AMD Inc - (Freeware)
AMD Catalyst Drivers is a smart choice for those that want to improve their PC performance while increasing overall stability.
AMD Catalyst Drivers includes the latest 32-bit AMD (ATI) for the graphics card and panel Catalyst Control Center.
The AMD driver provides a gain of performance in several 3D applications thus ensuring an optimal experience. The panel Catalyst Control Center provides quick access to all parameters relating to AMD hardware offering multimedia features, management and display game.
There are different versions of AMD drivers for each operating system.
# New Features
This section provides information on new features found in this release of the ATI Radeon Display Driver. These include the following:
* OpenGL ES 2.0 support
- ATI Catalyst 10.8 delivers full support for OpenGL ES 2.0 specification
- Enables 3D accelerated graphics within a web browser that supports OpenGL ES 2.0
- Supported on Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7
* Video Quality default options
The Default video options for ATI Catalyst have been greatly enhanced to deliver the best quality video viewing experience. Users can also choose to apply these settings to Internet Video via a new checkbox control within the ATI Catalyst Control Center
- In the Advanced Color section, the following defaults are now enabled:
> Color vibrance (default = 40)
> Flesh tone correction (default = 50)
> Brighter Whites
- In the Advanced Quality section, the following defaults are now enabled:
> Edge-enhancement (default = 25)
> De-noise (default = 64)
> Mosquito Noise Reduction (default = 50)
> De-blocking (default = 50)
* Performance enhancement for Eyefinity Quad ATI CrossFireX configurations
- Performance has been greatly improved for users running with ATI Eyefinity on a
* Quad ATI CrossFireX configuration Anti-Aliasing support for StarCraft II
- ATI Catalyst Control Center enabled Anti-Aliasing is now available for StarCraft II
# Catalyst Application Profiles
The following application profiles are available with this release of Catalyst :
* Singularity CrossFire profile update
* Mafia 2 CrossFire profile update
* Final Fantasy XIV Benchmark new CrossFire profile
* Lord of the Rings Online new CrossFire profile
* Aliens Vs. Predator CrossFire profile update
# Performance Improvements
The following performance gains are noticed with this release of Catalyst 10.8:
* Far Cry 2
- Performance increases 2-6% on ATI Radeon HD 5800 Series single and CrossFire configurations
- Performance increases 2-4% on ATI Radeon HD 5700 Series single and CrossFire configurations
- Performance increases 3-8% on ATI Radeon HD 4800 Series single and CrossFire configurations
* Left 4 Dead 2
- Performance increases 3-5% on CrossFire ATI Radeon HD 5800 series and CrossFire ATI Radeon HD 5700 series configurations
* Stormrise
- Performance increases 5-10% on ATI Radeon HD 5600 series and ATI Radeon HD 5500 series configurations
# All Systems
This section provides information on resolved issues in this release of the ATI Catalyst Software Suite for Windows. These include:
* HDMI default refresh rate now appears properly as 60 Hz under HDTV in Catalyst Control Center
* Catalyst Control Center - Basic wizard pane or resolution combo box in "Display Setting for Desktop Viewing" page no longer turns blank in basic view for component video mode
* "FSAA" is a selectable option in City of Heroes / City of Heroes Going Rogue
# Windows Vista
This section provides information on resolved issues in this release of the ATI Catalyst Software Suite for Windows Vista. These include:
* Catalyst Control Center no longer fails and displays error message while transcoding specific video files on 64-bit operating systems
* AVI video no longer lags during playback within Microsoft PowerPoint slide deck
* 3D and video settings in Catalyst Control Center are now retained after resume from sleep/hibernate
# Windows 7
This section provides information on resolved issues in this release of the ATI Catalyst Software Suite for Windows 7. These include:
* Desktop line corruption no longer observed after powering off the DP display and then turning it on while viewing Blu-ray content
* "Borderlands" no longer fails after a duration of gameplay
* Opening numerous windows in Adobe Photoshop CS5 no longer causes application to fail
* Re-sizing Windows Media Player while viewing 720/1080 WMV video content no longer causes the screen to turn black
* "ARMA 2: Operation Arrowhead" game now works in CrossFire mode
* Shifting mouse cursor between displays no longer causes intermittent cursor corruption or system lock up