With the arrival of the new Windows 10 OS, fans are wondering what the new DirectX 12 will deliver to them. They finally have an answer in the new "Ashes of the Singularity" RTS game from Oxide Games.
According to a report from Extreme Tech, "Ashes of the Singularity" is used to test the performance of the new DirectX 12 and its impact on game drivers. The game's RTS system reminds one of "Total Annihilation" wherein players command large numbers of their forces simultaneously on-screen.
Graphics card manufacturers AMD and Nvidia have both been asked for help by Oxide. However, according to the website, it appears Nvidia has never really taken a liking to the game, as it also feels that "Ashes of the Singularity" isn't a real benchmark.
The article quotes Nvidia as saying, "We do not believe it is a good indicator of overall DirectX 12 performance."
This Tech Spot report, however, brings the story of the triumph of AMD. According to the report, the test was done using a Nvidia GeForce GTX 980 and an AMD Radeon R9 390X. A myriad of resolutions and different CPUs were thrown into the mix, and each driver was tested in the DirectX 11 and DirectX 12 environments.
When the game was run in DirectX 11, it favored GTX 980 as it was 25 to 90 percent faster than the R9 930X. The tables were turned when the game was run with DirectX 12. In this environment, the gap between the GTX 980 and the R9 390X drastically lessened, with the R9 390X catching up or overtaking the GTX 980 in most situations.
Pot-shots between the two game driver developers are not unheard of, and Nvidia was quick to dismiss the benchmark status of the game. And while Extreme Tech believes that "Ashes" is a real benchmark, Ars Technica says that it's the result of one game and is not a definitive insight into the DirectX 12 performance as it has yet to be tested on other games across other graphic cards.
