VKD3D 2.4 Out Now! GPU Framerates Improved
Normally we don’t cover news posts that often, but I think the latest version of vkd3d-proton — a project that allows Direct3D 12 titles to run through Proton — deserves a spot in the sunlight. In this release we’re specifically looking at GPU improvements. According to the patch notes, the image layouts “for color and depth-stencil targets” have been re-written in a way that allows the developers of the project to remove “a lot of dumb barriers.” They claim that with the removal of these barriers Horizon Zero Dawn has a “GPU bound uplift” of 15%-20%, Death Stranding by 10%, and 5%-10% in “many other titles.”
To put this claim to the test, I ran a few benchmarks with Horizon Zero Dawn: some with the new VKD3D release, the others without it. Have a look at the results below. This was using Proton Experimental (6.29.2021) and benchmarked at 1080p resolution. The only launch parameter I’m using for this game is PULSE_LATENCY_MSEC=60; I am not using GameMode. As always, hardware is as follows:
It looks like the developers really lived up to their claim. We’re seeing a 6 FPS increase on the average framerate on the highest preset, from 47 to 53; that’s about a 15% increase. On the opposite end of the spectrum, on the lowest graphics preset, we’re seeing a 20% increase, from 75 FPS to 90 FPS. Great!
