AMD Catalyst™ Software Suite Version 12.2 Preview 

AMD Vision Engine Control Center

Package Content 

• The AMD Catalyst™ software suite 12.2 Preview contains the following:
• AMD display driver version 8.94
• HydraVision™ for Windows® Vista and Windows® 7
• Southbridge/IXP Driver
• AMD Catalyst Control Center version 8.94 / AMD Vision Engine Control Center version 8.94.

Important !

Caution !

• Rage users should continue using the AMD Catalyst 12.1a Preview Driver with the latest released patch for Rage.
• The AMD display driver and the AMD Catalyst Control Center / AMD Vision Engine Control Center can be downloaded independently of each other. However, for better stability and performance AMD recommends that both components be updated from the same AMD Catalyst release.
• The AMD Catalyst™ Control Center / AMD Vision Engine Control Center requires that the Microsoft .NET Framework SP1 be installed for Windows XP and Windows Vista. Without .NET SP1 installed, the AMD Catalyst Control Center / AMD Vision Engine Control Center will not launch properly and the user will see an error message. 

Notes. 

• When installing the AMD Catalyst driver for Windows operating system, the user must be logged on as Administrator or have Administrator rights to complete the installation of the AMD Catalyst driver.
• The Catalyst driver requires Windows 7 Service Pack 1 to be installed.
• These release notes provide information on the AMD display driver only. For information on the ATI Multimedia Center, HydraVision, HydraVision Basic Edition, Remote Wonder, or the Southbridge/IXP driver, please refer to their respective release notes found at: http://support.amd.com/.
• AMD Eyefinity technology gives gamers access to high display resolutions. As pixel count grows, the graphics horsepower required to drive the displays at a reasonable frame rate can increase dramatically. Depending on the game and system configuration, users may notice texture corruption and reduced frame rates when running games in multi-monitor Eyefinity modes.
• Windows Driver Model (WDM) drivers are no longer bundled in the AMD Catalyst software suite. The WDM drivers install bundle can be downloaded independently through the AMD website 

AMD Product Compatibility

The AMD Catalyst™ driver is compatible with the following AMD products. 

AMD Mobility Product Family Compatibility 

Catalyst Mobility is a notebook reference graphics driver with limited support for system vendor specific features. When used with Windows Vista or Windows 7, users may have unwanted experiences.  

The Installation Verification Software will prevent driver download on certain notebook products. This is to protect against the installing of drivers that may disable features or functionality provided by the system manufacturer. If unwanted experiences occur while using Catalyst Mobility, it is recommended to revert back to the driver provided by your system vendor for your specific platform. Please contact your system vendor for the most recent drivers for your notebook.

Compatible Operating Systems

The latest version of the AMD Catalyst software suite is designed to support the following Microsoft Windows platforms:

• Windows 7 32-bit version
• Windows 7 64-bit version
• Windows Vista 32-bit version
• Windows Vista 64-bit version

Highlights of the AMD Catalyst™ 12.2 Preview Windows® release includes:

IMPROVEMENTS

AMD Eyefinity 2.1 technology enhancements

• Additional resolution support:   Users can now choose from a larger set of resolutions when running AMD Eyefinity
• Dynamic Configuration Changes:  Designed to switch between different display configurations automatically when physically plugging/un-plugging displays
• HydraVision enhancements:  The Windows Task bar can now be moved and resized based on users preference
• Profile Manager improvements:  Increased support for Display Groups (including 5x1) and Extended configurations within the Profile Manager

RESOLVED ISSUES

Resolved Issues for the Windows® 7 Operating System

This section provides information on resolved known issues in this release of the AMD Catalyst 12.2 Preview software suite for Windows 7. These include:

• Call of Duty IV no longer displays random corruption when in DirectX 9 mode and the Edge Detect filter is enabled.
• A black screen is no longer occasionally displayed when running Portal 2 in 3D mode.
• All 3d Anti Aliasing settings are now correctly listed in the Vision Control Center.
• Morphological filtering settings in the Vision Control Center.
• Civilization V no longer experiences random crashes when run in DirectX 10 and DirectX 11 modes.
• Resident Evil 5 or Just Cause 2 -  "Edge Detect" filter causing application crash.
• Battlefield 3 - hangs when MSAA is enabled.
• Saints Row III - random hangs.
• Rage - intermittent hangs when Crossfire is enabled.
• Dragon Age 2 - flickering textures when run in DirectX® 9 mode in Crossfire configurations with vsync enabled.
• Crysis Warhead and Battlefield Bad Company 2 - random crashes when Crossfire is enabled.
• Texture flickering is no longer experienced when playing Battlefield Bad Company 2 in DirectX 11 mode.

KNOWN ISSUES

Known issues under the Windows® 7 operating system

• The following section provides a summary of open issues that may be experienced under the Windows 7 operating system in the latest version of AMD Catalyst. These include:
• Vsync may be disabled after task switching when playing Rage.
• Skipping in game cinematics while playing Dragon Age 2 in DirectX 11 mode may cause stuttering.
• Dirt 3 may experience flickering with Crossfire enabled and run in 3D stereo mode.
• Battlefield – Bad Company 2 may experience random flickering when run in DirectX 11 mode. 

Known Issues under the Windows® Vista Operating System

The following section provides a summary of open issues that may be experienced under the Windows Vista operating system in the latest version of AMD Catalyst. These include:

• Windows Aero options may be missing after installing the latest driver.

Installing the AMD Catalyst™ Software Driver

For further information and general help on software driver installation, game issues, and more, visit AMD Customer Care.

Installation information can be found at: How to Install Your AMD Product.

AMD Catalyst™ Crew Driver Feedback