'Battlefield 1' release date, news: AMD GPUs perform better on DX12, NVIDIA cards work best with DX11

A promotional image for "Battlefield 1"EA DICE

"Battlefield 1" early takers were able to test the performance of the PC version. They have concluded that the game performs well on AMD graphics card using Direct X (DX) 12, while NVIDIA cards show great performance under DX11.

Direct X (DX) 11 and 12 are Windows' own gaming API, which is a software layer in the operating system that negotiates between the hardware components and the game software itself. DX 11 is commonly found on Windows 8/8.1 machines, while DX 12 is native to Windows 10 computers.

Gamers who are still having second thoughts of purchasing the game will be happy to know that they do not really need high-end cards to enjoy "Battlefield 1." The test result shows that even the four-year-old AMD R9 290 and GTX780 cards can provide decent performance at 1080p resolution, as WCCFTech mentioned.

The NVIDIA GTX 780 can still run the game at 61 FPS, and the GTX 1080 can give it up to 127 FPS at 1080p and ultra-settings for the game. For AMD cards, the R9 280 X offers up to 54.55 FPS, while its R9 Fury X performs up to 115.7 FPS. The performance of the high-end cards is, relatively, overkill. It could be maximized if they are attached to high refresh rate monitors. But for mid-range display screens, they will still be fine, and users will still have enough room to spare.

In a test performed by Game GPU "Battlefield 1" reported that at 1440p, with DX12, the AMD R9 290 was able to chunk out 55 FPS, the RX 480 has 66 FPS and the Fury X has a 92 FPS value. Using DX 11, the 290 goes down to 52 FPS, the 480 has 64 FPS, and the Fury X goes decreases to 90 FPS.

For its nearest NVIDIA counterparts, with DX12, the GTX 970 gives 51 FPS, the GTX 1060 has 54 FPS, and the GTX 1070 gives 80 FPS. A big increase in performance was noticed when it shifted to the DX 11 environment. The GTX 970 has 55 FPS, the GTX 1060 goes up to 60 FPS, and the GTX 1070 gained a total of 89 FPS.

The behavior of these video cards clearly shows that AMD cards were optimized for DX12, while NVIDIA cards perform faster on a DX11 setting. The result also showed a similar pattern when the test was performed using a 4K display.

Meanwhile, EA (Electronics Arts), the game publisher, has uploaded the full "Road to Battlefield 1" live stream event on YouTube. The 2-hour long video features one of the five main single-player chapter called "Through Mud and Blood." This is a major spoiler, so gamers who want to be surprised when the game is released are advised to skip the video.

"Battlefield 1" will have its worldwide released on Oct. 21 for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Windows PC. Gamers who ordered the $80 Early Enlister Edition are enjoying it right now.