Nvidia has released a new driver update that supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, new graphics technology that Microsoft unveiled in March 2020 to boost the performance of games using ray tracing.
Ray tracing is a digital technique that massively improves how your PC renders light, shadows and reflections, adding more detail and accuracy.
Nvidia’s new driver update also works with Windows 10’s May 2020 Update in ways that could improve your PC’s gaming performance immediately, particularly by making use of a hardware-accelerated GPU-scheduling feature that’s included in the software update’s graphics settings.
“This new feature can potentially improve performance and reduce latency by allowing the video card to directly manage its own memory,” Nvidia said.
With the release of Nvidia’s new GeForce Game Ready Driver, DirectX 12 Ultimate and its features are fully supported on GeForce RTX GPUs on Windows 10 operating systems using version 2004 or newer.
“DirectX 12 Ultimate gives developers a large, multi-platform install base of hardware to target, and ready-made tools and examples to work from — all backed by time-saving middleware,” Nvidia said. “This makes game development faster and easier, and enables more developers to add these innovative technologies to their games.”
Specifically, the driver update and the frameworks it supports should make it easier for developers to optimize games for the upcoming Xbox Series X, which is slated for release during 2020’s holiday season. The Series X is billed as Microsoft’s fastest, most powerful home video game console ever.
Beyond the Xbox gaming platform, the driver update is also expected to influence the development of next-generation games to be played on Nvidia’s latest graphics cards.
To download the new GeForce Game Ready Driver, go to Nvidia’s drivers page or download the free GeForce Experience app and click the “Drivers” tab.
Again, the driver update could improve your PC’s gaming performance immediately. Once you install the update, you’ll see a new option in Windows 10’s graphics settings that allows you to enable the hardware-accelerated GPU-scheduling feature that came with the Windows 10 May 2020 Update.
Open “Graphics Settings: Change Default Graphics Settings.” You’ll have to reboot to reap the full benefits of this new feature.
