DirectX 11 vs. DX 12

[McLuddite]

I'd like to try to assemble a PC with a Ryzen CPU, and use Windows 7 for the OS, in spite of Microsoft. I have a couple of questions about a suitable GPU. I understand that Windows 7 uses DirectX 11, but Win. 10 uses DX 12. Does that mean that I would need a different GPU if I had to settle for Win. 10?
I'm not a gamer, just want to stream sports and an occasional movie, hopefully to a 4K UHD TV. Do I really need a super expensive, all-the-bells-and-whistles GPU to do it right? Any opinions and suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

 

[AddRAM]

You don't have to get anything expensive, you can get whatever you want. W7 or W10, it doesn't matter.

How much do you want to spend ?

You could just use the graphics chip on the Ryzen cpu if you want, I don`t do AMD so you`d have to research that.

 

[McLuddite]

Thanks. I will need a GPU, as I don't believe any of the Ryzen CPU's released so far handle graphics. Apparently future ones will, as some of the motherboards for Ryzen are "wired" for integrated graphics.

 

[Mellon Head]

Like AddRAM says, you don't need anything expensive. If you aren't gaming, and you are just streaming videos and things like that, this one should do nicely:

ASUS ROG Strix Radeon RX 560 O4G EVO Gaming OC Edition GDDR5 DP HDMI DVI AMD Graphics Card - Newegg.com

The Nvidia equivalent would be a 1050 TI, or for a little more capability, you could get a 1060. In both cases, the Nvidia will cost more than the Radeon. The Radeon might cooperate a little better with the Ryzen platform, that remains to be seen. I've had a little better luck using AMD cards on AMD systems, but that's just me. Your mileage may vary.

 

[McLuddite]

Thanks very much. That's a great relief. I've been watching reviews on Youtube with guys expounding on the wonderfulness of 1080 TI's and the pointlessness of 1070 TI's, with hardly a word about Radeon, and wondering if I'd be able to get away spending less than $500.

 

[Mellon Head]

Thanks very much. That's a great relief. I've been watching reviews on Youtube with guys expounding on the wonderfulness of 1080 TI's and the pointlessness of 1070 TI's, with hardly a word about Radeon, and wondering if I'd be able to get away spending less than $500.

If you were into serious gaming, I would recommend a 1070 or 1080, but for what you are doing the Radeon will do just fine. Why spend a fortune if you don't have to?

 

[McLuddite]

Why spend a fortune if you don't have to?

My thoughts exactly. Thanks again.