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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsDxDiag cannot tell you which graphics API a particular game is using. It reports the DirectX version installed in Windows. To identify a game’s active mode, first check the game’s graphics settings or launcher for an explicit DirectX 12 (Direct3D 12) option. If that choice is unavailable or needs independent confirmation, use a Windows Performance Toolkit/GPUView trace or a PIX capture. For trustworthy FPS results, measure the same warmed-up gameplay segment under identical settings, repeat the run, and report average FPS together with a low-percentile result or frame-time data.
Understand what you are checking
“DirectX 12” usually means that a game is using Microsoft’s Direct3D 12 graphics API. DirectX is a collection of multimedia technologies; Direct3D is the part that draws 3D graphics. A Windows installation can support DirectX 12 while a game still runs through Direct3D 11 or another renderer.
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That distinction creates two separate questions:
- What is installed and supported on the PC? DxDiag answers this system-level question.
- Which API did this game select for its current launch? The game’s own settings, launch arguments, or a technical trace are needed.
A DirectX 12 entry in DxDiag, a graphics-card feature-level value, or a Windows update does not prove that one particular game is currently rendering with Direct3D 12.
Check the DirectX version installed in Windows with DxDiag
Use this as a compatibility check, not as proof of a game’s active renderer.
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- Open the Windows Start menu or Search and type
dxdiag. - Launch DirectX Diagnostic Tool. If Windows asks whether to check whether your drivers are digitally signed, choose the response appropriate to your environment; the version field is still on the System page.
- On the System tab, find DirectX Version under System Information.
- Record the value with the Windows edition and date if you are documenting a troubleshooting case.
This tells you the DirectX version installed on the computer. It does not report the API selected by an individual game, and there is no universal DxDiag field that changes to “the game is using DirectX 12” while you play.
Find the game’s selected graphics API
The game is the best first source because it controls the renderer for its own process. Menu names differ, so look for equivalent wording rather than one fixed path.
Use the in-game graphics or video menu
- Start the game and open Settings, Options, or Graphics/Video.
- Look for a setting named Graphics API, Rendering API, Renderer, or a choice such as DirectX 11 and DirectX 12.
- Select DirectX 12 or Direct3D 12 if that is the mode you intend to test.
- Apply the change and restart the game whenever it requests a restart. Some engines only create the graphics device during startup.
- After relaunching, reopen the setting or the game’s official help page to confirm that the selection was saved for the current launch.
If the menu offers only one renderer, the game may have fixed that choice, hidden it behind an advanced option, or selected it automatically. Do not infer the answer from the Windows version shown by DxDiag.
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Check launcher options and configuration files
Some games expose the renderer in a launcher rather than in the running game. Look for an Advanced launch options, Startup arguments, or Rendering mode control. A launcher may offer separate entries for DirectX 11 and DirectX 12, or an argument that the game’s own documentation defines.
Use only an option documented for that game and keep a note of what you changed. An unsupported argument can be ignored, force a fallback renderer, or prevent the game from starting. If the launcher displays a mode before startup, verify it applies to the profile or installation you actually launch; multiple installations can have separate settings.
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Read the game’s own log when available
Some engines write startup information to a log, crash report, or diagnostics screen. Search that output for terms such as D3D12, Direct3D 12, D3D11, or renderer. Treat a log as useful supporting evidence only when it clearly belongs to the same launch and identifies the created graphics device. A generic list of supported APIs is not evidence of the API selected for that run.
Use a trace when the setting is unclear
For technical verification, Microsoft documents Windows Performance Toolkit tracing and GPUView for analyzing DirectX application performance. These tools capture and display activity from a specific run, allowing you to investigate which graphics work the game submitted and how CPU and GPU timing behaved. They are analysis tools, not a one-click consumer detector.
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Windows Performance Toolkit and GPUView
- Choose a short, repeatable scenario in the game, such as a fixed route or built-in benchmark.
- Start a trace with the Windows Performance Toolkit according to Microsoft’s tracing procedure.
- Launch the game in the desired mode and reproduce the scenario once the trace is running.
- Stop and save the trace, then open it in GPUView.
- Inspect the game process, graphics queues, and timing events. Correlate the trace with the game’s documented renderer setting and startup log rather than treating one isolated event as conclusive.
Trace collection and interpretation require technical familiarity. A trace can also reveal whether CPU or GPU work is delaying frames, which is useful when the practical question is not only “is it Direct3D 12?” but “why did performance change after switching modes?”
PIX on Windows
PIX on Windows is designed primarily for DirectX 12 developer profiling and debugging. It can capture GPU work and timing for a selected run. Use it when you need detailed Direct3D 12 inspection and are comfortable configuring a developer-oriented capture. PIX is not necessary for a quick FPS check, and a live overlay cannot substitute for a properly configured capture when you need API-level evidence.
Whichever tracing tool you use, record the game version, renderer selection, driver version, resolution, graphics preset, and capture interval. Without those details, a trace is difficult to reproduce or compare.
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Choose an FPS measurement method
| Need | Suitable starting point | What it can and cannot tell you |
|---|---|---|
| See the installed DirectX version | DxDiag | Reports Windows’ DirectX installation; it does not establish a particular game’s active API. |
| See an immediate live FPS value | The game’s built-in counter or a supported overlay | Useful while tuning settings, but not a controlled benchmark or complete frame-pacing analysis. |
| Capture average and percentile FPS | NVIDIA FrameView | Its documentation covers DirectX APIs 9 through 12 and average/percentile metrics; features and overlays can vary by version and API. |
| Investigate CPU/GPU timing in a DirectX application | Windows Performance Toolkit and GPUView | Provides trace data, but setup and interpretation require technical work. |
| Profile DirectX 12 GPU and timing behavior | PIX on Windows | Detailed developer profiling and debugging; unnecessary for a simple live reading. |
Use the least complicated tool that answers your question. A counter is enough to see whether a setting change causes an obvious difference. A repeatable capture with percentiles is appropriate for a comparison. A trace is justified when the renderer is disputed or a hitch needs diagnosis.
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Set up a repeatable FPS test
Accuracy in a game benchmark comes mainly from controlling conditions. There is no universal “accuracy percentage” for an overlay, and no single counter is automatically the most accurate in every game. Define the scenario before you measure.
Lock the variables that affect performance
- Scene and route: Use the same level, camera path, race lap, combat encounter, or built-in benchmark. Do not compare a quiet menu with a busy scene.
- Duration: Choose a fixed capture interval and report it. A longer run can expose streaming or thermal behavior; a shorter run is easier to repeat.
- Resolution and upscaling: Keep output resolution, render scale, dynamic-resolution behavior, and image-reconstruction settings unchanged.
- Graphics settings: Keep the preset and individual options, ray-tracing state, texture settings, and shader-quality choices the same between runs.
- Frame pacing controls: Record the frame cap, V-Sync state, and any in-game latency or pacing option.
- Display conditions: Note the display refresh rate and whether variable-refresh behavior is enabled. These can affect presentation even when the game’s rendering workload is unchanged.
- Software state: Keep the graphics driver, game build, operating-system updates, and background workload consistent.
- Power and thermals: Let the game warm up before recording. A cold first run can include shader compilation and asset loading that later runs do not.
Warm up, then repeat
- Start the game and wait for initial shader compilation and asset streaming to settle.
- Run through the chosen route once without recording it, unless the game’s benchmark itself resets these conditions.
- Start the FPS capture and perform exactly the same route for the stated interval.
- Stop the capture, return to the same starting point, and repeat at least once under unchanged conditions.
- Compare the runs. If results vary substantially, investigate background tasks, thermal throttling, streaming, shader compilation, or an inconsistent route before presenting a single number.
When testing two renderers, change only the API selection between test sets. Restart the game as required, then repeat the same warm-up and capture procedure for each mode.
Report more than an average
An average FPS value is the arithmetic mean over the capture. It is useful for throughput, but it can hide short freezes. A run that spends most of its time at 120 FPS and briefly drops to 20 FPS may have a respectable average while still feeling uneven.
Use a low-percentile FPS value
A percentile describes the distribution of recorded frames. A low-percentile result tells you how the slower portion of the run performed. The exact percentile supplied by a tool must be named in your report; do not relabel one percentile as another. FrameView documentation describes average and percentile FPS capture, so record the tool version and the percentile label it provides.
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Always pair the number with the test conditions: for example, “average FPS and the reported low-percentile FPS during a 60-second, warmed-up run at 2560×1440, identical settings, with the game’s frame cap disabled.” The conditions are part of the result.
Use frame time to expose pacing problems
Frame time is the time used to produce one displayed frame, usually expressed in milliseconds. At a 60 Hz target, Microsoft’s profiling guidance uses a 16 millisecond frame interval as an example; that is an example for 60 Hz, not a universal threshold for every display or target. A frame-time graph can show isolated spikes that an FPS average conceals.
Do not equate API call counts with displayed-frame counts. DXGI documentation notes that the number of images presented is not necessarily the number of calls to Present. Synchronization, buffering, and presentation behavior can make those quantities differ. Report the metric your tool actually measured.
Determine whether the CPU or GPU is limiting the result
If the API choice is confirmed but FPS is lower than expected, identify the limiting stage before changing settings at random. Windows Performance Toolkit and GPUView can show CPU time and GPU time per frame for a captured scenario.
Signs of a CPU-limited run
- Reducing resolution or expensive GPU effects produces little FPS improvement.
- One or more CPU threads remain heavily loaded while the GPU has idle intervals.
- Frame-time spikes line up with simulation, draw submission, asset streaming, or background work on the CPU timeline.
Signs of a GPU-limited run
- Lowering resolution or GPU-heavy effects produces a clear improvement.
- The GPU queue remains busy through the slow portion of the capture.
- GPU frame time approaches or exceeds the interval required by your target refresh rate.
These are diagnostic patterns, not guarantees. A game can alternate between CPU and GPU limits from scene to scene, and synchronization can make both appear busy. Use a trace when the distinction matters.
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Troubleshoot conflicting or misleading results
DxDiag says DirectX 12, but the game appears to use DirectX 11
That is not a contradiction. DxDiag is reporting the system installation. Recheck the game’s renderer setting, launcher profile, startup log, and restart requirement. If the game offers no explicit choice, use a trace for stronger evidence.
The DirectX 12 option disappears or the game falls back
Confirm that the game build and graphics driver support the mode, then remove unsupported launch arguments and retry with the game’s documented defaults. A crash or startup failure can cause an automatic fallback. Record the exact message and check the game’s official support information before treating the fallback as a measurement result.
The counter changes between identical runs
- Repeat the warm-up; shader compilation and streaming may still be active.
- Close background downloads, recording jobs, browser tabs, and overlays that were not present in every run.
- Check for thermal or power-state changes after several minutes.
- Verify that dynamic resolution, adaptive quality, frame caps, and V-Sync have not changed.
- Use the same camera path and capture duration. Small route differences can change enemy counts, effects, and streaming work.
The average is high but the game still stutters
Inspect low-percentile FPS and frame-time data. A high average does not describe the worst part of the run, and a single long frame can be perceptually obvious. Include a frame-time graph or the tool’s low-percentile result in the report instead of presenting the average alone.
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Measure with the same overlay state for every comparison. If the overlay itself appears to affect the result, use the game’s built-in counter or a capture mode that records without drawing a live overlay, then disclose the method. Never compare an overlaid run with a non-overlaid run as though they were identical conditions.
Use a clear measurement record
A compact record makes your result reproducible:
- Game title, version, and selected renderer (DirectX 11 or DirectX 12/Direct3D 12).
- Windows edition and graphics-driver version.
- GPU and CPU models, if diagnosing a performance limit.
- Resolution, render scale, preset, important graphics options, frame cap, and V-Sync state.
- Display refresh rate and variable-refresh state, if relevant.
- Tool name and version, whether the counter was built in or overlaid, and the capture duration.
- Warm-up procedure, route or benchmark name, number of repetitions, average FPS, reported low-percentile FPS, and frame-time observations.
Example format: “Direct3D 12 selected in the game’s Graphics menu; 1920×1080, high preset, 60-second warmed-up route, repeated three times; built-in counter; average FPS and the tool’s reported low-percentile FPS recorded for each run.” This describes what was measured without claiming that the number applies to every scene or computer.
Quick Recap
A practical decision path
- Need only the PC’s installed version? Run
dxdiagand read DirectX Version on System. - Need to know the game’s intended mode? Check its Graphics/Video menu or launcher for DirectX 12/Direct3D 12, apply it, and restart if prompted.
- Need independent technical confirmation? Capture the game with Windows Performance Toolkit/GPUView, or use PIX for detailed DirectX 12 profiling.
- Need a quick FPS reading? Use the game’s counter or a supported overlay.
- Need a defensible comparison? Warm up, repeat the same scene under fixed conditions, and report average plus a low-percentile or frame-time measure.
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