14 DAY TRIAL // It is that time of the month again, when Advanced Micro Devices walks forth and releases a new driver for its consumer graphics solutions.
AMD has unleashed the Catalyst software suite 12.1, which includes the AMD display driver version 8.93 and a few other things.
The AMD Catalyst Control Center version 8.93 / AMD Vision Engine Control Center version 8.93 is one of the other components.
The others are a new Southbridge/IXP Driver and HydraVision for Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7.
No large list of game frame rate improvements will be found.
On the flip side, a number of issues were resolved in Windows Vista and Windows 7, for titles like Quake Wars, Dirt 2, Crysis 2, Alien vs. Predator, Lost Planet 2, Rage, Dragon Age 2, Starcraft 2, Metro 2033 and World of Warcraft, among others.
Owners of AMD APUs and/or graphics cards would do well to read through the whole change log of whatever version of the driver is compatible with their system.
That said, games weren't all that the Sunnyvale, California-based company looked at.
The AMD Catalyst Control Center / Vision Engine Control Center, for one, got some enhancements, such as the possibility to create distinct profiles for each application (for individual control of Direct3D and CrossFireX settings).
Secondly, the “Restore Factory Defaults” option under the Catalyst Control Center Preferences menu ensures that no compatibility issues arise between previous drivers and the 12.1 Preview driver (the option should be selected before using the new application profiles feature).
Finally, the AMD HD3D technology is now supported with AMD CrossFireX setups and may deliver in Stereo 3D mode over HDMI 1.4a (1080p, 30Hz).
Download whichever driver version suits your system best. The AMD Catalyst Display Driver 12.2 Preview for Vista/Windows 7 (for EyeFinity setups) is available as well (HD 7900 owners should avoid it, though).
AMD Catalyst Display Driver 12.1 for XP
AMD Catalyst Display Driver 12.1 for XP64
AMD Catalyst Display Driver 12.1 for Vista/Windows 7
AMD Catalyst Display Driver 12.1 for Vista64/Windows 7 x64
AMD Catalyst Display Driver 12.2 Preview for Vista/Windows 7