Introducing the new AMD Catalyst Omega Driver @ [H]

FrgMstr

FrgMstr

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Introducing the new AMD Catalyst Omega Driver - AMD is releasing a new driver called the AMD Catalyst Omega. This new driver contains many new features that AMD will update on a yearly basis. We'll go over what this year's driver update incorporates, there are features such as Virtual Super Resolution (VSR) that will allow you to run games at higher resolutions.

This article will be published at 11pm Central Time.

Driver Download has been updated on page 5

http://www.hardocp.com/article/2014/12/08/introducing_new_amd_catalyst_omega_driver/5

Update on 12/9

Hello everyone, I culminated all the questions you had from this thread in regards to Catalyst Omega and sent those questions over to AMD to get you guys answers. I have the responses. A big thank you to Robert Hallock for the answers.

Question: Any updates on a CrossFire profile for Far Cry 4?
RH: We have currently disabled CrossFire support for Far Cry 4, as the developer must make additional client-side updates before mGPU will provide a smooth experience.

Question: Will it be possible in the future to support VSR on 1440p displays at greater than 60Hz? Is this a bandwidth issue, or something that can be supported?
RH: We are exploring additional resolution/refresh combinations beyond what was provided in AMD Catalyst Omega, but we have not determined the complete matrix. However, we do intend to extend 4K downsampling to all R9 and R7 Series products, 260 and up, with a driver in the Jan/Feb timeframe.

Question: In regards to PLP Eyefinity, which GPUs support this, is it only R9 285 and if so, will there be support on other GPUs in the future?
RH: This is a hardware-level capability, and is therefore limited to the R9 285 at this time.

Question: Will VSR work on 21:9 ratio displays? If not now, in the future?
RH: We are exploring additional resolution/refresh combinations beyond what was provided in AMD Catalyst Omega, but we have not determined the complete matrix. However, we do intend to extend 4K downsampling to all R9 and R7 Series products, 260 and up, with a driver in the Jan/Feb timeframe.

Question: Will Catalyst Omega be the only WHQL certified driver once a year, or will you release other subsequent WHQL certified driver releases throughout the year in addition to Omega?
RH: There will be other WHQL releases throughout the year.

Question: Is Windowed gaming CrossFire mode supported? If not, will it be in the future?
RH: Windowed CrossFire is not supported at this time, however we well understand that community desires this feature.

Question: Will there be support of 4K VSR (3840x2160) on Hawaii R9 290X/290 in the future?
RH: We do intend to extend 4K downsampling to all R9 and R7 Series products, 260 and up, with a driver in the Jan/Feb timeframe.

Thank you to Robert Hallock for the answers.
 
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Nice overview.

Did AMD specify when we could download the driver?
 
I am guessing it will be made available with in the next 24 hours.

I checked amd's driver page and it hasn't updated yet.
 
No d/l links yet apparently.

Is this a soft launch? ;)
 
This is the driver version according to AMD's note page. Of course you cannot tell WTF to grab given AMD's awesome dl page.

Package Contents
The AMD Catalyst™ Software Suite, AMD Catalyst™ Omega contains the following:
AMD Catalyst™ Display Driver version 14.501
AMD Catalyst™ Control Center version 2014.1112.1033.18936
Click to expand...
 
AMD can't successfully point me to the driver download link, their system points me to old drivers, and now I am supposed to believe that the Omega driver is going to cure all Radeon ills? WTF people?
 
The release notes are up with the list of games with Frame Pacing improvement for DUAL GRAPHICS.

http://support.amd.com/en-us/kb-articles/Pages/AMDCatalystOMEGAWINReleaseNotes.aspx

Metro 2033
World of Warcraft
3DMark 11
Sniper Elite V2
Tomb Raider
Hitman: Absolution
GRID 2
Alien: Isolation
Batman: Arkham Origins
BioShock: Infinite
Unigine Valley Benchmark
Plants vs Zombies Garden Warfare
Dragon Age: Inquisition
Metro 2033 Redux
Sniper Elite 3
Assassin's Creed Unity
Metro: Last Light

OH But Note, that is just for AMD Dual Graphics

The CrossFire Improvements are:

Designed to reduce stuttering from graphics memory intensive applications: Tomb Raider, Hitman Absolution, Watch Dogs, Far Cry 3
 
BTW, don't get confused by this in the release notes

http://support.amd.com/en-us/kb-articles/Pages/AMDCatalystOMEGAWINReleaseNotes.aspx

Performance Optimizations versus AMD Catalyst™ 14.9 WHQL
Sid Meier's Civilization®: Beyond Earth™ performance optimizations
Mantle API activated for ultimate performance in Sid Meier's Civilization®: Beyond Earth™
Call of Duty®: Advanced Warfare performance optimizations
Up to 30% performance increases with FXAA and lower game resolutions
Optimized AMD CrossFire™ Profile update for improved performance
Assassin's Creed® Unity performance optimizations
Single GPU performance improvements
Optimized AMD CrossFire™ Profile update for improved performance
Dragon Age: Inquisition performance optimizations
Up to 15% performance increase in single GPU scenarios with Anti-Aliasing enabled.
Optimized AMD CrossFire™ Profile update for improved performance
Far Cry 4 performance optimizations
Up to 50% performance increase in single GPU scenarios with Anti-Aliasing enabled.
Click to expand...

Those updates were in Catalyst 14.11.2 Beta - http://support.amd.com/en-us/kb-articles/Pages/AMDCatalyst14-11-2-BetaWINReleaseNotes.aspx

So Omega does not improve games that much over 14.11.2. It is comparing performance to a much older 14.9 driver. Don't let em trick you.
 
Unfortunately, it isn't for any new triple A titles out currently, except Alien Isolation.
Click to expand...
I know you guys hate RPGs, but they added frame pacing for Dragon Age: Inquisition. That's huge right now. :p

Edit: Damnit I just noticed that it's Dual Graphics only. Whoops, my bad.
 
Looks like they've also expanded the linux section. They now offer sub-sections for Ubuntu/RHEL and Linux.

They offer .deb's for Ubuntu, I'd assume RPM packages for RHEL-based distros and the standard install script for everything else.
 
Rizen said:
I know you guys hate RPGs, but they added frame pacing for Dragon Age: Inquisition. That's huge right now. :p

Edit: Damnit I just noticed that it's Dual Graphics only. Whoops, my bad.
Click to expand...

Yep, big "gotcha" there. I just updated our Frame Pacing section in the article with the updated information.
 
im downloading it.. sadly most of the good stuff are only for 285 and 290/290X.. thats sucks badly.. no AMD love for 280X users since long time...
 
I just installed it and my screen got brighter.
 
The 280X is just a rebranded 7970.. those were released nearly 3 years ago. There's not too much more they can squeeze out of a 3 year old architecture.
 
I've got these installed now. No issues with the installation. I did run DDU first just to be sure.
 
If you have the older drivers listed when visiting the AMD driver page, refresh your web browser with a CRTL + F5. Yes, I know that everyone here should know this, but it doesn't hurt to mention it.
 
So, I don't know if NVIDIA DSR is limited this way, but I wish the Catalyst software would allow me to use VSR at 120hz. I can select 3200x1800 but it only offers 60hz :(
 
VSR doesn't work well with Mantle enabled in CivBE. It causes the mouse cursor to report the wrong position.

DX11 is fine, though.
 
The 970 and 980 aren't the only cards which support 4K DSR. All Fermi and Kepler cards support it (with possible exceptions), and at refresh rates greater than 60 Hz. Even the now-lowly 780 can do 4K DSR at 120 Hz+.

There's something odd there, too. On a 1080p 120 Hz display, your only option is 2048x1536 VSR? What possible value would there be in oversampling to a different aspect ratio?
 
wonderfield said:
The 970 and 980 aren't the only cards which support 4K DSR. All Fermi and Kepler cards support it (with possible exceptions), and at refresh rates greater than 60 Hz. Even the now-lowly 780 can do 4K DSR at 120 Hz+.

There's something odd there, too. On a 1080p 120 Hz display, your only option is 2048x1536 VSR? What possible value would there be in oversampling to a different aspect ratio?
Click to expand...

No, you can select any resolution up to 3200x1800 85Hz, if you have a 1080p 144Hz display. That chart shows what resolutions are available at 120Hz.

That said, I guess it's not very useful if you have a 120+Hz display, as you'd have to give up the higher refresh rate for a higher resolution, and might as well just get an IPS for that.
 
Rizen said:
The 280X is just a rebranded 7970.. those were released nearly 3 years ago. There's not too much more they can squeeze out of a 3 year old architecture.
Click to expand...

ye i know, was just hoping some love from AMD =D for old users... i've had 7950, 7970, 7970GHZ and 280X..

Rizen said:
I've got these installed now. No issues with the installation. I did run DDU first just to be sure.
Click to expand...

Installed these drivers just over 14.9 for testing purposes without unistall previous, without DDU, without nothing, just install restart and done.. so far no issues with the same games i've tested before update.. anyway it will require a lot of more testing...
 
Yeah, thinking about it, there's not too many games I could push at 120fps at 4K. Still, the older titles where I have frames to spare is where I would be most interested in downsampling.
 
Great job with massive update on driver department AMD. So far every game looks great with no issues to report on MSI 290.
 
A blurb from TR's article:
"Incidentally, the timing of this release is no coincidence. We're told the policy behind the Catalyst Omega initiative is tied to AMD's recent CEO switch. Apparently, a "lot of changes" have been made from high up. Many existing staffers have gotten new roles, and a "lot of new people" have been brought in. AMD now views Catalyst drivers as a "standalone product," and today's launch is clear evidence of that strategy."

Let's see what the Big Red can do.
 
So did they hire the dude that used to do the Omega drivers or just rip off the name?
I really hope they didn't just take the name without asking...
 
Brent, can you specify that the link in the article is for the Windows 8.1 version?
 
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it broke saints row 4 for me on r9 290 with 2560x1440 resolution. somehow it had shifted to being in a window and i pressed alt-enter, then whenever i start it it quickly goes back to desktop while still running, you click on it and get a snippet of sound then quickly goes back to desktop etc.

also i used their auto downloader thing for some reason. i suppose because the web site changed, and seemed easiest. it downloaded kind of slow.. around 800k/sec.. but it said estimated time of like 45 minutes, and other various long minutes, and to be honest i think it was probably going at more than 800k/sec.
 
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