AMD Catalyst 12.3 PRE-WHQL (8.950.0 February 14)

The fact that we have to install a previous working driver and then install this, a supposedly pre-released WHQL, just to make OC-ing works normally is a bit dumb.

I've found that this driver actually managed to crash WinSAT at the Extended Media Assessment.

Code:

Faulting application name: WinSAT.exe, version: 6.1.7601.17514, time stamp: 0x4ce798fc
Faulting module name: atiumd6a.dll, version: 8.14.10.350, time stamp: 0x4f3b1b29
Exception code: 0xc0000005
Fault offset: 0x00000000000cf5a3
Faulting process id: 0x2ec
Faulting application start time: 0x01cced48c4d2df7c
Faulting application path: C:\Windows\system32\WinSAT.exe
Faulting module path: C:\Windows\system32\atiumd6a.dll
Report Id: 45fc9e4f-593c-11e1-a84b-506313a022a4

Probably an indication of flaky video support on 5650m.
WinSAT is the benchmarking tool behind WEI, if there's anyone wondering.

Here's a copy of what was on my command prompt when I ran WinSAT.

Code:

Microsoft Windows [Version 6.1.7601]
Copyright (c) 2009 Microsoft Corporation.  All rights reserved.

C:\Windows\system32>winsat formal
Windows System Assessment Tool
> Running the Formal Assessment
> Running: Feature Enumeration ''
> Run Time 00:00:00.00
> Running: WinSAT Direct3D Assessment '-aname DWM -time 10 -fbc 10 -disp off -no
rmalw 12 -width 1280 -height 1024 -winwidth C(1144) -winheight C(915) -rendertot
ex 6 -rtdelta 3 -nolock'
> Assessing Desktop Graphics Performance
> Run Time 00:00:12.54
> Running: WinSAT Direct3D Assessment '-aname Batch -time 5 -fbc 10 -disp off -a
nimate 10 -width 1280 -height 1024 -totalobj 300 -batchcnt C(10) -objs C(26) -re
ndertotex 6 -rtdelta 3 -texpobj C(1)'
> Assessing DirectX Batch Performance
> Run Time 00:00:06.72
> Running: WinSAT Direct3D Assessment '-aname Alpha -time 5 -fbc 10 -disp off -a
nimate 10 -width 1280 -height 1024 -totalobj 300 -batchcnt C(75) -objs C(26) -re
ndertotex 6 -rtdelta 3 -texpobj C(1)'
> Assessing DirectX Alpha blend Performance
> Run Time 00:00:06.63
> Running: WinSAT Direct3D Assessment '-aname Tex -time 5 -fbc 10 -disp off -ani
mate 10 -width 1280 -height 1024 -totalobj 500 -batchcnt C(125) -objs C(20) -noa
lpha -texshader -totaltex 10 -texpobj C(4) -rendertotex 6 -rtdelta 3'
> Assessing DirectX Texture load Performance
> Run Time 00:00:07.49
> Running: WinSAT Direct3D Assessment '-aname ALU -time 5 -fbc 10 -disp off -ani
mate 10 -width 1280 -height 1024 -totalobj 500 -batchcnt C(125) -objs C(20) -noa
lpha -alushader -totaltex 10 -texpobj C(1) -rendertotex 6 -rtdelta 3'
> Assessing DirectX ALU Performance
> Run Time 00:00:07.94
> Running: WinSAT Direct3D Assessment '-dx10  -aname Batch -time 5 -fbc 10 -disp
 off -animate 10 -width 1280 -height 1024 -totalobj 300 -batchcnt C(10) -objs C(
26) -rendertotex 6 -rtdelta 3 -texpobj C(1)'
> Assessing DirectX Batch Performance
> Run Time 00:00:06.40
> Running: WinSAT Direct3D Assessment '-dx10  -aname Alpha -time 5 -fbc 10 -disp
 off -animate 10 -width 1280 -height 1024 -totalobj 300 -batchcnt C(75) -objs C(
26) -rendertotex 6 -rtdelta 3 -texpobj C(1)'
> Assessing DirectX Alpha blend Performance
> Run Time 00:00:06.68
> Running: WinSAT Direct3D Assessment '-dx10  -aname Tex -time 5 -fbc 10 -disp o
ff -animate 10 -width 1280 -height 1024 -totalobj 500 -batchcnt C(125) -objs C(2
0) -noalpha -texshader -totaltex 10 -texpobj C(4) -rendertotex 6 -rtdelta 3'
> Assessing DirectX Texture load Performance
> Run Time 00:00:11.81
> Running: WinSAT Direct3D Assessment '-dx10  -aname ALU -time 5 -fbc 10 -disp o
ff -animate 10 -width 1280 -height 1024 -totalobj 500 -batchcnt C(125) -objs C(2
0) -noalpha -alushader -totaltex 10 -texpobj C(1) -rendertotex 6 -rtdelta 3'
> Assessing DirectX ALU Performance
> Run Time 00:00:09.75
> Running: WinSAT Direct3D Assessment '-dx10  -aname GeomF4 -time 7 -fbc 10 -dis
p off -animate 10 -width 1280 -height 1024 -totalobj 150;200;241 -batchcnt C(50)
;C(200);C(300) -objs C(12);C(26);C(45) -noalpha -geomf4shader -texpobj C(0) -ren
dertotex 6 -rtdelta 3 -tierframes 60 -tiertime 1'
> Assessing DirectX Geometry Performance
> Run Time 00:00:09.55
> Running: WinSAT Direct3D Assessment '-dx10  -aname GeomV8 -time 7 -fbc 10 -dis
p off -animate 10 -width 1280 -height 1024 -totalobj 75;100;120 -batchcnt C(25);
C(100);C(150) -objs C(8);C(17);C(29) -noalpha -geomv8shader -texpobj C(0) -rende
rtotex 6 -rtdelta 3 -tierframes 60 -tiertime 1'
> Assessing DirectX Geometry Performance
> Run Time 00:00:08.70
> Running: WinSAT Direct3D Assessment '-dx10  -aname CBuffer -time 5 -fbc 10 -di
sp off -animate 10 -width 1280 -height 1024 -totalobj 75 -batchcnt C(25) -objs C
(8) -rendertotex 6 -rtdelta 3 -texpobj C(1) -cbuffershader -cbufa 2 -cbuff 5 -cb
ufp 6'
> Assessing DirectX Constant Buffer Performance
> Run Time 00:00:06.27
> Running: Media Foundation Playback Assessment '-input C:\Windows\Performance\W
inSAT\winsat.wmv -nopmp'
> Run Time 00:00:02.73
> Running: Extended Media Assessment '-input C:\Windows\Performance\WinSAT\Clip_
1080_5sec_MPEG2_HD_15mbps.mpg -dshow -video offscreen -audio mute -width 100%m -
height 100%m -constrain -savereg -autoprofname -expfrmmin 270 -expfrmmax 300 -ov
errideframetype int2fps'

C:\Windows\system32>

WinSAT crashes with that last test.

Another niggle that I've found is that CCC actually can't start properly on Windows startup with this driver.
CLIStart.exe, the process that's used to jump start MOM.exe and CCC.exe, just sitting pretty in Task Manager doing nothing; I've waited until ~30 minutes after I logged in.
Only when you access CCC via right-click on the desktop MOM.exe and CCC.exe are starting up, along with CLIStart.exe finally going away.
Of course, this doesn't matter for those who don't really use CCC, but still a bug nevertheless.

 

SSAA for DX10/11 on AMD 7700 series?

Can we scream for the same on AMD 6900 series, I'd say 6900 is faster than 7700?.

 

No probs here at all
39092

 

As stated above, it's only a problem under a clean install.

 

^^ 3DMark06 is heavily CPU dependant btw. However, nice rig.

 

Have someone made benchmark on BF3? Is it better or worse? I will test it later

 

Are my eyes deceiving me? :eek3:

Or does that only apply to 7xxx cards.

 

Good morning.... of course... That was always the case

 

The answer is the sentence just above the one you emphasized.

 

That's bloody ridicules. Why the hell aren't they supporting earlier cards?

 

I assume they expecting us to buy 'em 7xxx cards regardless of their price due to the nature of 'It's new and outstanding so what the heck with support for boring 6xxx cards nowadays?'

 

Doesnt work well with skyrim, horrible pixelation :/

 

well funny thing, but all driver after the 8.932 crash on install ( all based on 8.95 so ), i have not done a fresh windows install, so maybe something with registry or visual C++ 2005 redistribuable .

Edit: i have take an old 8.95-120124a-132309E-ATI .. and this time it have pass... lol

 

I read it as this driver was now bringing it to the 7's as well, i didn't know earlier series couldn't do it.

 

It's AMDoh being AMD!ck; nothing new.
Nvidiyuck is probably not that better, but at least I haven't yet feel 'pushed' to upgrade because of a (new) feature that is supposedly doable on older generation cards being unavailable.

It's probably a feature that'd be trickled down to older cards, just like MLAA support back then.
But, who knows...

 

working great with 6990M Xfire thanks!

 

Same. Worked fine in 12.2 Preview though, I think I might go back to that ...

 

Because $$$

 

Good drivers. The flickerling seems to be gone in BC2, even on large mapsm such as Heavy Metal. Too bad that OC with Afterburner at boot times dose not work anymore.

 

answer seems fairly obvious: its not going to happen; earlier gens dont have enough rendering power to make SSAA DX10/DX11 work even remotely well. They can barely handle DX9. Its not in AMDs best interest to add functionality that exposes the limitations of its hardware. I suppose trifire/quadfire might, but thats niche.

Besides, from a marketing standpoint, its now a selling feature for 7xxx...lol

If you think about it, find a game thats dx10/dx11 that has SSAA (it has to be in the game, you cant force it in the driver) in it that isnt already pushing your card to the limit without it?