Tuesday, December 9th 2014
AMD Releases Catalyst 14.12 Omega Software
AMD released Catalyst 14.12 Omega, its annual feature-set upgrading driver update. This driver introduces new video image quality enhancement features, game image-quality enhancements, and a usual load of game-specific performance updates, and bug-fixes. Features that stand out include Virtual Super Resolution, which is essentially identical in function to NVIDIA's Dynamic Super Resolution, which lets you "simulate" higher game display resolutions than your display is capable of; and frame-pacing improvements that make certain games seem more fluid.
Among the video quality enhancements are Fluid Motion Video, which adds fluidity to Blu-ray playback using PowerDVD 14, Video Contour Removal, which removes artifacts from compressed video, 1080p detail enhancement, and a brand new 1080p to 4K video upscaling algorithm, which reduces upscaling artifacts. Game specific performance improvements target Batman: Arkham Origins, Bioshock Infinite, Call of Duty: Ghosts, Grid 2, Sniper Elite III, and Rome: Total War, among others. AMD is promising up to 19 percent performance improvement, compared to, and we kid you not, Catalyst 13.12. Grab the driver from the link below.
DOWNLOAD: AMD Catalyst 14.12 Omega
Among the video quality enhancements are Fluid Motion Video, which adds fluidity to Blu-ray playback using PowerDVD 14, Video Contour Removal, which removes artifacts from compressed video, 1080p detail enhancement, and a brand new 1080p to 4K video upscaling algorithm, which reduces upscaling artifacts. Game specific performance improvements target Batman: Arkham Origins, Bioshock Infinite, Call of Duty: Ghosts, Grid 2, Sniper Elite III, and Rome: Total War, among others. AMD is promising up to 19 percent performance improvement, compared to, and we kid you not, Catalyst 13.12. Grab the driver from the link below.
75 Comments on AMD Releases Catalyst 14.12 Omega Software
What I can say though is from MY experience with having windows 10 preview since release this driver has worked the BEST and is far more stable (which I couldnt really comment on the betas it could have been the beta OS) I was also having odd graphical glitches in accelerated programs like outlook and so far their have been no issues. with leaving them open while playing games.
You seem like you are throwing out the most cliche statements and acronyms to cover up your lack of understanding how all of this works.
groups.csail.mit.edu/graphics/bilagrid/bilagrid_web.pdf
http.developer.nvidia.com/GPUGems2/gpugems2_chapter27.html
IPS monitors will NOT perform hardware acceleration, will NOT make edges smoother, will NOT perform edge enhancement. Having a IPS with bpp set at 8 would be like having a 4K monitor and gaming at 1080 on it.
There are a hundred different reasons why using the enhancements, features, and settings only available in CCC is a good idea, and the least of them now is the whole 24MB of memory it takes when running up to the 50 or so when its actually doing things for you.
But whatever.
I did have a slight hiccup after the install, but I just removed the driver and manually deleted the extra folders and such.
As much as I hate DDU I used the latest version in safe mode and ran a clean and did another install.
It works, I'm not getting the same benchmarks but hell, who cares!
Games in crossfire with the added frame-pacing fix sure works well, and looks sweet :peace:
IMHO it's going to be a nice WHQL with a few more tweaks done before launch.
my internet connection is kinda slow right, thanks to rain
anyway, if its worth it i am gonna download it
if not i am gonna pass
Thank You Before
Even on the beta for Unity I was having to run lowest settings at 1366x768 on my 7970.
I can now run Ultra Textures and Environment, High Shadows, everything else Very High, SSAO and FXAA at 1080p and it looks and runs very nice. I've also forced 16x AF in CCC.
The only strange thing is, Far Cry 4 hitches more than Unity now, but moslty just in areas where new map textures are loading in and just briefly.
I've had a few long screen freezes in Unity of 5 sec or so though where no doubt assets are loading in, so each have their own quirks there. Strangely enough though a 2nd or 3rd checkpoint loading of the same spot in Unity results in significantly reduced freeze, then no freeze at all.
I recant what I've said about AMD only focusing on new gen GPUs and APUs. Just wish they'd tell us if they're planning on unified memory like Nvidia.
I posted this here because the only thread pertaining to the Omega drivers on the AMD board is a rant thread, which I think is misleading and unfair.
apparently a windows update broke some driver installers, and a newer windows update fixes the issue.
The Omega driver installed fine for me and so far zero problems that I can see. Whether I installed them after the Windows hotfix update or am just lucky, I don't know.
Furthermore, if TPU had tested this driver with a better game selection, the uneducated, like Gmr_Chick, wouldn't be passing it off as just another run of the mill average driver, as if it's unnecessary to install.
There's been TONS of buzz on the net about how poorly both Far Cry 4 and AC Unity run, even on Nvidia spec, whom endorsed both titles. Running it on Sniper Elite III, BF4, and Ryse just isn't a realistic or fair test to showcase what this driver can do.
Sorry for the peeve, but the Omega rant thread on the AMD board was locked before I could respond. Please TPU, help us avid, experienced, PC gamers educate the uneducated, BEFORE the melt downs happen.
So I have to think that Unity can now run on much lower than their claimed Minimum spec with these drivers. I told the guy since his 7870 is only roughly 10% less powerful than a 270x, he could probably run it on at least High/Med settings.
I still won't use the omega drivers though. They refuse to install for her system and when they do install, it acts like there is no gpu installed.
So yea, not very beneficial to us to not have a driver installed and be stuck at crappy res.
It's going to take more messing with, as it's acting like the pc is infected, so now i'm seeing if I can get it working back to normal. If not, an OS reinstall will be in order, along with the Omegas.
Much appreciated.
I have to say I am pretty disappointed in the amount of people here, who attacked everyone who said they had a problem with the drivers.
I hope those people can do a little growing up.