Download Driver For ATI Catalyst 10.8

AMD has new Catalyst drivers ready and as usual the month and year of release make up the version number. The drivers are available for Windows XP, Vista and 7, with separate downloads for 32bit and 64bit environments. The new drivers are suitable for all Radeon models from the HD 2400 series; older cards are on the 10.2 release designated. As usual, at the bottom of this posting are the direct links to the pages with the available downloads.

Since version 10.2, AMD no longer supplies the CrossFireX profiles only with the driver, but also as loose download, so that updates can be offered more quickly. New in version 10.8 is support for OpenGL ES 2.0. Furthermore, the quality of video playback has been improved, there are performance improvements and the anti aliasing-fix for StarCraft II that became available via a hotfix in this release. Of course, we also see the usual list of bug fixes, followed by a collection of problems that are already known, but are still being worked on.

New Features

OpenGL ES 2.0 support

• ATI Catalyst 10.8 delivers full support for OpenGL ES 2.0 specification
• Enables 3D accelerated graphics within a web browser that supports OpenGL ES 2.0
• Supported on Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7

Video Quality default options

• The Default video options for ATI Catalyst have been greatly enhanced to deliver the best quality video viewing experience. Users can also choose to apply these settings to Internet Video via a new checkbox control within the ATI Catalyst Control Center
• In the “Advanced Color” section, the following defaults are now enabled:
  • Color vibration (default = 40)
  • Flesh tone correction (default = 50)
  • Brighter Whites
• In the “Advanced Quality” section, the following defaults are now enabled:
  • Edge enhancement (default = 25)
  • De-noise (default = 64)
  • Mosquito Noise Reduction (default = 50)
  • De-blocking (default = 50)

  Note: Video Quality option settings can be accessed by launching the Catalyst Control Center and clicking on “Graphics”, then “Video” and “All Settings”.

Performance enhancement for Eyefinity Quad ATI CrossFireX configurations

• Performance has been greatly improved for users running with ATI Eyefinity on a Quad ATI CrossFireX configuration

Anti-Aliasing support for StarCraft II

• ATI Catalyst Control Center enabled Anti-Aliasing is now available for StarCraft II

Catalyst Application Profiles

The following application profiles are available with this release of Catalyst 10.8:

• Singularity – CrossFire profile update
• Mafia 2 – CrossFire profile update
• Final Fantasy XIV Benchmark – new CrossFire profile
• Lord of the Rings Online – new CrossFire profile
• aliens vs. Predator – CrossFire profile update

Performance Improvements

Far cry 2

• Performance increases 2-6% on ATI Radeon HD 5800 Series single and CrossFire configurations
• Performance increases 2-4% on ATI Radeon HD 5700 Series single and CrossFire configurations
• Performance increases 3-8% on ATI Radeon HD 4800 Series single and CrossFire configurations

Left 4 Dead 2

• Performance increases 3-5% on CrossFire ATI Radeon HD 5800 series and CrossFire ATI Radeon HD 5700 series configurations

storm rise

• Performance increases 5-10% on ATI Radeon HD 5600 series and ATI Radeon HD 5500 series configurations

Resolved Issues

For All Windows Operating Systems

• HDMI default refresh rate now appears properly as 60 Hz under HDTV in Catalyst Control Center
• Catalyst Control Center – Basic wizard pane or resolution combo box in “Display Setting for Desktop Viewing” page no longer turns blank in basic view for component video mode
• “FSAA” is a selectable option in City of Heroes / City of Heroes Going Rogue

For the Windows 7 Operating System

• Desktop line corruption no longer observed after powering off the DP display and then turning it on while viewing Blu-ray content
• “Borderlands” no longer fails after a duration of gameplay
• Opening numerous windows in Adobe Photoshop CS5 no longer causes application to fail
• Re-sizing Windows Media Player while viewing 720/1080 WMV video content no longer causes the screen to turn black
• “ARMA 2: Operation Arrowhead” game now works in CrossFire mode
• Shifting mouse cursor between displays no longer causes intermittent cursor corruption or system lock up

For the Windows Vista Operating System

• Catalyst Control Center no longer fails and displays error message while transcoding specific video files on 64-bit operating systems
• AVI video no longer lags during playback within Microsoft PowerPoint slide deck
• 3D and video settings in Catalyst Control Center are now retained after resume from sleep/hibernate

For the Windows XP Operating System

• Hardware acceleration is now enabled in PowerDVD
• Minor frame drops are no longer observed while viewing HD interlaced content

Known Issues

Under All Windows Operating Systems

• Catalyst Control Center: Enable dialog reposition does not show on proper monitor when system is configured with 4 displays

Under the Windows 7 Operating System

• Drag and Drop transcoded H264i content may show deinterlacing lines
• Desktop may dim after exiting “Mafia II” game on some cards
• Flickering may be visible while running 3D games on HDMI displays with Quad CrossFire enabled
• PowerDVD may exhibit blue and pink tint and might not display smooth transition when adjusting brightness and contrast in Catalyst Control Center when viewing Blu-ray content
• Green texture corruption may be observed when resolution/video settings are changed in “Metro 2033” game in DirectX 10 and 11 mode on some cards
• Frame drops may be visible during WinDVD Blu-ray playback with display resolution set to 25×16

Under the Windows Vista Operating System

• Corruption might be visible in “Doom 3” and “Quake 4” with ATI Radeon HD 4700 Series cards
• Performing bezel compensation on 3×2 Eyefinity configuration may cause the bezel group (resolutions) to go missing
• All but the primary display under Eyefinity configuation might become disabled while changing the preferred display at lowest Bezel compensated resolution
• Desktop may become corrupted during PowerDVD SD/Blu-ray content playback on 120Hz displays; pressing Alt+F4 will close PowerDVD and restore desktop
• Choppy HD playback might occur while changing color vibrance and fleshtone correction in Catalyst Control Center – Advanced Color

The following downloads are available:
ATi Catalyst 10.8 for Windows XP (32bit)
ATi Catalyst 10.8 for Windows XP (mobility)
ATi Catalyst 10.8 for Windows XP (64bit)
ATi Catalyst 10.8 for Windows XP (Media Center Edition)
ATi Catalyst 10.8 for Windows Vista (32bit)
ATi Catalyst 10.8 for Windows Vista (64bit)
ATi Catalyst 10.8 for Windows 7 (32bit)
ATi Catalyst 10.8 for Windows 7 (64bit)
ATi Catalyst 10.8 for Windows Vista/7 (mobility, 32bit)
ATi Catalyst 10.8 for Windows Vista/7 (mobility, 64bit)
ATi CrossFireX Application Profiles