The first Windows 7 Release Candidate was only let loose on the public yesterday, but AMD has been quick to announce that it’s already got a WHQL-certified Windows 7 graphics driver out of the door.
The driver received certification on the first day of the "Compatible with Windows 7" logo program, and it supports all of the ATI Radeon HD GPUs, from the 2000 series to the 4000 series. According to AMD, the driver is stable and reliable, and also features AMD’s Stream technology for GPGPU apps. The company claims that it will continue to add performance improvements and new features every month, just as it does with its Catalyst drivers for other operating systems at the moment.
AMD’s corporate vice president of software engineering, Ben Bar-Haim, claimed that the quick certification of the driver meant that “AMD has once again demonstrated its driver leadership.” He also added that “AMD is working closely with Microsoft to ensure superior performance and a reliable Windows 7 experience throughout our line of graphics processors.”
AMD is keen to point out that it’s the first company to release a WHQL-certified Windows 7 graphics driver, and AMD’s Catalyst product manager Terry Makedon said that it was an example of AMD being “first yet again”. However, although AMD is the first company to get its WHQL graphics driver out the door, Nvidia says that it’s not far behind either. A spokesperson from the company told bit-tech that although Nvidia's drivers are currently in the BETA stage, they’re in the process of being WHQL-certified at the moment. The company expects to have a WHQL Windows 7 graphics driver soon.
In the meantime, owners of ATI Radeon HD GPUs can grab the new WHQL Windows 7 driver from here, and owners of Nvidia GPUs can download the BETA of ForceWare 185.51 for Windows 7 from here. AMD says that it also plans to release a unified WHQL-certified driver for both Windows 7 and Windows Vista when it releases Catalyst 9.5 later this month.
Have you tried out Windows 7 Release Candidate 1 yet, and do you care if you have WHQL-certified drivers or not? Let us know your thoughts in the forums.
The driver received certification on the first day of the "Compatible with Windows 7" logo program, and it supports all of the ATI Radeon HD GPUs, from the 2000 series to the 4000 series. According to AMD, the driver is stable and reliable, and also features AMD’s Stream technology for GPGPU apps. The company claims that it will continue to add performance improvements and new features every month, just as it does with its Catalyst drivers for other operating systems at the moment.
AMD’s corporate vice president of software engineering, Ben Bar-Haim, claimed that the quick certification of the driver meant that “AMD has once again demonstrated its driver leadership.” He also added that “AMD is working closely with Microsoft to ensure superior performance and a reliable Windows 7 experience throughout our line of graphics processors.”
AMD is keen to point out that it’s the first company to release a WHQL-certified Windows 7 graphics driver, and AMD’s Catalyst product manager Terry Makedon said that it was an example of AMD being “first yet again”. However, although AMD is the first company to get its WHQL graphics driver out the door, Nvidia says that it’s not far behind either. A spokesperson from the company told bit-tech that although Nvidia's drivers are currently in the BETA stage, they’re in the process of being WHQL-certified at the moment. The company expects to have a WHQL Windows 7 graphics driver soon.
In the meantime, owners of ATI Radeon HD GPUs can grab the new WHQL Windows 7 driver from here, and owners of Nvidia GPUs can download the BETA of ForceWare 185.51 for Windows 7 from here. AMD says that it also plans to release a unified WHQL-certified driver for both Windows 7 and Windows Vista when it releases Catalyst 9.5 later this month.
Have you tried out Windows 7 Release Candidate 1 yet, and do you care if you have WHQL-certified drivers or not? Let us know your thoughts in the forums.
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