Intel has on the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco two new DirectX extensions for Haswell processors will be presented. In addition, Intel has announced that the Quick Sync Video, optimized for videotranscoder HandBrake.
The first DirectX extension that Intel presented is PixelSync. PixelSync enables the implementation of order-independent transparency as possible. ‘Oit’ ensures that transparent elements are to be sorted, so that they are then in the correct order to be re-rendered. This can make ‘mistakes’, such as in the image below, be prevented and there may be more realistic objects rendered. Not only smoke, but also other objects in which transparency plays a role, such as, for example, hair, windows and leaves, can be more realistically rendered.
Left: no OIT, Right: OIT enabled
The second extension has a Intel InstantAccess called. With the help of InstantAccess allows both the cpu and the gpu to make use of data that are in the same memory. This allows software to by both the cpu and the gpu are running, without that there is data exchanged have to be between the random access memory of the two processors. Gpu designer Nvidia calls his variant unified virtual memory and it will be in the new Maxwell-gpus, which in 2014 will become available.
Finally, Intel has announced the videotranscoder Handbrake to support ” Quick Sync Video acceleration. The versnellingstechniek was already in the Ivy Bridge processors and will also be in the successor to Haswell, again, are putting in an appearance. It is still unclear how much faster Handbrake is thanks to the versnellingstechniek.