Windows 7 Graphics Platform Performance Update
Microsoft has released an update for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 that provides functionality and performance improvements for the graphics platform.
Neither the Knowledge Base article, nor the Microsoft download pages reveal information about the improvements provided by the update which is quite problematic as the description does not make it clear what exactly is improved.
Softpedia's Marius Oiaga suggested that the update improves key apis of DirectX 11 but that is just a suggestion and not confirmed by Microsoft at the time of writing.
Update: If you check the files that get replaced, you will find DirectX files among them which seems to confirm the suggestion that Microsoft updated several DirectX files and libraries.
The download pages mentions that the update is necessary for some features of the Internet Explorer 9 platform preview build, which may be, for all we know, the main reason for the release.
The update is currently only available through Microsoft's Download site. It requires a genuine software validation before it can be downloaded.
Downloads for the 32-bit and 64-bit editions are offered on separate pages, they are however compatible with both Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2.
It is likely that the update will also be made available via Windows Update, and likely the upcoming Windows Server and Windows 7 Service Pack 1.
You can click on the following links to download the appropriate update for your operating system and architecture.
The installer and Knowledge Base article describe the update as an hotfix, which seems unconventional, considering that hotfixes are usually only created and supplied in situations where a feature is broken and needs immediate repair. A patch is usually provided some time after the release of the hotfix.
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