ATI Catalyst 9.11 Windows 7 Driver Analysis

[Guest]

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[Psycho101]

Re: ATI Catalyst 9.11 Windows 7 Driver Analysis

I know the 5800 series are the latest and greatest but IMO dropping all 4800 series cards from these driver comparisons makes the article pretty pointless for a heck of a lot of people.

5800 series owners are the minority. Now the new cards have been released it's even more important to know how older series cards are being catered for. I'm sure you'll agree that AMD should continue to work hard on performance improvements in both old and new releases in ALL current, non legacy cards.

As usual the comparison was well presented, it was just a wast of time me bothering to read it because like 95% of other gamers, I don't own a 5800 series card.

[ColonelCain]

Re: ATI Catalyst 9.11 Windows 7 Driver Analysis

I know the 5800 series are the latest and greatest but IMO dropping all 4800 series cards from these driver comparisons makes the article pretty pointless for a heck of a lot of people.

5800 series owners are the minority. Now the new cards have been released it's even more important to know how older series cards are being catered for. I'm sure you'll agree that AMD should continue to work hard on performance improvements in both old and new releases in ALL current, non legacy cards.

As usual the comparison was well presented, it was just a wast of time me bothering to read it because like 95% of other gamers, I don't own a 5800 series card.

Exactly.

Your decision to stop testing anything below 5xxx probably means that I will never visit this site again.

[IRQ Conflict]

Re: ATI Catalyst 9.11 Windows 7 Driver Analysis

Exactly.

Your decision to stop testing anything below 5xxx probably means that I will never visit this site again.

I wouldn't go that far. But I do have to agree with you and the nutbar bunny. I purchased my Sapphire HD4890 six months ago. It is still relevant to me, a reader. So it should still be relevant to the reviewer/site that caters to us. Not a very smart move I must say.

If this is the path they choose to travel then I would say I will still visit for relevant info whilst glossing over the fantasy articles that pretend everyone has access to inaccessible hardware. Believe me, you can't even buy anything in the 5xxx series over a 5770. /

[TOXIC]

Re: ATI Catalyst 9.11 Windows 7 Driver Analysis

Hey Everyone, It's Shane.

I can understand your concerns about the lack of HD 4000 series cards now in the article but the decision to drop the models wasn't taken lightly.

With moving our testbed to Windows 7 which in turn added support for DX11 this was one of the main reasons we chose to drop the HD 4000 series which didn't support the technology.

We wanted to take everything into "NOW", from next month the HD 5970 will also be added to the mix rounding off the new line up and adding support for CrossFire improvements. The bottom line is we ultimately can't please everyone, include every card and look at every game.

That's the reason for the forums here, I always make mention that if you notice anything positive or negative on your system in a game we don't test, a card we don't use or an operating system we no longer use please make mention so other people with that model, game or operating system can see the positive or negative gains the driver offer.

The HD 5000 series and Windows 7 are going to be the main concentration point for ATI from now on. For that reason that's how the Catalysts are now being tested, feel free to add notes in the forums about your experience with the drivers to help other readers and ourselves gain more knowledge on the performance difference between the old and new.

I appreciate the time and effort you've taken by posting your thoughts but when we make significant changes to our line ups they're never made with haste.

Hope you enjoy future reviews and articles

Shane

[IRQ Conflict]

Re: ATI Catalyst 9.11 Windows 7 Driver Analysis

Hi Shane, thanks for your time and effort.

With moving our testbed to Windows 7 which in turn added support for DX11 this was one of the main reasons we chose to drop the HD 4000 series which didn't support the technology.

You make it sound as though DX11 and Vista just don't exist. Or is somehow irrelevant in the shadow of 7's release.

Don't get me wrong. I think your right. I just think your right, too soon.

[TOXIC]

Re: ATI Catalyst 9.11 Windows 7 Driver Analysis

Hi Shane, thanks for your time and effort.

You make it sound as though DX11 and Vista just don't exist. Or is somehow irrelevant in the shadow of 7's release.

Don't get me wrong. I think your right. I just think your right, too soon.

To be honest with you I was quite a fan of Vista, I'm not sure though if you saw a recent editorial of mine: Video Card Benchmarking - Goodbye Vista and XP, Hello Windows 7 Video Card Benchmarking - Goodbye Vista and XP, Hello Windows 7 :: TweakTown

Also one of our recent polls: What operating system do you use to play games? :: TweakTown

Too be honest looking at the amount of users who are on Vista from the poll, word of mouth or even our back end which tells us what operating system people are using DX11 and Vista will pretty much seem to not exist. Windows 7 has been embraced very heavily, up until only a few months ago we where choosing to still include Windows XP in our results for the simple reason being that it still had more users then Vista.

You couldn't not use Vista in benchmarks though, needed to test DX10 capabilities and both NVIDIA and AMD no longer release XP drivers with the launch of an NDA product.