How to find out what version of directx you have. How to check directx version? Is it necessary to install the latest version?

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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 something incomprehensible from some “left” sites, etc., ultimately getting all sorts of errors in Windows work and games.

I’ll deal with all this in this article, trying to dot all the i’s in the matter of DirectX gaming technology.

What is DirectX

To figure out what is truth and what is fiction, let’s first find out what DirectX is? Wikipedia tells us:

DirectX(from English direct- direct, immediate) is a set of APIs designed to solve problems related to programming under Microsoft Windows. Most widely used in writing computer games. … Often, updated versions of DirectX are bundled with game applications.

More in simple words: DirectX is a “layer” between the video card and games, allowing you to fully realize all the computing power of your computer to render beautiful graphics.

I remember how in 2003 I was happy with the believable reflections in car windows and puddles on the road in the game Need for Speed: Underground, when I installed a video card supporting DirectX 9 into my computer. Of course, the matter is not limited to reflections alone, but first things first.

How do DirectX versions differ?

Technologies are progressing quite quickly. Each new version of DirectX allows programmers to add some new effect to the game, and optimize old ones.

I think the most obvious difference between the capabilities of DirectX 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). On the right is the much older ninth. In principle, effects such as soft shadows and snow from under the wheels can be implemented using DirectX 9 technology, but the drop in performance will be noticeable - in the “nine” there is neither optimization nor competent implementation of such effects.

The second example is the game Crysis 2:

It is believed that the higher the DirectX version, the better the picture. But you shouldn’t expect a miracle - often the changes are not noticeable. In my opinion, the main reason for such a small difference in image quality is that games are now being developed simultaneously for the Xbox, Sony PlayStation and PC game consoles. Compared to modern personal computers, consoles are weak in terms of performance and supported technologies. As a result, we play games on the computer, the graphics of which have 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 PC, but there are only a few of them.

A typical example of cross-platform is the game Skyrim:

The difference in graphics between Playstation 3 and Xbox360 lies in the details: on PS3 there is little water dripping somewhere, on Xbox 360 shadows do not react to flickering light sources. On a PC (identified as “Windows” in the video), there are no such problems, plus objects at long distances are visible, but there are no other improvements. Later the developers released a set of textures high definition for the PC version of the game, but this did not significantly improve the graphics.

So that you can see what kind of graphics a computer can produce - an example of a game designed to use all the capabilities of a video card and processor:

Do you see the difference? Beautiful lighting, clear textures, smooth movements. This level of detail would be unattainable using legacy DirectX 9 technologies - there are too many objects in the frame at the same time. There are also many effects that are implemented using video cards that support DirectX 10 at a minimum.

Features of the Crysis 3 graphics engine:

Contrary to what some users think, DirectX doesn't improve graphics in games, but only give a chance the programmer to make the game more beautiful. If the game was developed for DirectX 9, then the presence of DirectX 10 version won't change anything. It all depends not only on the capabilities of the video card, but also on the technology support of the game. If you combine everything, you get a simply wonderful game in terms of graphics.

Different Windows and DirectX versions

DirectX is essentially a set of files - software libraries. If they are not in system folders, then the games, at best, will be displayed without effects, at worst, they will not start, giving an error (when starting the game, the error “d3dx9_42.dll not found” appears, where the numbers may be different).

A minimum set of these files is already present in 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 included. Those. Windows 10 has support for version 12, DirectX 11.2, 11.1, 11, 10.1, 10, 9 and below.

How to install a complete set of DirectX files will be described in the text.

DirectX video card support of different versions

How newer video card, the higher DirectX version she is supportive. All previous versions will also be supported. That is, old games using DirectX 7/8/9 should theoretically work fine. In practice, operating system support becomes a limitation. Games developed for Windows 95/98/ME often crash on newer OSes; the video card has absolutely nothing to do with it.

At the same time, you need to understand that it also depends on Windows which DX will work. Games that require Direct 12 will not run on Win7/8, much less XP. The video card itself will work in ancient systems, it’s just that modern API functions will not be available. Thus, with a video card that supports DirectX 12, you will not be able to play modern games in Windows XP - only those running through DirectX 9 and lower will launch.

How can I find out which version of DirectX my video card and Windows support?

Video card

You can find 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. However, in general, all video cards released after 2015 support version 12. Although there are nuances with DX12, more on that below.

Windows

Finding out which version Windows supports is more difficult because a lot depends on the updates you have installed. If you have Windows 10, then it definitely has the latest version of the API. For all other OSes 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: Update your video card driver to the latest version:

There is no other way to switch the version if the game does not provide it. Think for yourself - the developers wrote the game code using commands for a specific version. It is impossible to simply replace commands with others.

All parties must support DirectX of a certain version: video card, operating system and game.

Thus, the question “which DirectX is better to play on” is meaningless - what does the hardware, OS and uses game, then it will be.

Do I need to install DirectX from the Microsoft website? What does this give?

Briefly: you can, but it won’t change the DirectX version!

If you want games to run normally, be sure to install all updates from Windows Update because it is from there that Windows gets the latest versions of libraries. Confirmation from Microsoft.

On the website of Microsoft, which developed DirectX, you can download the DirectX installer. Actually it's Not DirectX installer, but only an installer program that will download from the Internet and install new versions of DirectX software libraries. Despite the numbers 9, 10, 10.1, etc., DirectX also has internal numbering, which is related to updates. That is, corrections 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 some old (2005-2010) game using DirectX 9 does not start for you, try installing that same installer. Maybe it will help.

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 the installer installed, I downloaded the DirectX offline installer, which is needed to install DirectX updates on computers without the Internet:

Judging by the dates, at the time of writing this post, DirectX component updates were released on April 18, 2011 (update 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 once again: this is not an update of DirectX from version to version. This update of software library versions has nothing to do with the 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 allow those games that report a missing error to launch d3dx*. So you can try to install it.

Where to download DirectX?

Just install updates via Update Center!

Do not download DirectX from any sites it is forbidden! You risk getting viruses!

DirectX components are updated via Windows Update. This is 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 a component in Windows operating systems. You can update DirectX with the latest service pack or other updates through Windows Update.

If I download and install DirectX on Windows XP, will DirectX 11 appear there?

Will not appear. DirectX 10, 11 and later versions on There will never be Windows XP. I could go on and on about this topic, but I’ll just say this: Windows XP owners, get over it - this OS has long ceased to be a “gaming” OS. Many modern games do not support Windows XP. Even Microsoft has officially given up on it.

It is worth noting that there is a DirectX 10 build for Windows XP made by craftsmen. In essence, this is just a set of software libraries, not adding DirectX 10 effects, but only allowing some games to run without errors in XP if the “DirectX 10” mode is enabled in their settings. In any case, this set of libraries is highly likely to cause glitches in the operating system, so you should never install such a division.

How to install DirectX version 11.1 on Windows 7?

With the advent of Windows 10, this question is more relevant than ever. There is support for DirectX 11 .1 already exists initially. Windows 7 comes pre-installed with 11 . Support for the new version of DirectX will come in Center Windows Updates (Start - All Programs - Windows Update). The update is called KB2670838.

So update Windows through Update Center. This also applies to Windows 8.

DirectX 12

There are a lot of rumors circulating around DirectX 12. I'll try to dot all the i's.

Windows 7, 8 and DirectX 12

No. No and no again! DirectX 12 on Windows 7 and 8 Not will. Theoretically, this can be done if video card manufacturers and Microsoft cooperate. In practice - alas. Version 12 is the prerogative of Win10.

Many older video cards partially support DirectX 12

Manufacturer representatives AMD video cards and nVidia stated that video cards that support DirectX 11 will also support DirectX 12. This turned out to be marketing deceit. The advantage of DirectX 12 over 11 is a multiple increase in performance due to optimization of work with video card components (memory, video processor). The hardware of video cards released in the DirectX 11 era and earlier is not adapted for DirectX 12, so the main feature of the new version of the API - graphics acceleration - will not work.

That is, modern games that require version 12 of the graphics API to work will run with such video cards. But the graphics quality will have to be turned down to minimum to get a more or less decent frame rate.

There are three levels of support for the new graphics API by older video cards: Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 3. Tier 3 is the most complete support for the standard. And it is perhaps the closest to what DX12 is. You can play modern games with them at minimum graphics settings quite comfortably.

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.

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.

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.

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 support for DirectX 12.

Update from March 3, 2018: has already. All modern ones support version 12.

Please note that after 2015, support for version 12 of the API has improved; now you do not need to know about Tier levels.

Feature levels

As the owner of an AMD Radeon HD7950, I would like to be glad that it definitely has DX12 support, but it doesn’t work. The fact is that Microsoft has gone further and introduced additional feature levels (“Feature levels”). If Tier levels are an indicator for buyers, then Feature levels are intended for developers and report on what features of the new version of the API are fully supported by the video card processor.

Feature level 11.0- support for DirectX11 video card and the “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 list here (why?). Representatives:

• Nvidia GeForce GTX 745/750;
• AMD Radeon HD series 7700-7900/8500-8900, Rx 240-280;
• 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 support for Tier 1, hardware support for all DirectX 12 features.

Thus, none of the video cards released before 2015 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.

Bottom line

The speed of programs greatly depends on the level of access to the computer hardware. This is especially true for games. DX 12 provides features that developers should not neglect. Unfortunately, in practice they are not always fully used. Therefore, GTA V, released on PC in 2015, looks better and produces more frames per second on the same hardware than Watch Dogs 2, which was released a year and a half later, with similar gameplay.

Greetings to all visitors to my blog. Historically, I immediately grasped the connection between the absence dll files in the system and DirectX version. Therefore, if when you start the game, instead of the game itself, you see something like “The program cannot be started because d3dx9_31.dll is missing on the computer,” then with a 99% probability you can say that you need to update the DirectX libraries.

With the transition to new OS from Windows regular users began to get confused about Direct X versions. Many people mistakenly believe that by installing, for example, 9.0c on DirectX 11, they will uninstall 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, with some toys being exceptions)

If you are looking for this information because you don’t know what you can do from the official website, then this note is just for you - here we will look at everything! The network is full of resources that offer to download this file. Don’t be fooled by this - as a rule, it’s 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, but Microsoft is tricky with the interface and 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

Type in the search bar and press Enter

However, this will only work for Windows 7 and Windows Vista

In all versions of Windows, without exception, you can call the command execute and enter there. In this case, the DirectX utility will start. If you don’t 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 look at the version.

So, we found out which DirectX is installed, what to do next? Update of course!

How to 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, a web installer) can be found on the official Microsoft website.
http://www.microsoft.com/ru-ru/download/details.aspx?id=35
But I don’t like to chase my visitors around other sites, so I uploaded it to my blog, you can download it from me

After downloading, we launch it. “Install Microsoft(R) DirectX(R)” opens. We agree with license agreement and click “Next”

We will be offered to install the Bing panel 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 need to be downloaded (for example, 48.9 megabytes for me), if everything is satisfactory, click “Next”

DirectX - a set of libraries and software, which are used to solve problems related to the release of applications and games for the Windows operating system. Each OS version has a certain generation of this software installed, which corresponds to the capabilities of the installed video card. Each subsequent release of the API package includes all legacy libraries, so you don't have to install all the releases in a row - just install the latest package. Let's see how you can check DirectX on Windows 7 different ways.

Standard means

Windows operating systems have a special built-in feature that allows you to view information about the system, screen, sound and input devices. Get access to this application can be done in two ways: using a command in the "Run" window or by launching an executable file. Let's consider both options.

In order to check DirectX on Windows 7, you need to follow these steps:

1. Launch the Run application. This can be done using the Start menu and the item of the same name in it, or through the Win+R key combination.
2. In the window that opens, enter the dxdiag command and click OK to run the right application.
3. After some time spent collecting information, you will see a window with statistics and
4. On the first tab "System" there is a line "DirectX Version". Opposite it you will see the number of the current software version that is installed on the computer.
5. However, the version that appears in the first tab is not necessarily the one supported by your video card. To find information about supported libraries, you need to open the Display tab.
6. Pay attention to the "Drivers" section and the DDI line for Direct3D. Opposite this item is the generation number of the API package that is supported by your video card.

Now you know how to check DirectX on Windows 7 in two directions - the one that is installed on the computer, and the one that is supported by the graphics accelerator of your computer.

Second standard option

There are other ways to run the diagnostic tool. Firstly, you can open system partition hard drive and go to the Windows and System32 directory. In the list of all files, find dxdiag.exe and open it.

Secondly, the user can use the search in the Start menu. To do this, open the menu and enter the name of the executive file. Once it appears in the list of matches found, run it. By all means, you can run the application and check the DirectX version on Windows 7. Also, the described options are suitable for all subsequent versions of the operating system, up to 10.

Third party programs

If you are not satisfied with the standard checking tool, then you can use a third-party utility to check information about the system and hardware. For example, one of such programs is the popular AIDA64. You can download for free trial version and view the DirectX version on Windows 7 through it.

You need to run the program and select “Operating system” in the main directory with partitions. In it, find the line with the name of the software, opposite which will be written installed version.

To understand which version is supported by your video card, find the DirectX section and open the "Video" tab. Then find the line "Hardware support". Opposite it, you can check DirectX on Windows 7, which is supported by your graphics accelerator.

Many users, when installing software, need to know what drivers are already installed for this or other applications. This is required so as not to put old firewood instead of new ones. How to find out which directx is installed can be read in this article.

There are two ways to find out which version of DirectX drivers you have installed, each of which is simple and convenient in its own way.

The first way to find out which directx is installed

Windows contains a tool with which you can diagnose the system for the presence of installed DirectX components and find out what version they have. To use this utility, you must do the following:

The second way to find out which directx is installed

There are a lot of programs on the Internet that can diagnose your computer, show the layout of components, and analyze software installed on your PC. In particular, to check the directx version, there is a program that is distributed free of charge - PC-Wizard. Download and install the program, and after launching and collecting information, select “Configuration”, and then DirectX and you will see the version installed driver. Let's look at an example from another computer:

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First method

To begin with we will use standard means for component diagnostics, which is built into Windows. To do this, you need to use a utility called “Run” (Start - Run, or Win + R). In the window that opens, enter the word dxdiag and click OK.

A window will appear in which you can not only see the version of DirectX installed, but also a number of other parameters, including computer name, model, manufacturer, amount of memory, and so on.

Second method

If for some reason you cannot use the method indicated above, you can use third-party utilities. There are a great many such programs, take at least the legendary EVEREST, which shows absolutely all the information about your computer.

You need to install the program, then run it and wait until the system collects the necessary information. Go to the “Computer” - “Summary Information” section and all the information will be displayed on the screen, including DirectX (see screenshot). In my case the program is English language, but I highlighted the main points.

By the way, do not forget to update DirectX as it is released, so that you will always be able to play modern games.