Feature Highlights of AMD Catalyst 12.8:

• Windows 8 support: AMD’s first logo certified and unified driver for Windows 8 production
  

  Featuring support for the DirectX 11.1 and the new WDDM 1.2 driver model:

  
  
  • AMD’s first official unified and logo certified driver for Windows 8, Windows 7 and Windows Vista
  • Target-Independent Rasterization (TIR): TIR is a new rendering path that enables superior anti-aliasing in Direct3D driver applications
  • Native Stereo 3D Support: Windows 8 natively supports stereoscopic 3D gaming and videos via compatible applications
  • Unified Video API: Video playback has been integrated into the DirectX 11 API, enabling simultaneous video and gaming content. Transcoding performance may also be improved for supporting applications.
  • Optimized screen rotation for rotation aware devices
  • Improved sleep/resume performance
  • Optimized GPU power consumption
    Major technologies / features also supported under Windows 8:
    • AMD Eyefinity technology
    • OpenCL
    • OpenGLUnified Video Decoder (UVD)
    • AMD Dual Graphics
    • AMD CrossFire technology
    • AMD Overdrive
    • AMD Catalyst Control Center
    • Vision Engine Control Center

Performance highlights of AMD Catalyst 12.8 (versus AMD Catalyst 12.6):

• Up to 25% in Elder Scrolls: Skyrim
• Up to 3% in Battlefield 3
• Up to 6% in Batman: Arkham City
• Up to 3% in Dues Ex: Human Revolution
• Up to 6% in Crysis 2
• Up to 15% in Total War: Shogun
• Up to 8% in Crysis Warhead
• Up to 5% in Just Cause 2
• Up to 10% in Dirt 3

RESOLVED ISSUES:

This section provides information on resolved known issues in this release of the AMD Catalyst 12.8 software suite.

Resolved Issues for the Windows 7 Operating System

• Over/underscan settings are correctly restored on system reboot
• SolidWorks: Graphical corruption is no longer experienced
• Crysis Warhead: No longer crashes when launched in DirectX 10 mode
• System no longer hangs when resuming from sleep mode
• Audio is no longer disabled if the connected HDTV Is switched off/on
• Enabling dual graphics mode with a HD 7000 series product no longer displays green video playback
• Call of Duty- Black Ops : No longer hangs when loading a mission in DirectX 9 mode with Crossfire enabled
• Shogun 2: Flickering text is no longer experienced
• Star Wars – The Old Republic: In game cinematics no longer experience flicker when using the arrow keys
• Dirt Showdown: 8-Ball track no longer hangs with AMD Crossfire functionality enabled
• Max Payne 3: A black screen is no longer observed when launching game in DirectX 11 mode with AMD Crossfire functionality enabled
• Max Payne 3: Applying in game settings no longer causes the game to crash

Resolved Issues for the Windows 8 Operating System (These issues were found in the Catalyst driver for the Windows 8 Preview):

• Video playback using the Metro video player no longer shows green corruption
• Deus Ex - Human Revolution: Graphics corruption is no longer experienced during in game cinematics with AMD Crossfire functionality enabled
• Battlefield 3: game no longer crashes when AMD Crossfire functionality is enabled
• Need for Speed – The Run: game no longer crashes to the desktop
• Blocky video corruption no longer seen when using VLC
• System no longer hangs when using PowerDVD
• Green video corruption is no longer seen when using various video players

Resolved Issues for the Windows XP Operating System:

• QQ Dancer: A black screen is no longer randomly experienced

KNOWN ISSUES:

The following section provides a summary of open issues that may be experienced with the AMD Catalyst 12.8 software suite.

Known Issues under the Windows 7 operating system

• Max Payne 3: Lights may flicker when run in Direct X 11 mode in a triple AMD Crossfire configuration
• F1 2011: Vehicle textures may flicker when graphics profile is set to low
• Enemy Territory Quake Wars: Poor performance may be experienced with AMD Crossfire technology enabled
• Rage: Poor performance may be experienced with AMD Crossfire technology enabled

Known Issues under the Windows 8 operating system

• Blocky corruption may be experienced when playing back Flash video content
• De-interlacing settings may not be applied to interlaced content when using MPC-HC and PowerDVD
• Civilization V: game may crash when run in DirectX 9 mode
• Total War – Shogun 2: game may experience random crashes
• Rage: game may experience random crashes

Known Issues under the Windows XP Operating System

• Diablo 3/Starcraft 2 / World of Warcraft: Performance may be affected when run in windowed mode

• AMD Catalyst Komplettpakete
  
  
  • AMD Catalyst 12.8 WHQL [Windows 8 / Windows 7 / Vista 32 bit]
  • AMD Catalyst 12.8 WHQL [Windows 8 / Windows 7 / Vista 64 bit]
  
  Achtung! Die XP-Treiber enthalten kein CAL und damit auch keine OpenCL-Laufzeitumgebung. BOINC-Nutzer, die unter Windows XP auch GPGPU-Computing-Projekte laufen lassen, sollten den neuen Treiber also nicht installieren! [Danke @ Crashtest]
  
  
  • AMD Catalyst 12.8 WHQL [Windows XP 32 bit]
  • AMD Catalyst 12.8 WHQL [Windows XP 64 bit]
  Anwender von Windows XP benötigen das .NET Framework 3.5 für die Installation des CCC.


• Optional:
  
  
  • AMD Catalyst 12.7 CAP3 [Windows, Setup] - P3D
    Die ins Treiberpaket integrierten Profile (Version: 8.982.20120727.2216) sind einige Monate veraltet. Eine Liste der aktuellen Änderungen ist der zugehörigen News zu entnehmen. Damit die aktualisierten Profile zur Anwendung kommen, ist nach deren Installation ein Neustart des Systems erforderlich!
  
  
  • AMD Media Codec Package 12.8 [Windows 8 / Windows 7 / Vista 32 & 64 bit]
  
  
  • HydraVision Package 12.8 [Windows 8 / Windows 7 / Vista 32 & 64 bit]
  • HydraVision Package 12.8 [Windows XP 32 & 64 bit]
  
  
  • AMD Chipset Drivers 12.8 [Windows 8 / Windows 7 / Vista 32 & 64 bit]
  • AMD Chipset Drivers 12.8 [Windows XP 32 & 64 bit]
  Enthält den AHCI- und USB3-Treiber.
  
  
  • AMD RAID Driver 12.8 [Windows 8 / Windows 7 / Vista 32 & 64 bit]
  • AMD RAID Driver 12.8 [Windows XP 32 & 64 bit]

• Any notebook launched after this driver release.
• Switchable Graphics enabled notebooks using Intel chipsets.
• Toshiba notebooks (please check with your notebook OEM for driver support for these notebooks)
• Sony VAIO notebooks (please check with your notebook OEM for driver support for these notebooks)
• Panasonic notebooks (please check with your notebook OEM for driver support for these notebooks)

• AMD Catalyst Mobility Komplettpakete:
  
  
  • AMD Catalyst Mobility 12.8 WHQL [Windows 8 / Windows 7 / Vista 32 bit]
  • AMD Catalyst Mobility 12.8 WHQL [Windows 8 / Windows 7 / Vista 64 bit]


• Optional
  
  
  • AMD Media Codec Package für Notebooks 12.8 [Windows 8 / Windows 7 / Vista 32 & 64 bit]
  • HydraVision Package für Notebooks 12.8 [Windows 8 / Windows 7 / Vista 32 & 64 bit]

• Release Notes
• Graphics Technical Support
• Offizielles Support-Forum
• Catalyst Crew Feedback Form
• How to gather the optional information for the AMD issue reporting form
• Guide on how to install an ATI graphics card and / or its drivers


• AMD Catalyst 12.7 Beta CAP3 - Neue Profile auch für Single-GPU-Systeme
• AMD Catalyst 12.6 Legacy WHQL für Radeon HD 2000, HD 3000 und HD 4000
• Catalyst-Treiber erhält Windows Hardware Certification für Windows 8
• AMD beendet monatlichen Rhythmus, um Qualität der Catalyst-Treiber zu verbessern
• AMD führt neuen Update-Rhythmus für ältere Grafikkartengenerationen ein