Since Parallels 3 only supports DX8, I wonder if it is prudent to install a newer version (or whether that actually matters): I had upgraded DX on my XP guest OS, but I fear a loss of functionality. If it does hinder functionality somewhat, I wonder if it is possible to rollback DX.
If you're happy with what you have I'd suggest you not change a thing. 3.0 did introduce a lot of disappointment to many users expecting to run all the greatest games, etc., but alas that's just not happening. For complete (or as complete as is possible) directX support you are still better off with a pure BootCamp installation, assuming you're using Windows. To be honest I'd expected a kind of mea culpa from Parallels regarding the abysmal DirectX support and games compatibility in 3.0 given the pre-release hype and the post release reality. That reality suggests they got dozens of games that nobody cares about to run and not the handful of games the gamers are interested in today. They managed to preset everyone's expectations quite high and didn't deliver. That equates to dissatisfaction and that is what they got in return. Damn shame. I don't believe for a second they didn't fully understand the reality that they were unable to deliver on the hype. That leaves you wondering what the hell they were thinking. It's like women who fake a pregnancy with pillows stuffed in their bloomers. The truth will be revealed in time.
That's beside the point. I want to ask whether there is any use in installing a newer version of DX over DX8, knowing that it is either "partially supported" (in the sense that only the DX8-compatible subset of the newer version is supported in terms of "graphics ability") or "not supported at all" (in the sense that the newer version is newer than DX8). I also want to know whether there might be some kind of loss when it comes to doing such an installation on the guest OS (my Windows XP VM has DX9 installed, for example, even though the VM can only support DX8), and if so, whether there is a way to rollback to a "safe version".
