Review: Windows 8 - Part Four: Performance and Verdict

by Parm Mann on 1 November 2012, 12:30 4.0

Tags: Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), Windows 8

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GPU Performance

Windows 8 is the first Microsoft OS to support DirectX 11.1, but while future titles may use this technology to deliver increased performance and image quality, today's titles show little benefit. 3DMark 11 - which runs on the DirectX 11 codepath - shows practically identical performance between Microsoft's two most recent operating systems.

DiRT Showdown runs fractionally quicker on Windows 8, but there's not a lot in it; a three per cent increase in average FPS is hardly a reason to rush out and upgrade.

LuxMark is an open-source GPGPU benchmark that tests a graphics card's ability to construct a complex scene using OpenCL. Once again, the GeForce GTX 680 results are practically identical between operating systems.