You ask PC {hardware} fans why they do not have an AMD graphics card and you will get just a few totally different solutions. Some of us will comment that they needed RTX earlier than AMD had its personal ray-tracing acceleration. Others will say that they needed to play OpenGL video games on Home windows—traditionally a weakpoint of the Radeon household. Most likely, a good few will merely say that they ended up with a GeForce card out of happenstance.
The criticism you may hear bandied about most frequently is the vague-but-longstanding “dangerous drivers” comment. The severity of this subject is grossly overstated more often than not, however like most prejudices it is born from an actual factor: AMD’s graphics drivers have traditionally not been as constant or dependable by way of efficiency as their lime-hued competitor’s software program.
AMD is aware of about this notion, and goes to nice lengths to rectify it currently. The pink staff not too long ago launched a DirectX 11 driver that was “rebuilt from the bottom up”, delivering a ten% efficiency achieve on common, with sure titles—AMD mentions Murderer’s Creed Odyssey and World of Warcraft: Shadowlands—gaining as a lot as 30%. That is not the one factor AMD’s engaged on, both; early experiences on the corporate’s subsequent OpenGL driver have efficiency up by as a lot as 54%.
In fact, we’ve not examined the brand new drivers ourselves, but; we’re ready on these OpenGL tweaks earlier than we do. Hopefully they’re included within the subsequent mainline replace (presumably 22.7.1). AMD would really like everybody to understand how exhausting it is engaged on its drivers, although, and it put up a weblog publish with some speaking factors to assist dispel the concept that its graphics drivers are sub-par.
By no means one to drag its punches, AMD takes direct goal at NVIDIA with the publish. It factors out that by NVIDIA’s personal reckoning, AMD launched extra WHQL-certified drivers in 2021 than NVIDIA did, and that it apparently checks some 1/3 extra take a look at instances than NVIDIA. No phrase on precisely what these take a look at instances are other than “automated testing on distinctive system configurations,” nevertheless it sounds spectacular, anyway.
AMD’s focus within the weblog publish is primarily stability. The corporate claims that it has “industry-leading” stability, and goes on to say that “99.95% of customers expertise no crashes when AMD Software program is put in.” That is nearly exhausting to consider as a statistic for Home windows PCs typically, however there it’s.
Essentially the most curious declare within the copy of AMD’s weblog is the assertion that its “optionally available” drivers are “extra akin to the production-grade drivers from our opponents.” That is truthful sufficient, should you needed to say that your “optionally available” drivers are usually not “beta” high quality as some may assume. Nonetheless, AMD then goes on to say that its “Really useful drivers signify tried-and-tested software program that has had months of soak time within the public area.” Effectively would not that simply sound like an previous driver?
AMD’s slide additionally says that it has one unified code-base for “cell, desktop, gaming, and creator,” and means that NVIDIA doesn’t. Taking a peek at each corporations’ obtain pages, we see separate drivers for “PRO” (or “Studio”) customers, in addition to unified drivers for cell and desktop, so we’re not fairly clear that this declare holds water, however possibly AMD is aware of one thing we do not.
In any case, the purpose AMD needs to drive house is that it is fixing up its driver foibles, and that “Elective” driver updates are usually not thought-about beta high quality. You possibly can head to AMD’s weblog to learn the corporate’s full statements on the matter.
