Will the R9 290x support dx12

The newguy

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Dec 10, 2014
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Hello guys,
I am currently buying the R9 290x and I have a few doubts in my mind.
1) Will the 290x support all the DX12 features ?
2) If I crossfire two 290x then with the help of DX12 can I use the vram adding method to get 4 + 4 = 8 GB or will it stay 4 + 4 = 4 GB.
3) Or is the 970 a better option but I know that nividia cards do not have much performance boost when compared to the Amd using DX12.

Thanks for your time.
 
Solution
GCN 1.0 and 1.1 GPU's will get DirectX 12 support but not the entire feature set, Maxwell and GCN 2.0 GPU's are the first that will get full DirectX 12 support (not sure if that includes the 750/750 Ti). I'm not sure if the independently accessed VRAM for multi GPU configs has actually been confirmed yet or if it's still just a rumour, but if it is true, yes, you will effectively have 8GB of VRAM (or 7GB through a 224-bit bus with 2 970's).
GCN 1.0 and 1.1 GPU's will get DirectX 12 support but not the entire feature set, Maxwell and GCN 2.0 GPU's are the first that will get full DirectX 12 support (not sure if that includes the 750/750 Ti). I'm not sure if the independently accessed VRAM for multi GPU configs has actually been confirmed yet or if it's still just a rumour, but if it is true, yes, you will effectively have 8GB of VRAM (or 7GB through a 224-bit bus with 2 970's).
 
Solution
1. Yes.
2. No. CF and SLI do not combine VRAM. The implementation of the technology makes the GPUs act as one where they process the same data.
3. Depending on the game title, the 970 GTX trades blows with the 290/290x. However, the 970 GTX uses significantly less power. The 290/290x power usage can peak in the 300 watt range. You will need a solid 600 watt+ power supply for a 290x.

What does the rest of your build look like?

http://www.amd.com/en-us/products/graphics/desktop/r9
 
Thanks for the replies guys
My current build is
Proccesor - i5 4690k
Graphics card - currently looking for one
Motherboard - Gigabyte gaming 5
Ram - 4×2 GB G.skillTridentX
Hdd - Seagate 7200 1 Tb
Psu - Rosewill Lighting 1300W
Case - Crosair carbide 400r

I know the psu is quite a bit overkill but I got it only for 129$ I got it for future proofing as I will sli or crossfire and will upgrade my cpu as well.

I also have a question that if I buy a 970 right now then can i combine it with the 390X by using the new features of DX12 then
1) Will it work or is the whole thing just a rumour.
2) Will I be able to play older games using this setup which do not support DX12.
3) Is buying a 970 or 290x even worth it right now ?
Well, thanks
 
I think the hybrid multi-GPU thing with DirectX 12 is also just a rumor at this point; it would be awesome though if it actually happens although I can't imagine Nvidia allowing it.

As I understand, Direct3D 12 will use Direct3D 11 features if it detects hardware or software that doesn't support a specific feature.

I'm not sure if a single 970 or 290X will have a huge lifespan as 4k is going to be mainstream before too long, but DirectX 12 and Vulkan might be the saving grace.
 


No, I'm not confused. I don't provide links just for fun. AMD plans on supporting DX12 with the r9 series GPUs.
http://www.amd.com/en-us/products/graphics/desktop/r9

API SUPPORT 11: DX12
Footnote 11: Based on our review of the Microsoft DirectX(r) 12 specification dated July 23, 2014, we are confident that devices based on our GCN architecture will be able to support DirectX(r) 12 graphics when available. We recommend that you check AMD.com prior to purchase to confirm that a particular device will support DirectX(r) 12 graphics. Note however, any changes to the DirectX(r) 12 specification after this date could impact or completely eliminate this ability – and AMD disclaims all liability resulting therefrom.
 


You know all AMD dedicated video cards from the HD 7000 series and Kaveri and newer APU's use GCN architecture and will support DirectX 12? Not just the R9 300 series.
 
Well AMD Mantle can already use split frame rendering to independently access the VRAM of each video card, just games developers don't use it, that makes the DirectX 12 rumors a little stronger for me. I'll try and find some links, I remember reading from a decent source that the first DirectX 12 supported games will be coming at the end of this year.
 


1) people are debating about this in another forum. but the way i heard about it some DX12 feature will need new hardware. 290X comes out even before there are talks about DX12 from MS. the latest info suggest only Maxwell V2 (900 series) have support for DX12 feature level 12_1. current GCN based gpu will be limited to feature level 12_0. of course things are not final yet until MS officially release DX12 with the launch of Win 10.

2) there are talk about this but so far i'm not seeing MS directly saying so. until the info coming directly from MS i would treat it as a rumor.

3) mainly because nvidia DX11 drivers optimization is better than AMD. look at the star swarm benchmark that being run by anandtech:

http://www.anandtech.com/show/8962/the-directx-12-performance-preview-amd-nvidia-star-swarm/3

or did you mean the latest Futuremark API Overhead benchmark test?