AMD updates the Catalyst release schedule; pre-DX11 hardware updates 4 times a year

caveman-jim · Apr 23, 2012, 04:12 PM

This afternoon we received an email from AMD explaining their new Driver Support model for older hardware:

AMD will be moving the AMD Radeon™ HD 2000, AMD Radeon HD 3000, and AMD Radeon HD 4000 Series of products to a new driver support model. We will continue to support the mentioned products in our Catalyst releases, but we’re moving their updates to a quarterly basis, whereas our AMD Radeon HD 5000 and later products will continue to see monthly updates. The Quarterly Catalyst releases will focus on resolving application specific issues and critical updates.

The reason for the shift in support policy is largely due to the fact that the AMD Radeon HD 2000, AMD Radeon HD 3000, and AMD Radeon HD 4000 Series have been optimized to their maximum potential from a performance and feature perspective.

The 8.97 based driver, released in May 2012 will be the first driver for the AMD Radeon HD 2000, AMD Radeon HD 3000, and AMD Radeon HD 4000 Series under the new support model; it is an extremely stable and robust driver branch for these products and will be the baseline for our quarterly updates.

Our main development and testing efforts will now be focused on the AMD Radeon™ HD 5000 and later products. This is the best use of our resources, as the AMD Radeon HD 5000, AMD Radeon HD 6000, AMD Radeon HD 7000, and future products have the greatest potential for further performance and feature enhancements.

Also with regards to Windows 8 support for the AMD Radeon™ HD 2000, 3000, 4000 Series of products; the In-the-box AMD Graphics driver that ships with Windows 8 will include support for the AMD Radeon HD 2000, 3000, and 4000 Series, and it will support the WDDM 1.1 driver level features. The AMD Catalyst driver for Windows 8 will only include support for WDDM 1.2 support products (AMD Radeon HD 5000 and later).

kn00tcn · Apr 23, 2012, 05:38 PM

coincidentally an 8.97 'win8' leak happened & it's looking interesting

poohbear · Apr 24, 2012, 08:37 PM

makes total sense. why update this old hardware every month when most of the updates don't even apply to them? better to focus on the new stuff and let those with 4 year old cards get quarterly updates.

Danny Nissan · Apr 25, 2012, 08:56 AM

Your card is 4 years old next year. Youre okay with it going legacy by then? What if you had two 5870s?

caveman-jim · Apr 25, 2012, 09:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Danny Nissan

Your card is 4 years old next year. Youre okay with it going legacy by then? What if you had two 5870s?

Most, the overwhelming majority, people upgrade every 24-36mo. Few people upgrade every 12-18mo., and fewer still under that, but similarly at the other end of the curve, upgrades at 48-60mo at scarce.

In September of 2013, when the 5000 series is 4 years old, we might be in a different position; I don't think this decision indicates a written in stone policy decision.

AMD have to support their APU's as well as discrete graphics AIB's, and those APU's use the same graphics hardware as the 5000 series. This might push the support for that series of graphics products out a lot longer.

Clockwork · Apr 25, 2012, 10:42 AM

I still have a 4890 and honestly haven't felt the need to upgrade. It performs vastly better than what I get out of a console, and that's good enough for me.

I'm not too happy that we won't see Catalyst controls.

(I'm running the Win 8 CP)

poohbear · Apr 25, 2012, 10:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Danny Nissan

Your card is 4 years old next year. Youre okay with it going legacy by then? What if you had two 5870s?

i'll upgrade by then, but regardless if they give me a new driver every 4 months i'd still be happy. I don't update my driver every month, only if it addresses a game i play regularly, so no biggie.

LivDoug · Apr 25, 2012, 12:55 PM

I was planning on upgrading my 4870x2 over the next couple months, after this news I dont think ill be sticking with amd any longer. I have always been loyal. But my current card basically being shunned by them when it still work great for most every games on the maeket today. I was looking forward to the 7970, but if they stick to their guns on this(im sure they prob will). Nvidia will have my business from here onout

caveman-jim · Apr 25, 2012, 01:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LivDoug

I was planning on upgrading my 4870x2 over the next couple months,

it still work great for most every games on the maeket today.

so.... why are you upgrading?

Litennörd · Apr 26, 2012, 11:18 AM

In regards to upgrading, well, enthusiasts are enthusiasts

My mindset though, I prefer to upgrade when my GPU struggles in the games I play (graphical differences depends on the games, but let's set the bar somewhere below medium)...And with the majority of games still being DX9 console ports, that hasn't yet happened

I've seen quite alot of people say that they see no reason to go for a upgrade their aged GPUs yet, because they don't play the games where it really makes a difference

caveman-jim · Apr 26, 2012, 11:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Litennörd

I've seen quite alot of people say that they see no reason to go for a upgrade their aged GPUs yet, because they don't play the games where it really makes a difference

In that case, won't they be unaffected by the change in support as they're not playing the titles that need the fixes?

Litennörd · Apr 26, 2012, 11:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by caveman-jim

In that case, won't they be unaffected by the change in support as they're not playing the titles that need the fixes?

New titles may need new fixes, regardless if they are demanding or not

To make an extreme example, if AMD had moved their DX10/10.1 cards to legacy at this time last year, all these users had been forced to wait for much longer to get Rage fixed

Clockwork · Apr 26, 2012, 06:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by caveman-jim

In that case, won't they be unaffected by the change in support as they're not playing the titles that need the fixes?

I don't care about the time they take. I care about the fact that I don't have the Catalyst Control Panel in Win 8 and according to AMD I won't.

caveman-jim · Apr 26, 2012, 07:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clockwork

I care about the fact that I don't have the Catalyst Control Panel in Win 8 and according to AMD I won't.

Are you sure? Windows 8 will have inside a HD 2000 - 4000 driver, you think there will be no way to install CCC?

Clockwork · Apr 26, 2012, 07:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by caveman-jim

Are you sure? Windows 8 will have inside a HD 2000 - 4000 driver, you think there will be no way to install CCC?

Not in a way AMD supports.

caveman-jim · Apr 26, 2012, 09:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clockwork

Not in a way AMD supports.

You're sure?

seeker010 · Jun 1, 2012, 09:43 PM

Linux as well? or is Linux support still going to be EOL'd as reported?

caveman-jim · Jun 2, 2012, 12:36 PM

Linux support isn't EOL AFAIK.

Apr 23, 2012, 04:12 PM	#1	Advertisement (Guests Only) Login or Register to remove this ad
caveman-jim Rage3D Tech Editor Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: AL Posts: 47,399	AMD updates the Catalyst release schedule; pre-DX11 hardware updates 4 times a year This afternoon we received an email from AMD explaining their new Driver Support model for older hardware: AMD will be moving the AMD Radeon™ HD 2000, AMD Radeon HD 3000, and AMD Radeon HD 4000 Series of products to a new driver support model. We will continue to support the mentioned products in our Catalyst releases, but we’re moving their updates to a quarterly basis, whereas our AMD Radeon HD 5000 and later products will continue to see monthly updates. The Quarterly Catalyst releases will focus on resolving application specific issues and critical updates. The reason for the shift in support policy is largely due to the fact that the AMD Radeon HD 2000, AMD Radeon HD 3000, and AMD Radeon HD 4000 Series have been optimized to their maximum potential from a performance and feature perspective. The 8.97 based driver, released in May 2012 will be the first driver for the AMD Radeon HD 2000, AMD Radeon HD 3000, and AMD Radeon HD 4000 Series under the new support model; it is an extremely stable and robust driver branch for these products and will be the baseline for our quarterly updates. Our main development and testing efforts will now be focused on the AMD Radeon™ HD 5000 and later products. This is the best use of our resources, as the AMD Radeon HD 5000, AMD Radeon HD 6000, AMD Radeon HD 7000, and future products have the greatest potential for further performance and feature enhancements. Also with regards to Windows 8 support for the AMD Radeon™ HD 2000, 3000, 4000 Series of products; the In-the-box AMD Graphics driver that ships with Windows 8 will include support for the AMD Radeon HD 2000, 3000, and 4000 Series, and it will support the WDDM 1.1 driver level features. The AMD Catalyst driver for Windows 8 will only include support for WDDM 1.2 support products (AMD Radeon HD 5000 and later). __________________ Twitter ~ Youtube ಠ_ಠ The Contents of this Message are my own Opinion and may intend to be satirical. u mad?

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Apr 23, 2012, 05:38 PM	#2
kn00tcn zero-zero Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Toronto Posts: 4,643	coincidentally an 8.97 'win8' leak happened & it's looking interesting __________________ AMD/ATI Catalyst Driver Profiles OpenGL startup crash fix #1 / fix #2 (for < radeon 6000 cards?) better crossfire for Section8 Prejudice, Hydrophobia, UDK

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Apr 24, 2012, 08:37 PM	#3
poohbear Rage3D Veteran Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 1,785	makes total sense. why update this old hardware every month when most of the updates don't even apply to them? better to focus on the new stuff and let those with 4 year old cards get quarterly updates. __________________ 2500k @ 4.4ghz @ 1.35, 16GB Crucial Ballistex @ CL9-9-9-24, Gigabyte Z68 UD4 B3, Gigabyte Windforce GTX 670, 240gb OCZ Vertex 3 MI edition & 2TB WD Black, Auzentech Forte 7.1, Corsair HX520wt psu, Corsair 300R, Win7 64

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Apr 25, 2012, 08:56 AM	#4
Danny Nissan high quality troll Join Date: May 2007 Location: Sweden Posts: 3,397	Your card is 4 years old next year. Youre okay with it going legacy by then? What if you had two 5870s? __________________ Antec P180 \| Silverstone Strider 600W \| ASUS Maximus V Gene \| Intel i5-3570K 4.7GHz [Noctua NH-U12P SE2] \| 2x4GB Corsair Vengeance DDR3-2000 9-10-9-24-1T \| Sapphire HD 4890 1GB 960MHz \| SyncMaster 2433BW 1920X1200 \| Razer Lachesis \| Razer Sphex \| Sennheiser HD-555 \| SupremeFX III \| Samsung Spinpoint F3 \| Windows 7 Professional SP1 X64 Google Nexus 4

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Apr 25, 2012, 10:42 AM	#6
Clockwork Rage3D Spammer Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 13,492	I still have a 4890 and honestly haven't felt the need to upgrade. It performs vastly better than what I get out of a console, and that's good enough for me. I'm not too happy that we won't see Catalyst controls. (I'm running the Win 8 CP) __________________ "I would love to believe that when I die I will live again, that some thinking, feeling, remembering part of me will continue. But much as I want to believe that, and despite the ancient and worldwide cultural traditions that assert an afterlife, I know of nothing to suggest that it is more than wishful thinking. The world is so exquisite with so much love and moral depth, that there is no reason to deceive ourselves with pretty stories for which there's little good evidence. Far better it seems to me, in our vulnerability, is to look death in the eye and to be grateful every day for the brief but magnificent opportunity that life provides." - Carl Sagan

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Apr 25, 2012, 12:55 PM	#8
LivDoug Newbie Join Date: Apr 2012 Posts: 4	I was planning on upgrading my 4870x2 over the next couple months, after this news I dont think ill be sticking with amd any longer. I have always been loyal. But my current card basically being shunned by them when it still work great for most every games on the maeket today. I was looking forward to the 7970, but if they stick to their guns on this(im sure they prob will). Nvidia will have my business from here onout

Apr 26, 2012, 11:18 AM	#10
Litennörd Radeon HD 6870 Join Date: Apr 2011 Posts: 200	In regards to upgrading, well, enthusiasts are enthusiasts My mindset though, I prefer to upgrade when my GPU struggles in the games I play (graphical differences depends on the games, but let's set the bar somewhere below medium)...And with the majority of games still being DX9 console ports, that hasn't yet happened I've seen quite alot of people say that they see no reason to go for a upgrade their aged GPUs yet, because they don't play the games where it really makes a difference

Jun 1, 2012, 09:43 PM	#17
seeker010 chaotic evil Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 7,684	Linux as well? or is Linux support still going to be EOL'd as reported? __________________ Abort, Retry, Fail?

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Jun 2, 2012, 12:36 PM	#18
caveman-jim Rage3D Tech Editor Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: AL Posts: 47,399	Linux support isn't EOL AFAIK. __________________ Twitter ~ Youtube ಠ_ಠ The Contents of this Message are my own Opinion and may intend to be satirical. u mad?

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