ATI Catalyst 9.12: versione standard e hotfix

ATI ha reso disponibile l'ultima versione di driver Catalyst ufficiale per l'anno 2009, quella Catalyst 9.12, introducendo due differenti versioni: da un lato quella ufficiale, con versioni per i sistemi operativi Windows XP, Vista e 7 a 32bit e a 64bit, dall'altro quella hotfix per gli stessi sistemi operativi.

La revision di driver ufficiale introduce pieno supporto DirectCompute 10.1 per le schede video delle serie Radeon HD 4800 e Radeon HD 4700, sia in configurazione a singola GPU come in quella CrossFireX; accanto a quesa funzionalità è stato implementato il supporto ad alcune estensioni OpenGL 3.2.

I driver Catalyst 9.12 hotfix introducono supporto alla tecnologia ATI CrossFireX utilizzata in abbinamento a tecnologia ATI Eyefinity. Con questi driver è quindi ora possibile sfruttare schede ATI Radeon HD delle serie 5900, 5800 e 5700 abbinando più schede e sfruttando tutte le GPU a disposizione per eseguire rendering di un'applicazione 3D su 3 distinti schermi.

In questa release hotfix dei driver sono state anche implementate alcune ottimizzazioni con vari titoli, e integrato il supporto audio via connessione DisplayPort integrata sulla scheda video.

Il download dei driver è disponibile ai seguenti indirizzi:

• Catalyst 9.12 Windows Vista - 7 32bit
• Catalyst 9.12 Windows Vista - 7 64bit
• Catalyst 9.12 Windows XP 32bit
• Catalyst 9.12 Windows XP 64bit
• Catalyst 9.12 hotfix Windows Vista - 7 32-64bit
• Catalyst 9.12 hotfix Windows XP 32-64bit

Di seguito le note fornite a corredo dei driver Catalyst 9.12 ufficiali:

ATI Catalyst™ support for DirectCompute 10.1

• This release of ATI Catalyst provides full support for DirectCompute 10.1 for the ATI Radeon™ HD 4800 Series, ATI Radeon™ HD 4700 Series for both single card and configurations supporting ATI CrossFireX™ technology.

OpenGL 3.2 extension support

• This release of ATI Catalyst provides support for OpenGL 3.2 extension support on the ATI Radeon™ HD 5800 Series, ATI Radeon™ HD 5700 Series, ATI Radeon™ HD 4000 Series, ATI Radeon™ HD 3000 Series and ATI Radeon™ HD 2000 Series GPUs.

• The following is a list of OpenGL™ 3.2 features and extensions added in ATI Catalyst 9.12:
  • Support for OpenGL Shading Language 1.50.
  • BGRA vertex component ordering (GL_ARB_vertex_array_bgra).
  • Drawing commands allowing modification of the base vertex index (GL_ARB_draw_elements_base_vertex).
  • Shader fragment coordinate convention control (GL_ARB_fragment_coord_conventions).
  • Provoking vertex control (GL_ARB_provoking_vertex).
  • Seamless cube map filtering (GL_ARB_seamless_cube_map).
  • Multisampled textures and texture samplers for specific sample locations (GL_ARB_texture_multisample).
  • Fragment depth clamping (GL_ARB_depth_clamp).
  • Geometry shaders (GL_ARB_geometry_shader4).
  • Fence sync objects (GL_ARB_sync).
  • transform_feedback2
  • texture_cubemap_array

Highlights of the ATI Catalyst 9.12 driver release for Linux include:

New Features

Support for new Linux operating systems

• This release of ATI Catalyst driver release for Linux introduces support for the following new operating systems:

• RedFlag DT6.0 SP3
• SLED and SLES 10SP3

ATI Catalyst Control Center™ –  Linux Edition:  Displays pages: user interface enhancements

• This release of ATI Catalyst driver release for Linux introduces support for a number of new display features found in the ATI Catalyst Control Center –  Linux Edition, highlights include:
  • CRT/VGA settings
  • TV settings
  • Component Video settings
  • Support for display projectors

• New Size and Position page
• New HDTV page

• New option for “Automatic setting for Size and Position adjustment”
• New image quality settings:  “flicker removal” and “S-Video/Composite sharpness”

• New Scaling Options page – new Overscan / Underscan controls
• New custom mode support for 576 modes

• Enables quick display configuration of display projectors

For more information on ATI Catalyst 9.12 (for Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP, and Linux versions), including all of the resolved issues in this release, please see the ATI Catalyst 9.12 release notes.

A seguire le principali note fornite con i driver Catalyst 9.12 hotfix:

Highlights of the ATI Catalyst 9.12 hotfix release includes:

Support for the OpenCL™ GPU component of the ATI Stream SDK v2.0

• The ATI Catalyst 9.12 hotfix release provides full support for GPU acceleration of OpenCL when used in conjunction with the ATI Stream SDK v2.0.   This feature is supported on the ATI Radeon HD 5970 Series, ATI Radeon HD 5800 Series, ATI Radeon HD 5700 Series, ATI Radeon HD 4000 Series and the AMD FireStream™ 9200 Series of products.

For more information about ATI Stream technology and OpenCL, please visit. http://www.amd.com/stream

Support for ATI CrossFireX™ technology on configurations employing ATI Eyefinity technology configurations The ATI Catalyst 9.12 hotfix release provides support for ATI CrossFireX™ technology on configurations employing ATI Eyefinity technology, allowing users to take advantage of their additional GPUs for increased gaming performance when driving high resolution displays

• Supported on the ATI Radeon HD 5970 Series, ATI Radeon HD 5800 Series, and ATI Radeon HD 5700 Series

Support for DisplayPort audio

• The ATI Catalyst 9.12 hotfix release adds support for DisplayPort audio for DisplayPort panels

Fixes the following issues:

• Resident Evil 5 – Performance drop during the opening cinematic
• Call of Duty Modern Warfare – Negative performance observed with a configuration supporting  ATI CrossFireX™ technology when using the thermal scope
• Wheelman – Game freezes while loading the game menu
• Flashing in various OpenGL titles – City of Heroes, Enemy Territories: Quake Wars, and Chronicles of Riddick
• Heaven benchmark (DirectX 9 mode) – Grass flicker and white boarders observed around the edges