Every gamer has come across a concept like DirectX 9. What is this component for and what is it for? Of course, versions older than ninth already exist today. In simple words, this is a kind of intermediate tool between computer games and a video card, which makes it possible to use all the computing power of a computer to draw impressive graphics.
When a user sees realistic reflections in puddles and windows in the game, smoke that does not differ from the real one, sparks - he understands what DirectX is for.
Version Differences
All technologies are developing rapidly. This also applies to computer graphics. Each fresh version of DirectX gives developers the opportunity to add some new visual effects to the game, and make the old ones more beautiful. What is DirecX11 for? It allows you to make very realistic snow, soft shadows without a noticeable drop in performance. Older versions cannot boast of this.
Simply put, a higher version is a better picture. But you do not need to wait for miracles, since often changes are difficult to notice. Most likely, this small difference is explained by the fact that modern games are created immediately for all platforms. And consoles in comparison with computers are much weaker in their technical capabilities. As a result: PC games look the same as on consoles released several years ago. If consoles have many limitations regarding graphics, then computers do not suffer from this.
To the question: “What is DirectX for?” many users will answer that it improves the graphics. In fact, it allows developers to make the game more beautiful. If it was created for the ninth version, then installing the tenth absolutely does not change anything. The graphics are affected not only by the performance of the video card, but also by the game’s support for technology.
DirectX and Windows
DirectX is a collection of software libraries. If they are not in the folders, then the games will either be without effects, or, most likely, will not start at all. In this case, an error message pops up - the absence of some file. That's what DirectX is for - so that games that support this technology can run. These files are already present in the operating system with the minimum required composition. The supported version of DirectX also depends on the OS version.
Graphics card and DirectX
The newer the model, the more recent the technology version it supports. Together with the new, all previous ones will be supported. The Windows operating system must also support the new version, since if there is a new video card, but with a system, only old toys will be launched.
How to find out the supported version
To find out about the version supported by the video card, you can go to the manufacturer’s website and get acquainted with the necessary information there. And it can be found in online stores.
The operating system is somewhat more difficult, as much depends on its updates.
First of all, you need to make sure that all the latest updates are installed. This is done in the Update Center. Then you need to press Win + R on the keyboard and enter the word dxdiag. This will run the diagnostics, where you can see the installed version of DirectX.
If the Internet comes across the latest version for the old operating system, then you need to understand that this is a hoax. It can not be. In older versions of Windows, you can’t use support for the latest versions of DirectX.
Do I need to install libraries from Microsoft?
You can do this, but the version will not change. For the normal launch of the games, you must download and install all the updates, as mentioned earlier. The system takes the latest versions of libraries from there. It is not the installer that is downloaded from the company’s site, but a bootloader that takes files from the network and only then installs new versions instead of outdated ones.
The operating systems of new versions of the library do not need these, since all updates come with updates. What is DirectX on an old version of Windows for? In order to launch not the latest toys, but requiring updates.
Installation
The installer contains files of both old versions and new ones. The installation process is very simple. You just need to click Next several times, and then click Finish. After that, the libraries will be installed on the computer and automatically activated. Now games can use them.
Conclusion
So, summing up, you can quickly once again answer the question of why DirectX is needed. This set of libraries is needed to run computer games, as well as to support realistic visual effects that were created by developers. If without these libraries the games start, the picture will be completely different from what it should be. And true connoisseurs of games as an art form will not be able to see all the beauty. Thus, you need to monitor the updates and install them on time. What is DirectX 11 for? The new version is needed for more beautiful graphics. And we also need an up-to-date video card model that can work with these libraries and provide gamers with a pleasant game process.