Could someone explain the logic behind drivers getting updated so frequently in such a way that new updates will improve the performance of new video games? After every update, driver is claimed to have improved performance by 1-10 FPS, sometimes even more. I can't understand this, isn't driver a simple software interface? How can it require so many updates? I would be glad if someone could explain in simple words.
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Why do GPU drivers get updated so frequently (every (two) week)?
- Thread starter kopekci
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Video cards don't change. So the same driver from launch will get updated on maybe a 6 month basis to actually improve the original driver release. What does change is who is releasing a game that will utilize the video card.
Each developer is comprised of a myriad of programmers, designers, etc. Each one of them is prone to mistakes and when you add in say 100 people writing buggy code, you now need a miracle to make the game run. It is the equivalence of blindfolding yourself, opening a refrigerator, and tossing food over your shoulder into a pot in hopes of making an edible meal.
Thus AMD / Nvidia has to write individual drivers to compensate for the developers inability to follow the instructions on how to code properly. A new driver release is nothing more than more band-aids being applied to a game to work around game developer incompetence.
Each developer is comprised of a myriad of programmers, designers, etc. Each one of them is prone to mistakes and when you add in say 100 people writing buggy code, you now need a miracle to make the game run. It is the equivalence of blindfolding yourself, opening a refrigerator, and tossing food over your shoulder into a pot in hopes of making an edible meal.
Thus AMD / Nvidia has to write individual drivers to compensate for the developers inability to follow the instructions on how to code properly. A new driver release is nothing more than more band-aids being applied to a game to work around game developer incompetence.
M76
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It's not as bad as you make it out to be. But yes, the main idea behind freqent new drivers is game specific optimalizations, to make some prominent titles run a little faster. It's not that game devs are completely dilettant, but they often don't know the ins and outs of the gpus as well as the company that made them in the first place.
And imo they don't need to know them anyway it should be the drivers and apis responsibility to turn the instructions into commands that run the code the fastest possible way while still achieving the visuals requested by the programmer.
And imo they don't need to know them anyway it should be the drivers and apis responsibility to turn the instructions into commands that run the code the fastest possible way while still achieving the visuals requested by the programmer.
I'd say that cageymaru's statement is partially correct, but that it also cuts both ways.
Most updates are game-specific optimizations. A lot of it are SLI/Crossfire profiles, which, for the most part, are hand created for each supported game.
And yes, part of it is helping to optimize for high profile titles (I wouldn't go so far as to say they are fixing their code at the driver level). But that also cuts both ways - various developers will use the APIs in different ways, and that can expose inefficiencies in the driver - so part of it is also game developers pointing out to the GPU manufacturers areas where their driver sucks and can be optimized further. Profiling tools make it relatively easy to point to which sections of you code are taking the most time, and if that leads back to the driver (and your a high profile enough developer), you may be able to get them to tweak their driver for you rather than re-writing your code.
Most updates are game-specific optimizations. A lot of it are SLI/Crossfire profiles, which, for the most part, are hand created for each supported game.
And yes, part of it is helping to optimize for high profile titles (I wouldn't go so far as to say they are fixing their code at the driver level). But that also cuts both ways - various developers will use the APIs in different ways, and that can expose inefficiencies in the driver - so part of it is also game developers pointing out to the GPU manufacturers areas where their driver sucks and can be optimized further. Profiling tools make it relatively easy to point to which sections of you code are taking the most time, and if that leads back to the driver (and your a high profile enough developer), you may be able to get them to tweak their driver for you rather than re-writing your code.
I don't understand why game developers don't do this back and forth with AMD/Nvidia before the game is released? There are two manufacturers they have to deal with and somehow the game catches everyone by surprise and game patches/driver updates have to be released weeks later to fix something that was surely obvious during development.
But we aren't talking about patches for esoteric HW combinations, we are talking about the most popular video cards and issues related to them only.
Or even optimizations only. Why can't the devs give AMD/Nvidia a copy of the game prior to its release to optimize for?
If you notice, most of the issues come from TWIMTBP titles.
If they use the black box that is "Gameworks", they arent allowed to show AMD the code if they are licenced for source, and if they arent licenced for sourse, they dont even get to see it as the libraries are binary.
So AMD has to play wack-a-mole and try to figure out what casuing the thread stalls.
There is a reason the industry is going towards bare metal APIS.
Less abstraction=less vendor issues.
Cant really blame Nvidia for the competative advantage, but its not doing us gamers any favors.
If they use the black box that is "Gameworks", they arent allowed to show AMD the code if they are licenced for source, and if they arent licenced for sourse, they dont even get to see it as the libraries are binary.
So AMD has to play wack-a-mole and try to figure out what casuing the thread stalls.
There is a reason the industry is going towards bare metal APIS.
Less abstraction=less vendor issues.
Cant really blame Nvidia for the competative advantage, but its not doing us gamers any favors.
Even when it's closed, why don't they give them an advance copy to try their best in time for the release? And if Nvidia prohibits them to do so, a developer/publisher who agrees to that is pure shit. Actually, any sort of closed source graphics deals are shitty and a disservice to customers.
Nenu
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Agree whole-heartily. It's definitely NOT the GPU manufacturers job to optimize a game for their drivers. Same way Microsoft creates generic drivers for anything. You optimize your hardware around the driver or build a specially designed driver that piggybacks on the generic one giving added functionality.
AMD and Nvidia have been forced to do constant updates to optimize games due to developers being absolutely crummy and playing the whole blame game. Can't blame developers. They are overworked, underpaid, and under constant stress. Shifting unoptimized code off to the GPU manufacturer is an easy solution.
When you sell hundreds of thousands or millions of games the public will force someones hand. If Nvidia or AMD just told the developer to fix their shit they'd get destroyed by the media.