At the Game Developers conference a few weeks ago, Microsoft started outlining DirectX 12. With partial feature-based backwards compatibility with many current DX11 GPUs, cross-platform implementation, performance optimizations aplenty and a focus on minimizing API overhead, it could bring PC gaming to the next level. We?ve already covered DX12 and what it means to developers and GPU manufacturers alike. Both AMD and NVIDIA are striving towards building optimizations for today's workloads alongside preparations for Microsoft's new API rollout in 2015. AMD's foray into API tuning, called Mantle, has already made waves in the developer and gaming communities but now NVIDIA is trying their hand at low level, high gain performance optimizations through the new 337-series drivers.

The timing behind the 337-series driver was highly strategic, coinciding perfectly with AMD's R9 295X2 launch. While the new drivers were used in our R9 295X2 review, I decided against refocusing my writing attention at a critical time within the AMD review so this article is only going live now. NVIDIA's new drivers are well tailored as a weapon of mass distraction for reviewers because, well, they?re very good.