AMD 15.3 drivers (beta) official download

[Disruptor4]

IMO it's not exactly a matter of being stable enough. It's a matter of the drivers causing your card to run slightly hotter. Which makes sense, if you think about it. There's always going to be a trade-off for extra performance(namely more heat generated). But I would think a card running at stock OC speeds should still have more than enough headroom to allow for it without causing instability.

Hmm well I just went to 14.12 to see how they go and left the house for a few hours (after uninstalling via add/remove, using Driver Fusion to remove left overs, install fresh) and came back to a blank black screen. Hard to use the power button to turn the PC off! I thought this was fixed as it no longer occurred on 13.12

 

[newtekie1]

Don't know what you're referring to. I've been using HDMI for video for about 2.5 years now and the scaling feature works fine for me at any res.

Its been partially broken with their dedicated cards and APUs for years, when using a non-native resolution the scaling moves to something other than 0 causing black bars, but you could always manually adjust the scaling back to 0 to get rid of the black bars. However, since 14.12 it has been totally broken with their APUs, the scaling is still set to something other than 0 but it is no longer possible to manual adjust it. The slider is grayed out with absolutely no way to enable it.

I mean, seriously, scaling non-native resolutions to fit the panel is basic stuff. The fact that it has been semi-broken for years, and it is only getting worse not better shows the sad state of AMD's drivers.

 

[Mussels]

Its been partially broken with their dedicated cards and APUs for years, when using a non-native resolution the scaling moves to something other than 0 causing black bars, but you could always manually adjust the scaling back to 0 to get rid of the black bars. However, since 14.12 it has been totally broken with their APUs, the scaling is still set to something other than 0 but it is no longer possible to manual adjust it. The slider is grayed out with absolutely no way to enable it.

I mean, seriously, scaling non-native resolutions to fit the panel is basic stuff. The fact that it has been semi-broken for years, and it is only getting worse not better shows the sad state of AMD's drivers.

i have not experienced that issue at all, and i use HDMI which is prone to that bug. to me that sounds like you got a corrupt registry entry or something, and its sticking between driver updates.

 

[MrGenius]

Hmm well I just went today 14.12 to see how they go and left the house for a few hours (after uninstalling via add/remove, using Driver Fusion to remove left overs, install fresh) and came back to a blank black screen. Hard to use the power button to turn the PC off! I thought this was fixed as it no longer occurred on 13.12

Unfortunate. I actually found both were less stable on my 280X. You should still try 15.3. You never know.

 

[newtekie1]

i have not experienced that issue at all, and i use HDMI which is prone to that bug. to me that sounds like you got a corrupt registry entry or something, and its sticking between driver updates.

Nope, does it on every single one of my 5 AMD APU based rigs, and reverting to 14.11.2 fixes it.

 

[Mussels]

Nope, does it on every single one of my 5 AMD APU based rigs, and reverting to 14.11.2 fixes it.

must be APU specific bug then, i've only had the one Llano system and it didnt show issues - but i no longer have it to retest.

 

[newtekie1]

must be APU specific bug then, i've only had the one Llano system and it didnt show issues - but i no longer have it to retest.

Yeah, the slider being grayed out is an APU only bug, it doesn't do it on my dedicated cards. The original up/down scaling bug affects both dedicated and APUs, but that was only a minor annoyance.

 

[Aquinus]

Nope, does it on every single one of my 5 AMD APU based rigs, and reverting to 14.11.2 fixes it.

Are you sure that it's the GPUs and not the display? My Panasonic plasma doesn't scale right when using a PC with HDMI period, regardless if it is AMD or not.

 

[newtekie1]

Are you sure that it's the GPUs and not the display? My Panasonic plasma doesn't scale right when using a PC with HDMI period, regardless if it is AMD or not.

Yes, because it works with every driver up until 14.12. It also does it on 5 different displays with 5 different computers. Trust me, this is a driver issue. AMD can't get basic scaling working properly, yes their drivers really are that bad.

 

[The Mac]

nm....

 

[Frag_Maniac]

Yeah, the slider being grayed out is an APU only bug...

Then it's not really an HDMI specific bug as earlier implied. That's what I meant. If such criteria as has to be an APU are present, then the whole HDMI being the culprit bit goes out the window.

 

[Ferrum Master]

Does this help you?

http://blog.galets.net/2013/02/fix-hdmi-overscan-without-catalyst.html

 

[newtekie1]

Then it's not really an HDMI specific bug as earlier implied. That's what I meant. If such criteria as has to be an APU are present, then the whole HDMI being the culprit bit goes out the window.

It is an HDMI specific bug because it only happens when using HDMI, it affects dedicated GPUs and APUs, but is only partially broken on dedicated GPUs(requiring manual adjustment to work correctly) and totally broken on APUs(because manual adjust isn't possible).

Does this help you?

http://blog.galets.net/2013/02/fix-hdmi-overscan-without-catalyst.html

I'll have to try it when I get a chance.

 

[MrGenius]

It is an HDMI specific bug because it only happens when using HDMI, it affects dedicated GPUs and APUs, but is only partially broken on dedicated GPUs(requiring manual adjustment to work correctly)

I can verify that. The GPU image scaling on my 280X needs manually adjusted every time I install new drivers when using HDMI.

 

[Frag_Maniac]

It is an HDMI specific bug because it only happens when using HDMI, it affects dedicated GPUs and APUs, but is only partially broken on dedicated GPUs(requiring manual adjustment to work correctly) and totally broken on APUs(because manual adjust isn't possible).

Everything you've said here if anything just more substantiates that the APU is more to blame than HDMI itself.

If my feedback isn't enough for you. Mussels also verified that HDMI itself scales fine on the typical dedicated GPU and CPU setup. And you yourself just verified the chips it's totally broken with are due to limitations in the supported features of the chip itself.

 

[newtekie1]

Everything you've said here if anything just more substantiates that the APU is more to blame than HDMI itself.

If my feedback isn't enough for you. Mussels also verified that HDMI itself scales fine on the typical dedicated GPU and CPU setup. And you yourself just verified the chips it's totally broken with are due to limitations in the supported features of the chip itself.

Sigh, the scaling but has existed since before APUs even existed, and MrGenius confirms that it happens with dedicated GPUs.

If it works in 14.11.2 and suddenly doesn't work in 14.12, please explain how this is due to limitations of the chip itself?

 

[MrGenius]

If HDMI isn't to blame, then why does it only happen when I use HDMI?

More importantly, however, if it works with one driver version and not another...it's a driver issue. Plain and simple. And we don't provide the drivers. AMD does.

Case closed.

 

[Frag_Maniac]

Sigh, the scaling but has existed since before APUs even existed, and MrGenius confirms that it happens with dedicated GPUs.

If it works in 14.11.2 and suddenly doesn't work in 14.12, please explain how this is due to limitations of the chip itself?

And Mussels and I confirmed it doesn't with the dedicate GPUs we use. You can take just about anything and twist it around using flawed (incomprehensive) testing. And it wasn't just drivers mentioned as criteria, it was APUs. I also said early that every driver I've used for the last 2.5 years has scaled perfectly well on HDMI.

The point I'm making here, is that those whom cry foul often only cling to info they associate with, read what they want read, hear what they want to hear, while shutting everything else out.

Deductive reasoning is used in troubleshooting, and it doesn't work that way. You don't eliminate a factor unless there's a reason to, and APUs are clearly one of the key factors.

 

[newtekie1]

And Mussels and I confirmed it doesn't with the dedicate GPUs we use. You can take just about anything and twist it around using flawed (incomprehensive) testing. And it wasn't just drivers mentioned as criteria, it was APUs. I also said early that every driver I've used for the last 2.5 years has scaled perfectly well on HDMI.

The point I'm making here, is that those whom cry foul often only cling to info they associate with, read what they want read, hear what they want to hear, while shutting everything else out.

Deductive reasoning is used in troubleshooting, and it doesn't work that way. You don't eliminate a factor unless there's a reason to, and APUs are clearly one of the key factors.

That is nice, that is also why it is called a bug. Bugs are, by nature, unpredictable. The fact is that it happens on both dedicated and APUs, it has existed since before APUs were even a thing. Fuck, it did it with my 3850 when it was brand new... The bug has existed for years, it has been documented so many times it isn't fun. However, it is now worse on APUs. That doesn't mean APUs are the cause of the problem.

Yes, troubleshooting requires deductive reasoning. So lets use some of that. Again, using your mastery of deductive reasoning, please tell me how something that works in every driver before 14.12 and stopped working with 14.12 and later, is a problem with the chip and not the driver? Please explain how changing JUST THE DRIVER causes the issue to happen or not, but yet it isn't a driver problem? Walk me through how your deductive reasoning brought you to that conclusion.

Does this help you?

http://blog.galets.net/2013/02/fix-hdmi-overscan-without-catalyst.html

Holy crap that worked! The driver now doesn't underscan automatically when lowering the resolution! The slider is still locked out on my APUs, but it doesn't matter because I don't need it since underscan isn't automatically enabled anymore!

My deductive reasoning says that if a registry setting fixes it, it is probably a driver issue, but I'm sure someone will use their mastery of deductive reasoning to say it is an issue with the APUs and GPUs, AMD's drivers are definitely not to blame here...

P.S. Note that the fix is from 2013! So we know the bug has existed in AMD's drivers at least that long...a simple registry entry the AMD is failing to write with their drivers and they haven't been able to fix it in at least 2 years(I know it to be a lot longer)... Gotta love those AMD drivers.

 

[The Mac]

never had that issue on any of my cards with HDMI.

Sounds like a scaler issue on the APUs.

 

[newtekie1]

never had that issue on any of my cards with HDMI.

Sounds like a scaler issue on the APUs.

First, unless you run lower than native resolution you'll never see the problem. Most people don't, I do.

Second, it's done it on 3850, 4670, 4890, 5850, 7970, and 290X.

Third, it has been documented for years to happen on AMD cards. Just type AMD Underscan Issue into google and read the results. It is not an APU issue, it is an AMD shitty drivers issue.

Fourth, here is an article from 2010 describing the problem. APUs didn't even exist in 2010. Llano wasn't released until 2011.

Seriously, why is it so difficult to grasp that this is a driver problem?!?

 

[Steve-007UK]

HDMI sucked when it came out and became a standered and it still sucks today end of story now lets all eat pie and have a nice day.

 

[Ferrum Master]

Holy crap that worked!

Windows , this thing also works in Linux, you have to properly add to boot init lines to catalayst to fix this. Well for Linux it is a daily life, so the registry thing is a normal old school approach for me. It is questionable whether it is actually a bug. I Think not, it is a poor execution of monitor EID, just like many devices have for USB descriptors. For me the thing kicks in always as my primary monitor is 16:10 and the second is a projector 16:9, the thing scales down the buffer image so the screens both look the same, it is more like a unwanted feature. It also explains why some work actually normally and all is fine and dandy, it is because of the EID.

 

[Frag_Maniac]

That is nice, that is also why it is called a bug. Bugs are, by nature, unpredictable. The fact is that it happens on both dedicated and APUs, it has existed since before APUs were even a thing. Fuck, it did it with my 3850 when it was brand new... The bug has existed for years, it has been documented so many times it isn't fun. However, it is now worse on APUs. That doesn't mean APUs are the cause of the problem.

Yes, troubleshooting requires deductive reasoning. So lets use some of that. Again, using your mastery of deductive reasoning, please tell me how something that works in every driver before 14.12 and stopped working with 14.12 and later, is a problem with the chip and not the driver? Please explain how changing JUST THE DRIVER causes the issue to happen or not, but yet it isn't a driver problem? Walk me through how your deductive reasoning brought you to that conclusion.



Holy crap that worked! The driver now doesn't underscan automatically when lowering the resolution! The slider is still locked out on my APUs, but it doesn't matter because I don't need it since underscan isn't automatically enabled anymore!

My deductive reasoning says that if a registry setting fixes it, it is probably a driver issue, but I'm sure someone will use their mastery of deductive reasoning to say it is an issue with the APUs and GPUs, AMD's drivers are definitely not to blame here...

P.S. Note that the fix is from 2013! So we know the bug has existed in AMD's drivers at least that long...a simple registry entry the AMD is failing to write with their drivers and they haven't been able to fix it in at least 2 years(I know it to be a lot longer)... Gotta love those AMD drivers.

LOL, you keep waffling between blaming it on HDMI, then drivers, without ever realizing just the fact that, as you've been told, it's not like that for everyone, which means it's a specific hardware config incompat, not HDMI itself, or the driver itself. In fact if anything the hardware scenario you described is quite in the minority vs the norm. If anything the fact that it can be dealt with via a reg hack verifies that it is NOT specifically HDMI or drivers. The reg is what links hardware and programs to the OS, so naturally compat issues with certain configs can be fixed that way.

And as Ferrum pointed out, it could very well be an issue with how the monitor is being detected. I had a strange compat issue between an MSI 660 Ti and my Panasonic TV where it would not detect my display as HDCP compliant, and caused black screen when switching between PC and TV inputs. This was not a problem with my prior GTS 250 or my current 7970. I suspect it may have had something to do with the custom BIOS on the 660 Ti.

Anywho, glad you got it sorted. Was beginning to look like the makings of an ulcer.

And I still stand by deductive reasoning. Had you done more comprehensive Googling, you'd have found that workaround yourself. So the whole mastery sarcasm should be something you swallow with pride, because if you can't even master Google, you'll always be a PC Padawan.

 

[newtekie1]

And I still stand by deductive reasoning. Had you done more comprehensive Googling, you'd have found that workaround yourself. So the whole mastery sarcasm should be something you swallow with pride, because if you can't even master Google, you'll always be a PC Padawan.

I came across the registry setting before, but never bothered to test it becuase I could just change the settings manualy in CCC. At least I always could until AMD broke that option in 14.12. I googled for how to get the underscan slider to work, and found the hotfix AMD released to attempt to fix the problem but it didn't.

And I never once blamed it on HDMI, I said it only happens when using HDMI, I never once said or even implied it was HDMI's fault.

This is a driver bug, and always has been, I've been very clear about this from the beginning. In the fact that changing two registry values fixies it, and AMD hasn't managed to fix it themselves in years gives you an idea of how horrible their driver department is.