Directx is a free to download group of technologies provided by Microsoft billed as the multimedia system foundation for all Microsoft Windows operating systems. There have been many versions of Directx released over the years, each progressing the technology to cope with newer and better performing hardware. If you're running a Windows operating system, it's highly likely that you will have a version of Directx installed. But what you might not realize is that upgrading to Directx9 can force considerable extra performance out of your hardware.
Made publically available in August of 2008, Directx9 is a modern release that strives to take multimedia support in to the next generation on Microsoft bound computers. Incidentally, you need not worry about Directx if you're running on a Mac or Linux. The technology is only relevant to Microsoft and these other systems will have their own support in place.
Directx9 ups the ante considerably in the graphical sense. If you're the type of PC user who likes to run lots of games, movies and demanding visual applications, you'll reap the benefits of better support for full-colour graphics. By downloading Directx9, you will also enjoy a much improved frame rate and better 3-D animation than could have been expected of Directx8.
The improvements aren't limited to the graphical interface, however. Directx9 is also capable of engineering your audio hardware to work better with Windows. So what does that mean? It means that you'll feel the full boom of surround sound the likes of which has been unrealistic to integrate until now.
The security has also been improved with the release of Directx9, thus making the technology harder to penetrate by malicious third party programmers. Microsoft have improved the robust nature of Directx9 and it's the safest release yet, which is definitely reassuring to hear after several reported issues with the last release - some that required immediate patching by Microsoft. Directx9 repairs the last known bugs of its predecessors and provides a much more stable environment for getting the most out of your multimedia apps. Multiplayer gaming, for example, is now much improved with the able assistance of Directx9.
Downloading Directx9 will overwrite any previous version of Directx that you might have installed, although backwards compatibility is provided with the newer version. You should be aware that Directx is a a crucial system component, and thus can't be installed without great difficulty once you've written it to the Windows OS. If you're worried about the implications of this, you should create a system restore point prior to your installation.
In terms of your system requirements, you will need to be running off one of the following: Windows XP, XP 64-bit, Vista (all latest versions) and Windows 2003. The file is reasonably sized at 80MB and has been optimized to take up no more space than its predecessor Directx8.
If you're looking to get the most out of your graphics and audio hardware on a Windows based system, downloading Directx9 should be seen as the first step along the way. The improvements will be noticeable with the wave of next generation programs that demand only the best support for multimedia.
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