VulkanRT is software installed by video graphics card manufacturers such as AMD or Nvidia. This software is installed when you update graphics drivers on your computer.
You might be here after discovering something named “VulkanRT” in your Program Files and started running your brains if it is something fishy. Well, hold on to your horse before you uninstall it without even catching a breath.
Let’s discuss what VulkanRT is and then make up your mind about whether it should stay on your computer or not.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- What is VulkanRT?
- Why Do you Need VulkanRT?
- How and Where to Find VulkanRT on Your Computer?
- Is VulkanRT a Virus? Can I Delete It?
First things first, Vulkan Runtime Libraries, commonly known as VulkanRT, is not spyware or malware (even though on some websites, it is falsely claimed to be, but it is not suspicious software). And, it is almost useless rather than a disadvantage to uninstall it.
What is VulkanRT?
VulkanRT is a cross-platform 3D graphics and computational API from a company named Khronos Group (also part of Vulkan).
If you are unaware of cross-platform apps, these apps or software can run on different platforms (Operating Systems), such as Windows, iOS, Linux, Android, etc.)
The Khronos Group is a non-profit consortium based in America with the sole purpose of producing royalty-free APIs (Application Program Interfaces).
And, VulkanRT being one of their products, claims to be useful for high-performance, 3D real-time applications, including interactive media such as video games.
Why Do You Need VulkanRT?
Some of the benefits of VulkanRT include a balanced CPU and GPU comparatively, the ability to render 2D applications, parallel tasking, and the distribution of work evenly among different cores.
The primary purpose of using VulkanRT API is to provide control to the CPU over GPU usage.
Along with that, it simplifies the rendering of graphics and provides an efficient mechanism for multithreading in the CPU.
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It reduces the overhead in terms of performance by lowering the CPU usage on the computer.
When running heavy performance applications, the VulkanRT ensures that the performance cores don’t reach their maximum and result in a shutdown.
The Feature List of VulkanRT
The following are the features that Vulkan Realtime Libraries provide:
- It comes with high-end graphics cards and is on some mobile devices to improve the performance of video games and other graphics-intensive applications.
- It reduces the overhead of the CPU and drivers. VulkanRT uses batching to achieve this by pushing the CPU cores to work more than they ordinarily do.
- Unlike other software, such as Direct 3D 12, VulkanRT is not confined to any specific Operating System. It holds the capability to operate on different platforms.
- It is operable in multi-core processors, unlike other applications such as Direct 3D 11, which provide scaling for only single processors.
- It also manages the computing kernels and graphical shaders. Therefore, there is no need to integrate a separate API for such purposes.
- It comes with compact driver packages, which means less space is required.
- It is excellent in terms of performance (fast and efficient) due to better GPU optimization and code generation.
How and Where to Find VulkanRT on Your Computer?
If you haven’t got sight of VulkanRT on your computer yet, this means you are curious enough to know whether it is installed on your computer or not.
It is pretty simple to locate VulkanRT on your computer; you can use either of the two methods given below:
Locate via Settings
If you are using Windows 10, you can locate the VulkanRT through the settings option.
- Go to the settings application by pressing Windows + X key simultaneously.
- Then locate and click the “Apps and Features” option on the settings window.
- Once the Apps and Features open, type “Vulkan Realtime LIbraries” in the search bar given for searching installed applications.
If the search shows some application named VulkanRT or Vulkan Realtime Libraries, this means that software is already installed on your computer.
Locate via Control Panel
- First of all, the open control panel on your PC
- Then go to the “Uninstall a program” option. You can find this option under the Programs and Features section.
- Type “Vulkan Realtime Libraries” in the search bar to check whether it is installed.
Is VulkanRT a Virus? Can I Delete VulkanRT?
Now, here comes the most frequently asked question: should you remove VulkanRT, or is it a virus? The short and simple answer is NO!
We understand your concern about keeping a malicious file, as many websites claim it. But, the original VulkanRT software is not a virus. The software comes along with AMD and Nvidia graphics card drivers.
As some games require VulkanRT, the game installation package also contains the setup for VulkanRT so that you don’t have to install it manually.
If you plan to uninstall the software, keep in mind that it won’t affect the normal operations of Windows as it is not designed to do that.
However, uninstalling it will have a drastic effect when playing games that require 3D performance.
Most renowned games such as DOTA 2, CryEngine, Talos Principle, and Unity require VulkanRT for better performance. So, if you are playing these games, it is recommended to keep them installed.
Connecting Dots
As I have shouted at the top of my lungs already, let me declare this again once and for all Vulkan Real-Time Libraries Application is not malware, and it is entirely safe but rather beneficial to keep it on your computer.
However, installing the VulkanRT manually or reinstalling it once you uninstalled it is not straightforward. And, once uninstalled, your games might not work as efficiently as they were with VulkanRT.
So, make your decision wisely, and happy gaming!
