Get your Catalyst 10.7 (non-WHQL) here

Update 8/10/10, 5870 Crossfire: After extensive testing with the Catalyst 10.7 from AMD, I've found severe instability issues in Battlefield Bad Company 2. After about 10-15 minutes of play, the system will randomly freeze or crash to desktop. After googling the problem, it seems other desktop users are having similar problems, especially with Crossfire. Given the other problems listed below with the drivers along with the release of the 8.761 drivers from Alienware, I would recommend everyone visit the following thread for the latest drivers: http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...r2-aw-amd-8-761-beta-driver-discuss-here.html


WHQL release + Crossfire application profile:

1. 10.7 Catalyst Mobile Driver
   
2. Application Profiles

Starcraft II 10.7 beta driver (allows antialiasing via control panel):

• Starcraft II 10.7 beta release download link.

Non-WHQL 10.7 drivers with OpenGL ES 2.0:

• GPU-74: ATI Catalyst? 10.7 Preview Driver for OpenGL ES 2.0 Support

So right now we have two major bugs with this driver:

Major issues with Crossfire 5870 setups:

1. System halts when the AC plug is pulled and run on battery and then sends the system into either a BSOD loop or lockup during Windows 7 load. The only way to get around that after this happens is to either run in safe mode and uninstall the driver or press F8 during boot and choose the last known working configuration.

2. The system locks up after going into sleep mode.

Other minor issues:

1. Napoleon Total War/Empire Total War loading time takes too long in Crossfire mode.


What 10.7's fix:

1. Wavy/flickering horizontal lines that were present in all prior drivers.
2. Benchmarking performance is better than Dell 10.5 drivers.
3. Rivatuner + furmark are no longer needed to use a reference driver. ( 5870M Crossfire Setups)


If we can solve the battery lockup bug, then I'd say the drivers are good for the time being. I'll still stick with them despite the two major bugs because the flickering is something I dislike very much.



Error log for the sleep mode:

Code:

 System

  - Provider

   [ Name]  Microsoft-Windows-Kernel-Power
   [ Guid]  {331C3B3A-2005-44C2-AC5E-77220C37D6B4}

   EventID 41

   Version 2

   Level 1

   Task 63

   Opcode 0

   Keywords 0x8000000000000002

  - TimeCreated

   [ SystemTime]  2010-07-26T23:48:17.211208300Z

   EventRecordID 50116

   Correlation

  - Execution

   [ ProcessID]  4
   [ ThreadID]  8

   Channel System

   Computer Brian-PC

  - Security

   [ UserID]  S-1-5-18


- EventData

  BugcheckCode 0
  BugcheckParameter1 0x0
  BugcheckParameter2 0x0
  BugcheckParameter3 0x0
  BugcheckParameter4 0x0
  SleepInProgress true
  PowerButtonTimestamp 129246616473864560

Each time the system BSOD's and creates a memory dump file (located in C:\Windows\Memory.DMP) it contains the information needed to identify what caused it. Microsoft has some debugging tools that analyze the DMP file: Driver Developer Resources: Debugging Tools for Windows I'm installing it right now, if we can compare error reports it may help figure out what's causing it. Even if we can't, submitting the error logs to Dell and AMD would be useful in fixing this issue in the next release.


What the memory dump file shows when the system is run on battery (AC adapter unplugged):

Known issues and temporary workarounds until the next driver release:

1. Using the 5870 Crossfire setup in battery mode (AC adapter unplugged AFTER initial bootup):

I've worked out a solution for those of you that feel it's too much work to start furmark + rivatuner manually each time on boot so that you can use your system in battery mode. It involves putting a furmark batch file (I'm using version 1.80) in the startup folder so that it automatically executes and terminates after a few seconds. While it does that, Rivatuner starts silently and sets the system clocks to 705/1000 mhz. This disables all powerplay settings so your cards will be running at full speed at all times unless you manually go in and change the clocks but it's automated and fairly painless.

Furmark batch file (you may have to adjust the directory path + timing depending on what version you have installed and where):

Code:

@echo off
cd C:\Program Files (x86)\oZone3D\Benchmarks\FurMark_v1.8.0\
call Furmark.exe /width=640 /height=480 /msaa=0 /max_time=400 /nogui /nomenubar /noscore /run_mode=1 /contest_mode=0 /disable_catalyst_warning

For RivaTuner, this is what your settings should look like:




Remember, before you set the clocks the FIRST time in RivaTuner, you have to do the rivatuner + furmark trick to set them otherwise your system will lock up. Once you've set the clocks the first time around and saved them to start on boot, this will no longer be necessary since you will have the Furmark batch file in place to run on startup along with Rivatuner. Also, this method is built on the assumption that when you start the M17x it's on AC power and not battery. It may work on battery power at boot as well but the clocks would probably have to be adjusted.

This should be fairly straightforward but I'd still say you need to be a moderate to advanced user to get it working right. Once you do however, it makes life with these 10.7's much easier.

 

Oh goody! +1

 

Sorry, but what is this workaround=true part you're referring to?

Also, by saying it doesn't require the Riva Tuner hack, does that mean flickering isn't an issue anymore?

 

Awesome been waiting for this.I would rep but they will not let me.

 

what is the Riva Tuner hack?
any way i can clock my 4870s xfire without flashing etc?
isn't there an option such as ATI OverDrive in Catalyst?

 

Awesome. I knew they were coming out today, but didn't know it was going to be this early! Thanks Joker.

 

Please tell me how to do that workaround. Can i do i fresh computer format and then just install 10.7? or do i have to install dell drivers and then upgrade only the catalyst driver?. installing 10.6 only updates the catalyst software not the driver.

 

For people asking about the workaround=true part, check the M17x Wiki from now on.

 

can anyone answer this?

what is the Riva Tuner hack?
any way i can clock my 4870s xfire without flashing etc?
isn't there an option such as ATI OverDrive in Catalyst?

 

Yeah follow link it works great on 4870's

AMD GPU Clock Tool v0.9.26.0 For HD 5870 download from Guru3D.com

 

will the fan speed of the cards increase according to the cards load?
also any ideas on what settings to use?
it is very hot over here right now but will switch on the air conditioning in the room to 25 degrees Celsius.
i have an NZXT Cryo cooler on order in the meantime.

 

ok sorry for being such a lamer.
i finally READ about it.
So Joker you're saying that the throttling (rivatuner hack workaround) has being fixed with this release?
Any speculations on when will Alienware (Dell) release an official driver based on 10.7 ?

 

with the exception of having to edit the install manger text file, everything works as it should(except for some games still not using X-fire), there wouldn't be any reason to use the Dell version of this file over the AMD version. Besides the fact that you're more likely to see a Dell 10.6 driver before a 10.7 driver. There is no powerplay work around required for this release (which is the rivatuner work around) so yes, it's fixed

 

Nice!!!!
Ok will install according to the wiki.
just for confirmation, i will uninstall the current drivers, then reboot and install these 10.7 betas right?

 

that's the best way. You could install on top of the Dell 10.5's if you wanted to however, since getting the cards to uninstall always takes forever for me.

 

Hmm... AMD GPU CLOCK TOOL doesn't work after I installed this..

Is this just me, or do setting the clocks don't work?

 

AMD GPU tool didn't work in 10.5's for me either. Some people have had success using it while running furmark in the background.

 

It worked for me when I used the 10.5,

now it doesn't seem to work....

Darn, any other ways I could OC my cards to play SC2?

 

It doesn't work with furmark running?
Riva tuner worked for me when i had the workaround installed. You still have to have furmark in the background. The second GPU shuts down when you're running in 2D mode, so the computer will freeze when you try to overclock both GPUS.

 

well last time i tried to upgrade the drivers over the others i ended up with a black screen and had to reboot and follow the procedure i mentioned above. Will stick to my plan i guess. I will simply not incorporate the cleaner app.

Will test in a few hours as i am desperately looking at the clock to leave work.
I will post how i did later.

 

Yeah fans kick in & increase as required no problem.Just tick box same clock for all devices,Change clocks to your required settings then hit set clocks then open up gpuz & have a look at current clocks on both cards to make sure both the same.When your done & want to go to back hit restore default clocks

 

I tried installing 10.7, but it maxed out my monitor resolution to 1600x1200 and when i try to open CCC, it says that I dont have an ATI display driver installed... (yes I did the workaround)

 

I got 10.7 working.. Or so I thought. Playing Bad Company 2, the first GPU only uses around 60% load, while the second one is only 20%. My average fps is down from 70 to 20. Can anyone offer any insight into what is going on, or should I just revert back to dell?

 

People are having problems with ati drivers and crossfire graphics, if i have a single 5870 do i need to do the work around or are the problems that need the work around strictly the crossfire 5870s?

 

you have to edit the install manager file regardless if you have 1 GPU or Crossfire GPUs.

 

Have bench scores increased or decreased with 10.7?

 

so overall, is it worth installing?

 

No differences for me, same FPS in SC2 with the same clocks.

Not into benching, so can't help you guys on the exact points.

Well, newer is better, so I just went with it. Glad that it doesn't perform worse..

 

I'll get back to you later tonight on this one. I've got it downloading and will take it to my office via thumbdrive. I'll bnch from there. I'm chasing down the elusive 18K GPU score.

 

Hum if bfbc2 doesn't work properly with this driver no way for me to install this one ....

 

Thanks. + 1 rep. I looked at the work around and it seems extremely simple. I m just debating if it is worth it to upgrade yet.

 

my scores seem better with 10.7.

 

Is anyone else having booting problems? The computer freezes after a few seconds of sitting in the desktop. Just noticed it when I ran it on battery power, safe mode works fine.

 

I really need help now. I uninstalled everything 10.7, then reinstalled dell drivers, And now I get 25 fps instead of my previous 60-70 in Bad Company 2... My CPU never gets above 25% usage, spread out among the cores, now. It used to pretty much max out in Bad Company 2. Help PLEASE!

(edit) Additional Details: Both GPUs are at around 99% usage, so I dont think its them...

 

Yeah same problem it turns black and hard reboot is the only way out

 

Is the new driver causing this issue? Is it worth it to upgrade to 10.7 beta or should I wait?

 

I just reinstalled the drivers the correct way (total uninstall cc and reinstall) and I'm able to power back into regular windows on the PSU at least. Maybe the official release will be different.

it was definitely the drivers, I'm not sure if it was my install method or the driver yet however.

Edit: I'm going to say avoid this beta released based on my experience so far. Booting on battery has caused something to kick on that has just freezes the computer in normal boot until you uninstall and reinstall the drivers. Just wait for the whql 10.7 or at least the Offical release. Going back to 10.5s to make sure it was the 10.7s though.

Edit2: back on 10.5's and the problem is gone.. so I'd say stay away unless you don't plan on ever using the battery until WHQL drivers are out that is.


edit3: LOL *real* 10.7's are now avaliable:
http://support.amd.com/us/gpudownload/windows/Pages/radeonmob_win7-64.aspx

 

The 10.7 fixed everything for me so far.Sleep/resume works good, Games work good too and its also listed as 10.7 in ccc information . So far these are the best one's i tried so far.

 

by the waythe official release is now available here

ATi Catalyst Komplettpaket Download - ComputerBase

sorry beaten to it

 

Yes im sure its the 10.7 drivers thats causing this coz it went on well with the dell drivers.

 

the official drivers have the exact same problem, I guess it's another let down

 

how is everyone installing these drivers ? i got m17xr2 5870cf and so on... do i need this work around posted by joker.

 

yes, you need to use the install manager workaround for them to install.

 

If this is going to happen then i can bear with the wavy lines than cold booting all the time it gets off from sleep

 

lol cheers lozz bud i just read somewhere posted ... o it works without jokers work around so i was like champion ill do that...

least i know what to do, but i might hang fire for a bit to see the outcome of these.

 

That wasn't for the Display Drivers it was addressing some other issue with the xfires flickering effect.

 

at least you can recover, the only way for it to be fixed for me is a total reinstall. I'll probably do a few benches and go back to 10.5's

 

since its too early to decide (beta) maybe we can bring it to the notice of ATI and hope for em to fix it ?

 

stuff that then thats me out!!!! cant load the piggin thing anyway

 

The official version has the same problems as the beta.