AMD Ending 32-bit Windows Support in Future Radeon Drivers

AlphaAtlas

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AMD told the Japanese site 4gamer that they are moving future 32-bit Windows Radeon drivers to "legacy support mode." This confirms the rumor from Videocardz last month, and mirrors Nvidia's move to drop 32 bit support.

AMD Radeon Software support for x32-bit Windows operating systems has been moved to a legacy support mode -- we are not planning to support x32-bit Windows operating systems in future driver releases. This change enables AMD to dedicate valuable engineering resources to developing new features and enhancements for graphics products based on the latest x64-bit Windows based operating systems. Users can continue to use existing x32-bit drivers if they so choose. However, for those who are passionate about gaming and want to continue receiving the best of Radeon Software features and performance, we recommend they consider upgrading to a x64-bit Windows operating system.
 
I remember the days when 64 bit wasnt supported due to lack of hardware and windows 64 bit support now its the other way around............
 
who use 32bit anyway?.. anyone using 32bit won't able to even properly enjoy and juice properly a mid range card since 2014 in any game as everything seems to use at least 5gb or 6gb of RAM, and that without even take in consideration huge vRAM buffer of modern GPUs..
 
who use 32bit anyway?.. anyone using 32bit won't able to even properly enjoy and juice properly a mid range card since 2014 in any game as everything seems to use at least 5gb or 6gb of RAM, and that without even take in consideration huge vRAM buffer of modern GPUs..
 
Good.

This should have happened 10 years ago.

Vista should have been the last 32bit Windows.

It's nuts that they keep releasing something that hasn't been sold in mainstream products for so long.
 
Good.

This should have happened 10 years ago.

Vista should have been the last 32bit Windows.

It's nuts that they keep releasing something that hasn't been sold in mainstream products for so long.

Well you can't force Windows 10 onto people if it won't install.
 
Well you can't force Windows 10 onto people if it won't install.

How many people could there possibly be left still actively using desktop/laptop hardware that doesn't have full 64bit compatibility?

The last x86 desktop or laptop chip I saw that didn't have 64bit instructions was my ex wife's 2006 Macbook Pro with a Yonah Core Duo, and she stopped using that thing when it died in 2011
 
Got a laptop on the bench right now, some fly-by-night computer "store" reloaded the 64-bit Windows 7 with a 32-bit Windows 7 a year or so ago. :yuck: Backing it up now and going to load a fresh Windows 10 64-bit on it.

Nice to see 32-bit getting dropped, it should *knock on a huge piece of wood (that's what she said!)* hopefully get them to focus on the 64-bit drivers better. <-- Is that overly optimistic? :p
 
That is a good point. If you have a 32 bit OS you probably don't have a high end GPU.

I still have to use Windows 32 bit on some of the systems at the office due to an old application.
Hopefully this application will finally be replaced next year.
However, these are business systems using the built in Intel video, so I don't need to worry about ATI drivers.


Good.
This should have happened 10 years ago.
Vista should have been the last 32bit Windows.
It's nuts that they keep releasing something that hasn't been sold in mainstream products for so long.

It's good that Microsoft continued with 32 bit versions, otherwise there would be a lot of companies still running XP. :eek:
I was only able to move everyone in the office to Windows 7 by having a 32 bit version available for the people still running an old critical 16 bit application.

I also use the 32 bit version of Windows 10 on my Windows tablet.
It uses an Atom chip that doesn't support 64 bit, and the smaller footprint of the 32 bit OS works better with the limited ram.

I hate having to dump useful hardware because drivers are no longer available.
I use my Windows tablet several times a week, and it's nice I can still up grade it to the latest Windows 10 release.
 
How many people could there possibly be left still actively using desktop/laptop hardware that doesn't have full 64bit compatibility?

The last x86 desktop or laptop chip I saw that didn't have 64bit instructions was my ex wife's 2006 Macbook Pro with a Yonah Core Duo, and she stopped using that thing when it died in 2011

Just this year in August I was in training for the nuclear plant and was shocked to see a Windows ME machine chilling in the corner of the eye exam room.

I can’t recall if it was on, but the machines are still out there. It’s a scary thought.
 
Just this year in August I was in training for the nuclear plant and was shocked to see a Windows ME machine chilling in the corner of the eye exam room.

I can’t recall if it was on, but the machines are still out there. It’s a scary thought.

True, but probably not a group that needs bleeding edge video drivers either.
 
The nicest thing is that almost all of the currently existing 32-bit software (and most of the 16-bit ones as well) just continue working fine in 64-bit machines running 64-bit windows, via windows-on-windows and other virtualization techniques.
 
who use 32bit anyway?.. anyone using 32bit won't able to even properly enjoy and juice properly a mid range card since 2014 in any game as everything seems to use at least 5gb or 6gb of RAM, and that without even take in consideration huge vRAM buffer of modern GPUs..

Actually..if the drivers/os support PAE you can...
 
I'm not surprised AMD dropping 32 bit, But why don't don't they support windows 8.1? It is still a valid OS, windows 7 is far older and they support that.....
 
If all you use a machine for is basic browsing, email and document creation or loading code to your PIC of choice, 32bit is plenty. You are also very unlike to be in the market for a top end video card for that machine.
 
I have a lot of very expensive software that won't even install on x64 bit systems.

Photoshop 5, with some expensive 3rd party addons, for one. Yes, I Could replace it with a subscription, but why? And the plugins won't work, and aren't offered anymore.

x64 Won't run DOSBox, which I use for some small apps I wrote, long ago, that won't compile in the new compilers without extensive recoding, which I'm not going to do.

I just keep the old computers, and use them, and refurb them as necessary; I've replaced caps on almost all of them now, lol.

Anyone remember EISA Bus? :)

This will just make it harder to find new video cards as the old one dies.

The old systems aren't useful to grab all your personal info, so let's make people get rid of them, shall we? :)
 
I have a lot of very expensive software that won't even install on x64 bit systems.

Photoshop 5, with some expensive 3rd party addons, for one. Yes, I Could replace it with a subscription, but why? And the plugins won't work, and aren't offered anymore.

x64 Won't run DOSBox, which I use for some small apps I wrote, long ago, that won't compile in the new compilers without extensive recoding, which I'm not going to do.

I just keep the old computers, and use them, and refurb them as necessary; I've replaced caps on almost all of them now, lol.

Anyone remember EISA Bus? :)

This will just make it harder to find new video cards as the old one dies.

The old systems aren't useful to grab all your personal info, so let's make people get rid of them, shall we? :)
Why not run a vm on a newer 64-bit system? Should be able to run 32-bit vms pretty easily.
 
I have a lot of very expensive software that won't even install on x64 bit systems.

Photoshop 5, with some expensive 3rd party addons, for one. Yes, I Could replace it with a subscription, but why? And the plugins won't work, and aren't offered anymore.

x64 Won't run DOSBox, which I use for some small apps I wrote, long ago, that won't compile in the new compilers without extensive recoding, which I'm not going to do.

I just keep the old computers, and use them, and refurb them as necessary; I've replaced caps on almost all of them now, lol.

Anyone remember EISA Bus? :)

This will just make it harder to find new video cards as the old one dies.

The old systems aren't useful to grab all your personal info, so let's make people get rid of them, shall we? :)

You certainly are the exception and not the rule in this use model. Currently all cards still have support, just going forward in driver revisions they will not have 32bit support. Just curious, how often do you update your video drivers on these systems currently?

There are plenty of options available, you can continue to use older systems and there are always going to be a surplus of used ones and parts available.

Had to happen eventually, I suppose many of those that were upset about losing support for 16bit systems also found work-arounds or upgraded since then.
 
I have a lot of very expensive software that won't even install on x64 bit systems.

Photoshop 5, with some expensive 3rd party addons, for one. Yes, I Could replace it with a subscription, but why? And the plugins won't work, and aren't offered anymore.

x64 Won't run DOSBox, which I use for some small apps I wrote, long ago, that won't compile in the new compilers without extensive recoding, which I'm not going to do.

I just keep the old computers, and use them, and refurb them as necessary; I've replaced caps on almost all of them now, lol.

Anyone remember EISA Bus? :)

This will just make it harder to find new video cards as the old one dies.

The old systems aren't useful to grab all your personal info, so let's make people get rid of them, shall we? :)

What you need to do right now is buy 2-3 cheap NEW identical Win 7 compatible motherboards and one used extra CPU from the same era. Then buy 2 cheap new hard drives. Set one of them up completely software and all. Image that to both hard drives. Then put both complete sets of hardware away packed in dessicant sealed static bags.

When your current motherboard dies, you'll have two more new systems installed and ready that wont have to go through the setup and update process that will only get more hellish as time goes on. You'll be set for the next 15 years. You'll have retired or changed the way you do things by then.
 
I use legacy hardware extensively, including 16-bit DOS and this doesn't bother me at all.

I have a radeon 5770 in my xp pc on catalyst drivers and it runs anything i install from the 2001-2009 era with ease. You can go much higher end if need be. Cards like a 5770 are a dime a dozen on ebay so you can buy enough to last 10 lifetimes.

I am however angry that my xp machine is getting locked out of steam with no offline access. I have a lot of games that are nightmarish to run on a modern OS. But that's another tale!
 
I haven't built a 32-bit-only desktop machine since 2001.

I may have run XP on those machines for years, but the upgrade path was always there.

I'd say it's WAY PAST TIME forcing 64-bit for people using performance graphics cards. And for anybody else, there's nothing stopping you from using an older 32-bit driver on your low-graphs-demand system.
 
That is a good point. If you have a 32 bit OS you probably don't have a high end GPU.

Bullshit.

The stickers on my old plastic shell i3 ultrabook says otherwise. It's got a hologram and everything.
 
I have been on 64 bit ever since doing so was highly debated and filled with perils.

Got to keep that envelope going forward.
 
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