Hi
When looking at a pc's DirectX compatibility - is the graphics card the only part in a computer that I have to check to see which DirectX version it is made for? Or are there any other parts that have to fit, too?

And, do DirectX 11 compatible parts still play the earlier 9 and 10 version games just as well?

If you're looking to buy, build or upgrade, please have a read through the stickies.

Directx doesn't even need to be looked at when choosing a new graphics card. Directx is backwards compatible, which means the newer cards running directx 11 are still going to work with 10 and 9 games, like The Sims games.

Thanks, good to know about backwards compatibility.

Yes, I read through all the stickies. If they mention anything about directX, I must have missed it, sorry.

I am thinking of buying a new pc in january and would like it to be directx 11 compatible for future games. I saw on the internet that graphics cards are made for either directx 10 or 11 these days. So I know what to look for there.
But, I don't know if I would need to check any other parts on a pc for directx 11 compatibility. Can you tell me about that?

I hope I make more sense now, but english is not my native language.

The number depends on the OS, I believe.
directx 11 - Windows 7
directx 10 - Windows Vista
directx 9 - Windows XP

New cards will be directx 11-compatible. Just read the specification page on the websites; it will be mentioned there. DirectX is not the most critical thing to watch out for when building/buying, because the OS will take care of it.

Actually, sorry but that's not true. It is dependent on the cards and right now only ATI has any directx 11 cards and they are very limited. Nvidia and ATI will both release their full new line that supports directx 11 in the first part of next year. That said, Windows XP only supports directx 9. Vista and Win 7 support 9 10 and 11.. but you have to have a card that supports it too. Those are the only two things that you need to look at as far as directx goes.

The Sims games run on directx 9, so getting a directx 11 card doesn't matter because it's still going to run in directx 9. Very few games are directx 11 games right now, but having directx 11 wouldn't be a bad idea if you want to play more demanding games in the future.

Great, thanks a lot for your answers. Very helpful!

ah..there goes my tech-chick badge.
Luckily the cavalry swooped in with correct info...

funny you