The program cannot be launched, since the computer does not have d3dx9_31.dll", then with a probability of 99% we can say that you need to update the DirectX libraries.
With the transition to new operating systems from Windows ordinary users began to get confused in versions of Direct X. Many people mistakenly believe that by installing, for example, 9.0c on DirectX 11, they will remove the latter. I'll tell you right away - it won't go anywhere, it will just be supplemented with libraries from 9.0 (although all the necessary ones are already included in the latest versions, there are some toys with exceptions)
If you are looking for this information, because you don't know what, it is possible from the official site, then this note is just for you - here we will consider everything! The network is full of resources that offer to download this file. Do not get fooled by this - as a rule, it is very easy to catch a virus from such sites (and Yandex does not always mark such resources as dangerous)
It's quite easy to find out, however Microsoft is wise with the interface and in different windows it may look different, but the logic does not change from version to version. So, for Windows 7, click "Start" and find the search box
Enter in the search bar and press Enter
However, this will only work for Windows 7 and Windows Vista.
In all windows versions without exception, you can call the command to execute and enter there In this case, the DirectX utility will start. If you do not know where your Run command is, then read this article http: //www.site/pc/setup_win/gde-v-puske-vypolnit/
And here in the "DirectX Diagnostic Tool" we can see the version.
So, we found out which DirectX is installed, what to do next? Update of course!
How do I update DirectX to the latest version?
Never, do you hear? NEVER do not download DirectX from unknown sites. Download the official and latest version (more precisely the web installer) is available from the official Microsoft website.
http://www.microsoft.com/ru-ru/download/details.aspx?id\u003d35
But I do not like to drive my visitors to other sites, so I uploaded to my blog, you can download from me
After downloading - launch. The "Install Microsoft (R) DirectX (R)" opens. We agree with license agreement and click "Next"
We will be offered to install the Bing Bar for free, but we don't need it, so we uncheck the box next to this item.
The installation program will determine how many more components you need to download (for example, 48.9 megabytes for me), if everything suits you, click "Next"
Active users who often play different games are faced with a program like DirectX. If someone else is not aware of what this is, what it is for, let's try to briefly explain. This is a developed set of files of software libraries for the normal operation of games on a computer. It's easier to say - this is a program, without which the games will not start or simply freeze. At best, without Direct X, games will simply slow down, but this will not bring any pleasure. Avid gamers know that with almost every game on the disc, the current version of DirectX is usually supplied, without which this game simply will not work. Naturally, when installing a game, you need to take into account the presence of a supported DirectX on your computer.
How to view the version of DirectX
It's actually very easy to find out which version of the API libraries is installed on your computer.
- In the search bar in Windows, write the command - dxdiag.
- We open the utility.
This is a small diagnostic utilityDirectX andversion check.
In the program window ms we can see all the information about the system. Current installed edition, paging file, amount of RAM, version and bitness of the system, as well as BIOS firmware.
How to find out DirectX on Windows7
- In addition, there is another way how to find out version of DirectX , for this you need to run the classic application "Run".
- This can be done in several ways. Vwindovs7 it is in the menu " Start". Or use the keyboard shortcut WinKey + R (for any operating systems of the Windows family).
WinKey is the home key, usually it is marked with a logoWindows.
- In the application window that opens, enter the command to run the Diagnostics DirectX.
Windows10 version checkDirectX
You can also find out which DirectX is installed in the system through the console command line... There are many ways to launch it. In the latest versions of Windows 10, for example, the easiest way to do this is through the button " Start", On which you need to right-click, and in the list select Windows PowerShell ... Then enter our cherished command in the console to run the DirectX diagnostic utility.
SeeDirectX in Windows8
Command to run diagnostics dxdiag In operating systems, Windows 8 can be opened in the following way:
- Go to the start screen, then click on the down arrow to open the list of all applications, and here in the search bar and write our command.
You can also check the issue by third-party software, for example, using the AIDA64 or Everest program. Both programs are from the same developer and are practically identical. Of all the possible functions and capabilities that they have, there you can also see which version of DirectX is installed on the computer. 
@
Users often wonder why this or that game does not start on their computer. This happens even with those users who have purchased a powerful "machine" with high performance. Why can't you install games with maximum requirements? The reason for this may be an outdated DirectX edition, which is not capable of supporting certain technologies. If you want to know the version of DirectX and solve the issue of launching a particular game, read on!
Outdated utility creates a problem when launching games
What is DirectX?
This is a tool that contains the multimedia technology packages necessary for the operation of various applications. In other words, it is an assembly of functions necessary for solving various tasks with gaming, multimedia and some other data, developed for Windows.
DirectX is commonly used for writing games. The program provides functions that handle graphics, audio streams. In addition, without it, the computer will not be able to process the information that is transmitted from joysticks, mice, keyboards, etc. You do not need to pay for it, it is on the official Microsoft resource.
Version check
The assembly check is needed to understand if DirectX is really to blame. Interestingly, updated editions of the program are often bundled with the game, but there are exceptions.
So how do you know which DirectX is installed? The most trivial way is to use built-in tools. The procedure looks like this:
- press Win + R;
- enter in the dxdiag field;
- press Enter.
The system will launch a diagnostic tool that has everything about DirectX, including information about its type. The number is indicated at the bottom on the "System" tab. This manipulation is suitable for any OS from Microsoft.
The question of the relevance of versions is more complicated, it all depends on the system - there are certain differences. For example, for Windows 7 you can "install" version 11 of the program, in Vista it is DirectX 10. Developers no longer support Windows XP, but many people in our country still use it. Version 9 is suitable for this OS, it is impossible to install more recent versions, although persistent users still found a way to "screw" version 10 under XP. DirectX 11 is automatically embedded in Windows 8. As for the most latest windows 10, then it can be produced with both 12 and 11 versions.
There is another method that allows you to figure out what version of the program is preinstalled on your PC. It's about the parameters of your video card. For example, everything you need to know about DirectX is in the NVidia card details.
The web also has a lot of utilities that collect all information about the system (including software versions).
After understanding the edition, install the freshest DirectX build possible for your operating system.
Application developers sometimes specify a specific version of a package to install. Just uninstall the current version of DirectX and download the assembly that does not require an update. All versions of this software are freely available, you can find them on the manufacturer's website. Experienced users say that the easiest way is to download an installer on a PC.
Finally, we add that on some PCs, the version 11 driver may not be installed. The problem is that this edition of the software is incompatible with an outdated video card on your hardware.
In all operating systems, starting with, the above components are already built into the distribution kit. This means that you do not need to install them separately. Each OS edition has its own maximum version of DirectX libraries. For Windows 7, this is DX11.
To increase compatibility, in addition to the newest version, there are files in the system previous editions... Under normal conditions, if the DX components are intact, games written for version 10 and 9 will work as well. But in order to run a project created for DX12, you will have to install and nothing else.
Graphics adapter
Also, which version of the components is used in the operation of the system is influenced by the video card. If your adapter is quite old, then it may only support DX10 or even DX9. This does not mean that the video card is not capable of functioning properly, but new games that require newer libraries will not start or will give errors.
Games
Some game projects are designed in such a way that they can use files of both new and outdated versions. In the settings of such games there is an item for selecting the DirectX edition.
Conclusion
Based on the above, we conclude that we cannot choose which edition of the libraries to use in our operating system, this has already been done for us by the developers of Windows and manufacturers of graphics accelerators. Attempts to install a new version of components from third-party sites will only lead to a loss of time or even to crashes and errors. In order to use the capabilities of the fresh DX, you need to change the video card and (or) install a new Windows.
