AMD Unveils ATI Catalyst 10.6 WHQL Software Suite

[btarunr]

AMD released the latest version of its ATI Catalyst software suite, version 10.6 WHQL, which provides drivers and system software for ATI Radeon GPUs (HD 2000 series and above), AMD 7-series and 8-series chipsets, and ATI Theater multimedia processors. The new version packs pays attention to video-acceleration, and packs two new features that improve video output quality, official support for Adobe Flash 10.1 GPU acceleration, official support for OpenGL 4.0 and GL 3.3, a wide range of game-specific performance increments, and the usual load of bug fixes.

To begin with, Catalyst 10.6 adds GPU-accelerated video de-blocking (a feature that helps improve quality of upscaled videos), and mosquito-noise reduction, which helps improve quality of lossy video formats. Although ATI was first to be out with a GPU driver that packs OpenGL 4.0 ICD, it was only in the form of preview drivers. Catalyst 10.3 provides official support for OpenGL 4.0, a graphics API technologically comparable to DirectX 11, compatible with Radeon HD 5000 series GPUs. It also adds OpenGL 3.3 support.

DOWNLOAD: ATI Catalyst 10.6 WHQL for Windows 7/Vista 64-bit, Windows 7/Vista 32-bit, Windows XP 32-bit, Windows XP 64-bit

Details about game-specific improvements follow.

• 3DMark Vantage
  o Overall scores improve up to 5% on a single ATI Radeon HD 5970
• Batman: Arkham Asylum
  o Performance improves up to 5% on CrossFire ATI Radeon HD 5800 Series products
  o Performance improves up to 10% on CrossFire ATI Radeon HD 5970 configurations
• Aliens vs. Predator DirectX 11 Benchmark
  o Performance improves up to 4% on CrossFire ATI Radeon HD 5800 Series products
  o Performance improves up to 10% on CrossFire ATI Radeon HD 5970 configurations
  o Performance improves up to 3% on CrossFire ATI Radeon HD 5700 Series products
• Company of Heroes – DX10
  o Performance improves up to 7% on CrossFire ATI Radeon HD 5800 Series products
  o Performance improves up to 5% with single card and CrossFire ATI Radeon HD 5970 configurations
• DiRT 2 – DX9
  o Performance improves up to 10% on single card ATI Radeon HD 5800 Series products
  o Performance improves up to 10% on single card ATI Radeon HD 5970 configurations
  o Performance improves up to 4% on single card ATI Radeon HD 5700 Series products
• The Chronicles of Riddick - Assault on Dark Athena
  o Performance improves up to 15% on CrossFire ATI Radeon HD 5800 Series products
  o Performance improves up to 13% on CrossFire and single card ATI Radeon HD 5970 configurations
  o Performance improves up to 8% on CrossFire ATI Radeon HD 5700 Series products
• World in Conflict
  o Performance improves up to 6% on CrossFire ATI Radeon HD 5800 Series products
  o Performance improves up to 8% on CrossFire and single card ATI Radeon HD 5970 configurations
• Wolfenstein
  o Performance improves up to 18% on CrossFire ATI Radeon HD 5800 Series products
  o Performance improves up to 18% on CrossFire and single card ATI Radeon HD 5970 configurations
  o Performance improves up to 11% on CrossFire ATI Radeon HD 5700 Series products

For more details, please refer to the Release Notes document.

[trickson]

Well I tell you this they work even better than the 10.5 drivers !

I posted this also just not with all the flair you did .

[Black Panther]

Originally Posted by btarunr

[*] DiRT 2 – DX9
o Performance improves up to 10% on single card ATI Radeon HD 5970 configurations

Dirt2 - DX9 - HD5970
Those words repel like similar polarized magnets in that sentence.

Who would own a Dx11 card and a Dx11 game yet play it not in DX11, not even in Dx10 but Dx9 ?

Barely any purpose to increase Dx9 performance

[shagg]

Links are down. As matter of fact, AMD's website has been wacky all this week.

[bogie]

Dare I install these after 10.5 trashed my computer? HD4870x2 and Windows 7 x64.

[Helper]

I'd do that... there're many ppl out there that still use XP for their reasons such as compatibility with old programs or even the way their GUI looks. (Windows classic)

It's better to support those people. They mostly improve new stuff and keep back the old (game profiles). What's wrong with that? That's what ATi should be doing.

[Assimilator]

I'm so glad ATI has spent their time optimising their drivers for benchmarks and games instead of only for games! Evidently ATI has done market research and figured out that a significant portion of their customer base buys their graphics cards only for benchmarking.

/sarcasm

[cadaveca]

WTF is up with AMD as of late...website is screwed up, drivers that they say fix issues, don't fix anything, marketing sucks too...

Did they not test the site before the changes, or just put it live? Hardly professional for a multi-million-dollar company to have a website in such amateur shape...

Originally Posted by AMD GAME WEBSITE

Unable to display this Web Part. To troubleshoot the problem, open this Web page in a Windows SharePoint Services-compatible HTML editor such as Microsoft Office SharePoint Designer. If the problem persists, contact your Web server administrator.

So very amateur.

[shevanel]

installing now..

[trickson]

WOW they work great for me . What is this all about any way ? you need your card running full speed even in 2D applications ? Not me saves on heat and power IMHO .

[Mr McC]

Originally Posted by trickson

WOW they work great for me . What is this all about any way ? you need your card running full speed even in 2D applications ? Not me saves on heat and power IMHO .

Did this issue appear with the 10.5 drivers or was it always there? Are you stating that your idle 2D clocks are too high andf then dismissing this as irrelevant? What are your clocks and what are they meant to be?

[trickson]

Originally Posted by Mr McC

Did this issue appear with the 10.5 drivers or was it always there? Are you stating that your idle 2D clocks are too high andf then dismissing this as irrelevant? What are your clocks and what are they meant to be?

No what I am saying is why is this even a issue ? 2D clocks should be slower than 3D clocks as well you need less power to run the time on a 2D level and then you save power .

[Mr McC]

Originally Posted by trickson

No what I am saying is why is this even a issue ? 2D clocks should be slower than 3D clocks as well you need less power to run the time on a 2D level and then you save power .

I found EastCoast's reply in the other Ati 10.6 thread informative and unsettling.

[btarunr]

And they're up on our servers. gogo download.

[alexsubri]

I'm always at work when these damn drivers come out :-P , I was suprise there was no leaks...

[InnocentCriminal]

Originally Posted by alexsubri

I'm always at work when these damn drivers come out :-P , I was suprise there was no leaks...

They were, I think EastCostHandle made a thread.

[Mr McC]

Originally Posted by InnocentCriminal

They were, I think EastCostHandle made a thread.

We need a thread merge:

http://forums.techpowerup.com/showthread.php?t=124661

[fullinfusion]

Originally Posted by Black Panther

Dirt2 - DX9 - HD5970
Those words repel like similar polarized magnets in that sentence.

Who would own a Dx11 card and a Dx11 game yet play it not in DX11, not even in Dx10 but Dx9 ?

Barely any purpose to increase Dx9 performance

Hey Black Panther, you need to try these drivers and let me know how they work this time
Hehe ... In-stalling as we speak

[EastCoasthandle]

Can anyone get a tweet over to catalystmaker asking him about the 2D issue? They were suppose to revert this stuff back in a previous tweet of his.

[cadaveca]

I've asked him numerous times about 2D issues, and have never received any answer about it.

You need to submit driver feedback...but they've made that as difficult as possible...and they don't respond to that feedback ever either.

[EastCoasthandle]

Many have submitted feedback on another forum. So I know they are aware of it. Besides, he did mention it in his tweet but it looks like he deleted it.

Edit:
Found it:
Original twitt
Response

As you can see per his tweet it was for "dual card" (also assume 5970 as well).b As for 120Hz monitors, dual monitor, etc:
read here by Spyre

[cadaveca]

LoL. To help dual card overclocking? How does it do that? I've got two card, haven't noticed a bit of difference.

And by feedback, I meant like submitting a ticket for an issue, and getting a s response...you know...product support? I guess they leave that to the "OEMs" now, and don't do support themselves.

[EastCoasthandle]

Funny how none of this makes any any sense. But that's what they are saying about it.

[cadaveca]

Well, "spyre" has stated many times in the past that he's just the site admin for AMD.GAME, and doesn't work directly for AMD, so I truly question anything he posts. He contradicts himself too much.

At least they went back to the older driver page format, and everything works there now, except there's no link for release notes, nor the "driver feedback" link.


EDIT: driver feedback link and release notes is now active again. I guess they are working on it while we discuss it.

EDIT2, and finally, driver feedback form says that the form is not for product support, but unsurprisingly, it doesn't provide a link to said support.

[EastCoasthandle]

After looking around someone tweeted him about it and he indicated that it would be fixed when Cat 10.5 was released. Yet here we are with Cat 10.6 and nothing is done yet.