7970 tell me which driver to use

[rageofthepeon]

Hey guys, I'm still using the drivers that came with my Sapphire 7970. I tried 12.2 thinking they were the latest and greatest but payed for it with many driver failures and crashes to desktop.

So, which version of the RC11 driver should I use and if possible a link so I don't screw it up :biggrin:.

Second, running BF3 at 1980x1020 my FPS dips to low 40s and occasionally high 30s (not from deploy screen) on all ultra settings. Will a driver update fix my FPS to be more in line with people claming to get solid 60+ fps?

I should note that I play a lot on 64 player servers. Thanks in advance!

 

[skipsneeky2]

Oh my 7970 doesn't get a solid 60fps either,idk about your settings but fully maxed out for me with a stock 2500k,i haven't hit under 43 yet as a all time low,but for the most part all maxed but msaa at 2x does deliver basically smooth gameplay with the occasional drop to the mid 50s.

Could be a cpu bottleneck maybe i am using rc11 as well,but got my 7970 oced to 1200/1600 but even before the oc,my card never dipped into the 30s period ever.

 

[Despoiler]

This one just leaked today. Everyone is saying it fixes the crashing in everything. I'm testing it so far and it's solid.

http://forums.guru3d.com/showthread.php?t=360241

 

[rageofthepeon]

This one just leaked today. Everyone is saying it fixes the crashing in everything. I'm testing it so far and it's solid.

http://forums.guru3d.com/showthread.php?t=360241

Thanks! I'll have to give that a try. Currently downloading now and I'll see what happens.

 

[caboob]

This one just leaked today. Everyone is saying it fixes the crashing in everything. I'm testing it so far and it's solid.

http://forums.guru3d.com/showthread.php?t=360241

The first leaked driver that allows BF3 to start with crossfire! Now to try eyefinity..

 

[blackened23]

This one just leaked today. Everyone is saying it fixes the crashing in everything. I'm testing it so far and it's solid.

http://forums.guru3d.com/showthread.php?t=360241

I'd strongly not suggest using beta guru3d drivers, i've had bad experiences.

RC11 and the newest WHQL work fine for me.

 

[blackened23]

On second thought there is a lot of positive feedback on this release. Hmm

 

[JBT]

I'll be trying out this driver as well.

 

[MrK6]

I've been using the 12.2 WHQL, but this new driver looks good considering the feedback. I'm installing and I'll post back too :thumbsup:.

 

[3DVagabond]

On second thought there is a lot of positive feedback on this release. Hmm

If it makes you feel better here they are on AMD's site. You have to search under 7800 to find them. They are for Win7/64 only, and I believe were done for the 7800 launch. They do list compatibility for 7900 as well.

 

[NumericalMethods]

Second, running BF3 at 1980x1020 my FPS dips to low 40s and occasionally high 30s (not from deploy screen) on all ultra settings. Will a driver update fix my FPS to be more in line with people claming to get solid 60+ fps?

It's likely that your stock speed processor is also contributing to your slightly lower than expected frame rates. BF3 is a very processor intensive game in multiplayer, this is never more true that in 64 player servers. You should try overclocking you CPU a bit and noting the differences. I bet you could raise your minimums out of the 30s.

 

[MrK6]

I've been using the 12.2 WHQL, but this new driver looks good considering the feedback. I'm installing and I'll post back too :thumbsup:.

Driver refuses to install (fails every time). I'm not sure what I'm missing, but it's a no go for my 7970.

 

[Tempered81]

Driver refuses to install (fails every time). I'm not sure what I'm missing, but it's a no go for my 7970.

AMD changed a lot of stuff, part of the reason afterburner and gpuz were re-written. Both Unwinder and Wizzard recommended an uninstall/reboot of the old drivers.

I usually install right over the top, myself.

 

[blackened23]

Driver refuses to install (fails every time). I'm not sure what I'm missing, but it's a no go for my 7970.

Same here, original poster should use rc11 or the newest WHQL. Personally the 12.2 WHQL works great for me - Be sure to update your overclocking software, old versions are not compatible with 12.2 WHQL, you need the newest version of MSI afterburner. (beta 14!)

 

[darkewaffle]

I've got a 7950, but when I ran the 'auto upgrade' to 12.2 it kind of killed my Control Center (wasn't loading, wasn't accessible) but after a normal uninstall and running a driver cleaner and then finally a fresh install of 12.2 I've been doing pretty well. SWTOR still crashes occasionally, but well, it is SWTOR lol. I'm hoping once the 7xxx series is all fully released we'll see some more consistency on the driver front.

 

[rageofthepeon]

Same here, original poster should use rc11 or the newest WHQL. Personally the 12.2 WHQL works great for me - Be sure to update your overclocking software, old versions are not compatible with 12.2 WHQL, you need the newest version of MSI afterburner. (beta 14!)

12.2 was the first driver I tried updating to from the CD drivers and it was the first time I was getting CTDs and driver display failures.

I've been looking for a direct download link for the RC11 drivers to give them a whirl, but no dice. If you happened to have a handy link I wouldn't mind giving it a try .

It's likely that your stock speed processor is also contributing to your slightly lower than expected frame rates. BF3 is a very processor intensive game in multiplayer, this is never more true that in 64 player servers. You should try overclocking you CPU a bit and noting the differences. I bet you could raise your minimums out of the 30s.

I was hoping that wasn't the case. Under Prime 95 I'm getting 54c and for my CPU max operating temps are 55c-62c. I plan on upgrading to IvyBridge 3770K so I guess I'll just have to hold out until then.

EDIT: Forgot to mention that I am now running the driver linked by despoiled and so far everything has been rock stable. No CTDs or driver failures yet for normal desktop use or gaming purposes.