Catalyst 9.6 Drivers Released

[Mem]

Link.


Release Notes. (PDF file).

Performance Improvements

Catalyst? 9.6 brings performance benefits in several cases where framerates are CPU-
limited. Some measured examples are:

Company of Heroes ? performance improves up to 25% with HD 4600 series
products and below as well as improvements of up to 10% on HD 4800 series
Crysis ? performance improves up to 13% in multi-GPU configurations
Crysis Warhead ? performance improves up to 11% in multi-GPU configurations
World in Conflict ? performance improvements of up to 30% can be seen in settings
that were previously CPU limited


Resolved Issues for All Windows Operating System

This section provides information on resolved issues in this release of the ATI Catalyst?
Software Suite for all Windows OS. These include:

Opening Crossfire pages no longer causes Catalyst Control Center to stop responding
Catalyst Control Center: With some multi adapter systems in clone mode, disabling
the primary display is now possible
Changing the bitrate slider values, while transcoding WMV files, no longer causes
Catalyst Control Center to stop responding
Catalyst Control Center: On some systems configurations, the Overdrive options no
longer fails to display
Catalyst Control Center content no longer appears interlaced when automatic
deinterlacing is enabled
Catalyst Control Center: Display settings no longer missing when hot plugging a
CRT display in clone mode
Catalyst Control Center: Scaling option slider is no longer inadvertently enabled
when using a non-HDTV resolution
Fixed a regression in ATI CAL that caused certain IL kernels that compiled and
executed properly with Catalyst version prior to 9.4 to no longer work properly with
Catalyst 9.4 or later


Resolved Issues for the Windows Vista Operating System

This section provides information on resolved issues in this release of the ATI Catalyst?
Software Suite for Windows Vista. These include:

On some configurations, video artifacts are no longer visible during playback of
transcoded video files
Second adapter will now run at default minimum clock values, instead of custom
GPU clock values, without requiring the user to launch and exit the 3D game in full
screen mode
Corruption and flickering no longer visible when switching between window and full
screen mode when playing Crysis

Resolved Issues for the Windows XP Operating System

This section provides information on resolved issues in this release of the ATI Catalyst?
Software Suite for Windows XP. These include:

Catalyst Control Center: Scaling option slider is no longer incorrectly enabled when
using non-HDTV resolutions
System instability no longer observed when task switching to desktop when playing
"Tom Clancy's HAWK"
Catalyst Control Center: On some configurations, the scaling options are no longer
missing for HDMI or component video displays
Team Fortress 2 some slowdowns no longer occur during gameplay



Resolved Issues for the Windows 7 Operating System

This section provides information on resolved issues in this release of the ATI Catalyst?
Software Suite for Windows 7. These include:

Some systems with both a component video display and a secondary display, it is
now possible to duplicate the displays using the display settings
Catalyst Control Center: Graphics corruption no longer visible when updating the
ATI Graphics Power settings
Catalyst Control Center: System no longer fails to set the Component Video modes
Catalyst Control Center no longer shows Crossfire as disabled
Catalyst Control Center: Default HDTV modes can now be enabled properly
Enabling CrossFire under specific system configurations no longer causes Catalyst
Control Center to stop responding
Intermittent corruption no longer visible throughout Enemy Territory Quake Wars
levels

 

[haffey]

Here I go again. Wish me luck. Every driver since 9.3 has made my Source games freeze up from time to time. I'm not 100% sure it's because of the driver, but that's all I remember changing. I haven't checked if 9.3 itself is stable yet. I think it's a pretty isolated incident because no one else seems to have this problem.

 

[ViRGE]

I'm just looking through the notes, but shouldn't these drivers be for the entire ATI lineup, legacy included? Since they moved the pre-R600 cards to legacy with 9.3, a new build with legacy support was supposed to be released every 3 months. These notes say that the drivers are still only for the R600 and later. In which case, where are the new legacy drivers?

 

[Mem]

Installed fine on Vista x64,played Sacred 2 for awhile, no issues to report so far,I don't expect any issues to be honest.

 

[apoppin]

Crysis ? performance improves up to 13% in multi-GPU configurations
World in Conflict ? performance improvements of up to 30% can be seen in settings
that were previously CPU limited

i just finished benching 15 games with for a CrossFire-X review with Cat 9-5 - and 4870-X2 performance has been way off since Cat 9-3
- letsee that would be 3-4 more fps .. where it was

WiC i have got to see to believe; but since i changed to 4.0 GHz Quad, i got a solid improvement over my e8600 @ 4.33 GHz

i liked 9-5 *except* it screwed 4870 in Clear Sky and FC2 [while improving things for 4890] ... ATi is working on their CrossFire performance; i haven't seen much real improvement in TriFire, however

 

[vj8usa]

I figured I'd try these drivers out on the most CPU limited game I have installed right now, which is GTA4. Pretty disappointing results. I went from 35-36FPS on the built in benchmark to 37FPS.

 

[SlowSpyder]

Originally posted by: vj8usa
I figured I'd try these drivers out on the most CPU limited game I have installed right now, which is GTA4. Pretty disappointing results. I went from 35-36FPS on the built in benchmark to 37FPS.

Maybe I'm confused, but did you expect a new video card driver to help you gain some FPS in a CPU-limited game when you're using an overclocked E2160?

I'll download and install tonight... the only game I play lately is AoC which has no issues, so I figure it'll be more of the same. Which is a good thing.

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: SlowSpyder

Originally posted by: vj8usa
I figured I'd try these drivers out on the most CPU limited game I have installed right now, which is GTA4. Pretty disappointing results. I went from 35-36FPS on the built in benchmark to 37FPS.

Maybe I'm confused, but did you expect a new video card driver to help you gain some FPS in a CPU-limited game when you're using an overclocked E2160?

I'll download and install tonight... the only game I play lately is AoC which has no issues, so I figure it'll be more of the same. Which is a good thing.

How is AoC?

is it fully DX10?
- does it run OK now?

i still have an unused month; i have been busy

 

[Sylvanas]

Installed and working fine on win7 here 4870X2- Crysis is silky smooth at 1920x1200- Gamer settings

Maybe I should buy the CoH expansions, they've been improving performance for quite a few releases now.

 

[vj8usa]

Originally posted by: SlowSpyder

Originally posted by: vj8usa
I figured I'd try these drivers out on the most CPU limited game I have installed right now, which is GTA4. Pretty disappointing results. I went from 35-36FPS on the built in benchmark to 37FPS.

Maybe I'm confused, but did you expect a new video card driver to help you gain some FPS in a CPU-limited game when you're using an overclocked E2160?

That's exactly what I expected, which is why I explicitly stated that I was more CPU limited in GTA4 than in any other game I'm playing. Read the first sentence in the release notes which Mem conveniently pasted for us - "performance benefits in several cases where framerates are CPU-limited."

 

[Sylvanas]

Originally posted by: vj8usa

Originally posted by: SlowSpyder

Originally posted by: vj8usa
I figured I'd try these drivers out on the most CPU limited game I have installed right now, which is GTA4. Pretty disappointing results. I went from 35-36FPS on the built in benchmark to 37FPS.

Maybe I'm confused, but did you expect a new video card driver to help you gain some FPS in a CPU-limited game when you're using an overclocked E2160?

That's exactly what I expected, which is why I explicitly stated that I was more CPU limited in GTA4 than in any other game I'm playing. Read the first sentence in the release notes which Mem conveniently pasted for us - "performance benefits in several cases where framerates are CPU-limited."

World in Conflict ? performance improvements of up to 30% can be seen in settings
that were previously CPU limited

I think it only applies to the examples above, although if people start noticing improvements all over the place in accordance with the first line then that's even better

Edit:

 

[ViRGE]

Originally posted by: ViRGE
I'm just looking through the notes, but shouldn't these drivers be for the entire ATI lineup, legacy included? Since they moved the pre-R600 cards to legacy with 9.3, a new build with legacy support was supposed to be released every 3 months. These notes say that the drivers are still only for the R600 and later. In which case, where are the new legacy drivers?

Bah, apparently the next legacy driver isn't until next month. Then they'll "conveniently" wait another 4 months to drop one in November, and just forget about a 4th release for the year altogether.

 

[Marty502]

They failed with my Radeon 4670 in Windows XP 32-bit.
Unsupported card or something. Of course that's not what the release notes says.
But coming back after reboot to a 640x480x4 bits desktop that you can't change sort of gives it away.

It's 9.5 drivers for me.

 

[dguy6789]

The 9.6s work fine on my HD 4670 system on Vista 32 bit. I haven't tried them with my 4870 yet.

 

[error8]

Anyone played Fallout 3 on 4870 with these? Cat 9.5 really destroyed my performance in that game. Hopefully AMD has written some good drivers this time around.

 

[FalseChristian]

I can't get them to work at all!

 

[Bateluer]

Vista 64, 4870 512M, no issues.
Window 7 32, 4350, no issues.

 

[evolucion8]

Vista 64 with HD 4870 1GB = No Issues

 

[imported_Scoop]

meh, I'm still chugging along with my 8.2's

 

[Mem]

Originally posted by: Scoop
meh, I'm still chugging along with my 8.2's

It's worth updating to the latest for your card since you get all the latest bug fixes etc..it's the main reason why I update my drivers since I like to have the latest fixes even if I don't get any issues in general use.

Speed improvements are always nice and a bonus if they appear but not at the top of my list driver wise.

 

[PingSpike]

Originally posted by: Mem

Originally posted by: Scoop
meh, I'm still chugging along with my 8.2's

It's worth updating to the latest for your card since you get all the latest bug fixes etc..it's the main reason why I update my drivers since I like to have the latest fixes even if I don't get any issues in general use.

Speed improvements are always nice and a bonus if they appear but not at the top of my list driver wise.

With the way nvidia and ati driver releases have been these past couple years, if none of my games are screwed up I tend to just stay with what I have. Both of them have tended to break as many things as they fix lately.

I suppose I'll give these a shot on my test drive since some of my old directx games suffer from horrible hall of mirrors at all times.

 

[Vaz]

I seem to be having trouble. Vista 64 with 9.6 on a 4870. I played 3 games of COH and all 3 crashed midway into the game. I took the fast way and didn't uninstall the 9.2 that was in, so going to try a clean install now and see if that helps.

 

[Vaz]

still don't work, back to 9.2!

 

[SlowSpyder]

Originally posted by: apoppin

Originally posted by: SlowSpyder

Originally posted by: vj8usa
I figured I'd try these drivers out on the most CPU limited game I have installed right now, which is GTA4. Pretty disappointing results. I went from 35-36FPS on the built in benchmark to 37FPS.

Maybe I'm confused, but did you expect a new video card driver to help you gain some FPS in a CPU-limited game when you're using an overclocked E2160?

I'll download and install tonight... the only game I play lately is AoC which has no issues, so I figure it'll be more of the same. Which is a good thing.

How is AoC?

is it fully DX10?
- does it run OK now?

i still have an unused month; i have been busy

It runs great overall. DX9 runs great at 1920x1200 2xAA on my 512MB 4870. DX10 looks to be too much for it though, frame rates often in the high teens to mid twenties. Overall it's a good game in my opinion, and I have yet to have any stability issues. I'm running Cat 9.6 now and it seems to be the same, runs well overall.

 

[Mem]

Originally posted by: FalseChristian
I can't get them to work at all!

I read over at OCUK that some users with Kaspersky have to disable their AV to get ATI drivers to install,info here. .