title: Why Direct3D application performs better in full screen mode?
body: <p>The performance of a Direct3D application seems to be significantly better in full screen mode compared to windowed mode. What are the technical reasons behind this?</p>
  
  <p>I guess it has something to do with the fact that a full screen application can gain exclusive control for the display. But why the application cannot gain exclusive control for <em>part</em> of the screen (i.e. window) and have the same performance benefits?</p>