SET gxApi "d3d11" - not a great idea

[XanderJS]

Only problem I had was that water disappeared and I all I could see when looking at it was the bottom of the river, ocean, lake, etc... Speaking of that anyone know how I could fix that?

I get this when I try seeting if for DX11 on my 5870. I just assumed it was a glitch with Sunnart though =0/

[Cilraaz]

I get this when I try seeting if for DX11 on my 5870. I just assumed it was a glitch with Sunnart though =0/

It's a problem with any viewporting addons. I don't know if they've fixed it yet or not. I simply modified my version of Spartan UI to not use the viewporting.

[Trigunflame]

Note: I know this thread is a few days old, but figured I'd post my take on it anyway.

I haven't been impressed in the slightest with the dx11 support in the WoW builds that we've seen thus far.
In fact, all I've seen is Slowdowns as compared to its dx9 counterpart, with more than adequate hardware I might add.

A simple test I conducted myself should further illustrate my point.
Each preset/configuration on the respective DX API was ran 5x with the results averaged.

These tests were ran on a freshly installed Windows 7 x64 system using the following:
i7 920 at 4.0Ghz w/ HT enabled & 6GBs of DDR3-1600 in Tri-Channel.
Nvidia GTX 480 w/ latest 266.35 drivers at stock clocks.
WoW was installed to a Vertex 2e SSD.

1x AA / 16x AF / DX9 = 170 FPS (+3.03%)
1x AA / 16x AF / DX11 = 165 FPS

8x AA / 16x AF / DX9 = 117 FPS (+4.464%)
8x AA / 16x AF / DX11 = 112 FPS

1x AA / 8x AF / DX9 = 320 FPS (+6.667%)
1x AA / 8x AF / DX11 = 300 FPS

8x AA / 8x AF / DX9 = 250 FPS (+19.048%)
8x AA / 8x AF / DX11 = 210 FPS

So, I have no idea where people are pulling these so-called 20-30% performance increases from.
I'm certainly not seeing it; if anything, I'm finding the inverse of that.

[Dujith]

Those numbers are taken from highend DX11 cards. How faster the card is how higher the gain is.

Tom's Hardware Cataclysm DX9-11 test

[Deleted]

Im using 2x PowerColor Radeon HD6850 (since yesterday) i was running around everything in ultra with Ok fps, do you think i would gain more fps by having SET gxApi "d3d11"?

It sais from where i orderd it that it should work with DirectX 11.

[BLSTMASTER]

About dx11, it seems like if its turned on for wow theres a conflict with xfire where you can't broadcast wow using xfire (Xfire in game won't even pop up)


Just throwing it out there because I had a problem with it

[vesseblah]

I haven't been impressed in the slightest with the dx11 support in the WoW builds that we've seen thus far.
In fact, all I've seen is Slowdowns as compared to its dx9 counterpart, with more than adequate hardware I might add.

So, I have no idea where people are pulling these so-called 20-30% performance increases from.
I'm certainly not seeing it; if anything, I'm finding the inverse of that.

I'd like to point out my post #19 in this thread. DX11 mode for me increased framerate in some areas, decreased in some with old DX10.1 card. The more Cataclysm modifications was added, the faster the area would run. For example the untouched Winterspring was slower in DX11 mode, while completely new Deepholm was faster in DX11. I didn't re-run these tests with my new GTX460 but would assume there's similar thing happening with it.

Also your second set of data has huge logic error. Water and sunshafts are especially stuff that were added in Cataclysm client, so naturally you will not see difference or suckier difference when you turn those effects specifically off.

[Deleted]

About dx11, it seems like if its turned on for wow theres a conflict with xfire where you can't broadcast wow using xfire (Xfire in game won't even pop up)

Xfire expects a specific version of the D3D API. If you change it, Xfire can no longer work within the game. Changing the Xfire wow configuration however to expect D3D11 however should work.

Radeon HD6850

Is a card designed for DX11 and the features it provides, and done so with greater focus. (Much better at tessellation for example)

[Trigunflame]

Those numbers are taken from highend DX11 cards. How faster the card is how higher the gain is.

A GTX 480, is about as highend as you get aside from a GTX 580 which is only a marginal difference (around ~6-10% when clocked at the same speed).
I've seen that article and I've never been able to reproduce their results (regardless of whether I OC'd this card to 850/2000 or not).

Also your second set of data has huge logic error. Water and sunshafts are especially stuff that were added in Cataclysm client, so naturally you will not see difference or suckier difference when you turn those effects specifically off.

Not everyone is going to run the client at Maxed out settings. It is a well known fact the 3 altered settings make a substantial difference in FPS. As such, those results were included in the data set as well to give a realistic idea of what someone could expect.
Ideally, the margin of FPS between the use of DX9 or DX11 API, should remain constant with all else being equal.

The fact that the FPS dropped so dramatically when each option was changed (yes, though undocumented I did change each setting one by one and monitored the FPS hit) made clear that in this area, the SunShaft, Water (The entire area is surrounded in it) & Shadows effects are used considerably. Demonstrably, this showed a vast difference between DX9 or DX11 (or in the first data set, a relatively non-existent one), the fact I wasn't in a "Catacylsm" area is inconsequential to these results.

More to my point, is that you shouldn't see so called "20% gains", and conversely "20% losses" depending on the area, in the first place.
If anything, DX11 should Match the peformance of DX9 in All areas, and make the aforementioned gains in area's that make more use of these "new" effects.
The fact that it fails to do this, is all the more reason that it Shouldn't be used as it is.
I'm assuming this is yet another reason (in addition to various bugs) that Blizzard has opted to leave it disabled by default.

[Deleted]

80% FPS improvement on a 6870 on ultra at highest res and full AA, only problem is the config file seems to be removing set gxApi "d3d11" every now and then, does WoW support crossfire?

[BicycleMafioso]

80% FPS improvement on a 6870 on ultra at highest res and full AA, only problem is the config file seems to be removing set gxApi "d3d11" every now and then

Because you have it in the protected folders. Add -d3d11 to your desktop shortcut instead.

"C:\Games\World of Warcraft\Wow.exe" -d3d11

Like that.

[Singularity]

Because you have it in the protected folders. Add -d3d11 to your desktop shortcut instead.
Like that.

It still disappears...

[Deleted]

It still disappears...

Make sure its not just being moved.

Every time WoW quits - the config file is completely recreated. It means for example that the gxApi setting is likely to be located earlier in the config file than where you placed it. The position of it however does not actually matter, and if its being moved around it acknowledges that the game has indeed read and understood the command - since its now returning it to the text file when exiting and making sure that the command remains when remaking the config file.

[FlawlessSoul]

I got really annoyed with the WoW launcher constantly overwriting my desktop WoW shortcut (that has the -d3d11 tag to force it on) - simple answer? Set the tag, and then set the shortcut as read-only.

[Deleted]

I to have Dx11 card, and get nearly 0 FPS with DX 11 on, yet awsome FPS with DX10 on.

[Nejji]

I to have Dx11 card, and get nearly 0 FPS with DX 11 on, yet awsome FPS with DX10 on.

WoW does not support DX10, only DX9 and 11.

[Deleted]

lets me use d3d10 lol.. id hardly call 0 FPS *supported* either. How do i know its even worked ....

"C:\Users\Gary\Desktop\World of Warcraft\Wow.exe" -d3d11

will make it run DX11 right?

[Nejji]

the client probably overwrote it with d3d9ex then, WoW never has been documented with DX10 support.

[BicycleMafioso]

lets me use d3d10 lol.. id hardly call 0 FPS *supported* either. How do i know its even worked ....

"C:\Users\Gary\Desktop\World of Warcraft\Wow.exe" -d3d11

will make it run DX11 right?

Yes. (It is)

[Bocek]

I get this when I try seeting if for DX11 on my 5870. I just assumed it was a glitch with Sunnart though =0/

Yeah sunnart has problems if you set your graphic settings to Ultra. There is some command you run so it fixes the settings. Some issue with the sunshafts.