The DirectX 12 Explicit Multi-GPU feature has recently been tested. This feature allows for both Nvidia and AMD graphics card to be paired side-by-side in a single system. Fortunately, pairing both graphics cards did not cause any sort of catastrophic event like this to happen.
To be more specific, the test was conducted by folks at PCWorld. The graphics cards that were used are the Nvidia GeForce GTX 980 and AMD Radeon R9 Fury X; the performance of these cards were judged by running Ashes of The Singularity game. So what happens when one pairs an AMD and Nvidia graphics card together in one system? Well, as one might expect, better graphics performance.
Unsurprisingly, the Radeon-GeForce combination provided significantly much better FPS compared to a pair of GTX 980s in SLI. However, GTX 980 GPUs in SLI with Explicit Multi-GPU turned on faired much better, but not enough to outperform the Radeon-GeForce pair. It’s worth mentioning that, to date, only Ashes of The Singularity supports the Explicit Multi-GPU feature in DirectX 12.
Now, even though we now know that it is possible to pair graphics cards from different manufacturers thanks to DirectX 12, one shouldn’t expect this feature to be heavily used by video game developers soon. Why? Simply because it is highly unlikely to see Nvidia and AMD working together.
As long as the rivalry between these two companies remain, there aren’t any good reason for game developers to implement the feature. Regardless, Explicit Multi-GPU seems to be a very good prospect for the PC gaming industry. Let’s hope PC game developers think so too.
(Source: PCWorld)
