AMD Catalyst 14.6 Beta

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AMD Catalyst 14.6 Beta is now available. Here is a partial list of some of the performance improvements and features of the new beta drivers:

  • Watch Dogs performance improvements
  • AMD Radeon R9 290X - 1920x1080 4x MSAA – improves up to 25%
  • AMD Radeon R9290X - 2560x1600 4x MSAA – improves up to 28%
  • AMD Radeon R9290X CrossFire configuration (3840x2160 Ultra settings, MSAA = 4X) - 92% scaling
  • Murdered Soul Suspect performance improvements
  • AMD Radeon R9 290X – 2560x1600 4x MSAA – improves up to 16%
  • AMD Radeon R9290X CrossFire configuration (3840x2160 Ultra settings, MSAA = 4X) - 93% scaling
  • AMD Eyefinity enhancements:
  • Mixed Resolution Support
  • A new architecture providing brand new capabilities
  • Display groups can be created with monitors of different resolution (including difference sizes and shapes)
  • Users have a choice of how surface is created over the display group
  • Fill – legacy mode, best for identical monitors
  • Fit – create the Eyefinity surface using best available rectangular area with attached displays.
  • Expand – create a virtual Eyefinity surface using desktops as viewports onto the surface.
  • Eyefinity Display Alignment
  • Enables control over alignment between adjacent monitors
  • One-Click Setup
  • Driver detects layout of extended desktops
  • Can create Eyefinity display group using this layout in one click!
  • New user controls for video color and display settings
  • Greater control over Video Color Management:
  • Controls have been expanded from a single slider for controlling Boost and Hue to per color axis
  • Color depth control for Digital Flat Panels (available on supported HDMI and DP displays)
  • Allows users to select different color depths per resolution and display
  • AMD Mantle enhancements
 
Display groups can be created with monitors of different resolution (including difference sizes and shapes

Does this mean PLP support ?
 
no, unless you can find a portrait monitor that can scan top to bottom.

rotating a landscape monitor dies not change the way it refreshes
 
But this will allow non native size eyefinity no?

Like 24 27 24?
 
Steve said:
AMD Catalyst 14.6 Beta is now available. Here is a partial list of some of the performance improvements and features of the new beta drivers:

  • Watch Dogs performance improvements
  • AMD Radeon R9 290X - 1920x1080 4x MSAA – improves up to 25%
  • AMD Radeon R9290X - 2560x1600 4x MSAA – improves up to 28%
  • AMD Radeon R9290X CrossFire configuration (3840x2160 Ultra settings, MSAA = 4X) - 92% scaling
  • Murdered Soul Suspect performance improvements
  • AMD Radeon R9 290X – 2560x1600 4x MSAA – improves up to 16%
  • AMD Radeon R9290X CrossFire configuration (3840x2160 Ultra settings, MSAA = 4X) - 93% scaling
  • AMD Eyefinity enhancements:
  • Mixed Resolution Support
  • A new architecture providing brand new capabilities
  • Display groups can be created with monitors of different resolution (including difference sizes and shapes)
  • Users have a choice of how surface is created over the display group
  • Fill – legacy mode, best for identical monitors
  • Fit – create the Eyefinity surface using best available rectangular area with attached displays.
  • Expand – create a virtual Eyefinity surface using desktops as viewports onto the surface.
  • Eyefinity Display Alignment
  • Enables control over alignment between adjacent monitors
  • One-Click Setup
  • Driver detects layout of extended desktops
  • Can create Eyefinity display group using this layout in one click!
  • New user controls for video color and display settings
  • Greater control over Video Color Management:
  • Controls have been expanded from a single slider for controlling Boost and Hue to per color axis
  • Color depth control for Digital Flat Panels (available on supported HDMI and DP displays)
  • Allows users to select different color depths per resolution and display
  • AMD Mantle enhancements
Click to expand...

Thank you for posting Steve :D

Also, please make sure to read the Known Issues and Feature Highlights sections to learn more about this driver and use the Issue Reporting Form to report any bugs – Thank you!
 
The Mac said:
no, unless you can find a portrait monitor that can scan top to bottom.

rotating a landscape monitor dies not change the way it refreshes
Click to expand...

Wait a minute, I thought LCD monitors refreshed the whole screen at once, no top to bottom and screen tearing was caused by the frame buffer. So if the whole screen is refreshed at once then why would the orientation matter?
 
I didn't see any thing different in Watch Dogs after installing this driver. Frames are still the same. What am I supposed to be looking for?
 
DizConnected said:
Wait a minute, I thought LCD monitors refreshed the whole screen at once, no top to bottom and screen tearing was caused by the frame buffer. So if the whole screen is refreshed at once then why would the orientation matter?
Click to expand...

yes and no, its a timing issue. I over simplified, and was attempting to use an analogous reference.

Portrait modes of native landscape monitors dont really change the refresh timings. you've just flipped it on its side.

Mixing them is problematic.

If you could find native portrait monitors, you could might be able to make it work.
 
Last edited:
Tested these in BF4 @ 2560x1440 Ultra with my system in the sig. No issues, runs perfect like 14.4. So far these seem stable for me.
 
DizConnected said:
Wait a minute, I thought LCD monitors refreshed the whole screen at once, no top to bottom and screen tearing was caused by the frame buffer. So if the whole screen is refreshed at once then why would the orientation matter?
Click to expand...

No, they refresh the picture the same as CRTs and hence the tearing.
 
we broke the amd.com site, wont load... way to go guys.... ;)

nm its working now..
 
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Warsam71 said:
Thank you for posting Steve :D

Also, please make sure to read the Known Issues and Feature Highlights sections to learn more about this driver and use the Issue Reporting Form to report any bugs – Thank you!
Click to expand...
You know, after reporting said bugs, it would be nice to get an acknowledgement, or some kind of feedback about the issue, like use an actual bug tracker like bugzilla.
Right now, it doesn't seem like anyone ever reads those.
So, people go to forums, and rant away.
 
Warsam71 said:
Thank you for posting Steve :D

Also, please make sure to read the Known Issues and Feature Highlights sections to learn more about this driver and use the Issue Reporting Form to report any bugs – Thank you!
Click to expand...

I've again sent a bug report with the issues running 4k monitors with MST. Driver upgrades always get a black screen when running in MST mode, no matter which way you do the uninstall/install process (driver cleaner, etc.)
 
DizConnected said:
Wait a minute, I thought LCD monitors refreshed the whole screen at once, no top to bottom and screen tearing was caused by the frame buffer. So if the whole screen is refreshed at once then why would the orientation matter?
Click to expand...

No they are either progressive (p) or interlaced (i)
 
Honestly

I'm still running 13.12 which are perfect

the 14.4 are nice as well, but there was one issue that was driving my particular setup bonkers. I have 4 screens connected to my card. My samsung triple monitor setup and a 40" HD 1080p Led Tv. When I would power on the 40" screen it would make all my windows go to it, when they were open on the other 3 monitors before. Simple glitch for me but highly annoying.

Everything besides the 14.4 were a nightmare in the 14.X series. I saw better performance with the 14.4's, just that annoying glitch. I might try the 14.6 betas. Looks like they did a lot work on the muti-monitor support side of things.
 
ebduncan said:
Honestly

I'm still running 13.12 which are perfect

the 14.4 are nice as well, but there was one issue that was driving my particular setup bonkers. I have 4 screens connected to my card. My samsung triple monitor setup and a 40" HD 1080p Led Tv. When I would power on the 40" screen it would make all my windows go to it, when they were open on the other 3 monitors before. Simple glitch for me but highly annoying.

Everything besides the 14.4 were a nightmare in the 14.X series. I saw better performance with the 14.4's, just that annoying glitch. I might try the 14.6 betas. Looks like they did a lot work on the muti-monitor support side of things.
Click to expand...

I have issues like that too with my two monitors and a TV. The last few drivers install and only the TV works even though it is off at the time. So it just looks like you are stuck on a blank screen after reboot. I have to turn on the TV and enable the other displays. Not to mention when someone turns on the TV my windows all get moved to a single screen. Arrgghh!
 
14.4 made some flash videos crash to BSOD, reverting to 13.12 fixed that again. Commonly reported by 79** users, wondering if this has addressed the issue.. no mention though.
 
These fixed the problems I had with 14.4 beta and WHQL.
3 displays would become 1 and only got that 1 if using HDMI out, the others vanished.

With 14.6 beta, I'm working as well as 13.12 WHQL now, they all work as expected.
Only tried watch dogs game so far though but seeing as others arent complaining, I am hopeful.
 
ccityinstaller said:
I am starting to wonder if you have a defective memory module on one of your cards..
Click to expand...

You and me both but my 5970 did the same kind of stuff as did my 7970 cards. It seems like there is always something ify with AMD drivers and the desktop with my monitor setup anyway. Disabling crossfire seems to help and older drivers did not do this. When I had the 7970s on a new X79 motherboard it did stuff like this and random lockups that they did not tell anyone about or fix for about a year. Support and everyone else had me swapping power supplies and RAM and motherboards. So now I have their first bridgeless crossfire cards and a new X79 motherboard. You think they would test this stuff but... :)

I do wonder sometimes if the driver updates are fixing bad runs of cards that have issues with certain amounts of RAM being used or the GPU in certain ways.
 
I got a small improvement with W_D running this driver but only on a single card. (running 2x7970) CFX performance went to shit (even worse before i updated to 14.6) before the update it was playable with one card, but barely, now its better but not to my full satisfaction.

Its a shame i really like the game, I hate that its so poorly optimized for amd hardware. Hopefully they'll shine it up over the next few weeks.
 
SpeedyVV said:
ARRRRRRRRGHHHHHHHHHH!

My dream of using my 2007fp+3007wfp+2007fp for gaming, is still only that. A dream.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH.
Click to expand...

I will say this, when Eyefinity launched, we told you guys what we were told exactly. PLP would likely NEVER happen. You can wish all you want...... I did however field that question to AMD again yesterday since it has been over a year since I last asked.
 
Deacon_Jones1988 said:
Wow, thats strange, my cfx performance sux, I avg. around 30-40 fps with cfx enabled. with it disabled running a single card i get 50+ fps. so scaling is non-existent.
Click to expand...

Make sure you do a clean uninstall with DDU. I got a fps jump in MetroLL of about 7 fps with my setup, haven't tested anything else yet.

Hopefully a new pixel clock patcher will be out soon for those of us @ 120hz, 14.6 isn't compatible with the previous release.
 
Well, the game works ok in 1080p/1200p but instead of erroneously up scaling 640x480 at 4k it now crashes the system. Thanks AMD & NVIDIA.
 
Can anyone report on the effectiveness of crossfire 290(x) in Watch Dogs with these? Curious what fps looks like on Ultra with Temporal SMAA with a similar setup to mine.
 
Last edited:
Igg said:
Hey Kyle,
Remembered me bitching a while back when the 7970s launched and they promised the mixed eyefinity resolution?

2 years later finally :p
Click to expand...
And where does Nvidia stand on this feature?
I'm genuinely curious.
 
Blacklash said:
I like these drivers :)
Click to expand...
I haven't seen anything drastic change in AMD's drivers since 2008.
They work. CCC looks the same. My performance never really drastically improves or gets worse. I don't have flickering screens, mouse cursor corruptions, none of that.

So boring.
It got to the point with my 5870 where I went about a year without updating my drivers.
 
I crashed before with 14.4 in BF4, but i also changed to 14.4 the day i went from 6970cf to 290cf so not sure if its the drivers or cards, 4 crashes in 4 weeks 2 required a cold restart.

Will try these later tonight.
PS: i have yet to crash after going back to dx from mantle on 290s
 
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Tanquen said:
I have issues like that too with my two monitors and a TV. The last few drivers install and only the TV works even though it is off at the time. So it just looks like you are stuck on a blank screen after reboot. I have to turn on the TV and enable the other displays. Not to mention when someone turns on the TV my windows all get moved to a single screen. Arrgghh!
Click to expand...

man glad to know Im not the only one who has this problem with the 14.4's. Shit would drive me mad.

I'd be working in photoshop, outlook, various other programs with literally dozens of windows all placed where I wanted them across my 3 work screens. Only to have it all crammed onto my tv when I turn it on. This forced me to move all the windows back to the spots they belong, a task that takes a few mins.

Try the 14.6 :-P and let me know if it still does it.
 
I'm getting something odd with the 14.6s with my LG 32LD450 TV/display. Upon installing the 14.6s, I noticed things look a little fuzzy and colors appear washed out. When I saw 'pixel format' I thought I'd solve it instantly by moving over to the full range RGB setting, but colors are still washed out compared to 14.4, all previous drivers, and even Microsoft's default drivers (no drivers installed). Tried other pixel format settings as well, but to no avail. Any ideas? For now, I've gone back to 14.4 and all is good again.
 
Mantle now works in crossfire with thief: with 1440p and maxed settings my results are:

Direct X
7m68.png



Mantle (photo from ipad sorry for quality) Notice the huge increase in minimum/max and average frame rate
qzdj.jpg



That is a 17% increase or so.
 
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