AMD Catalyst Display Driver 11.11 for Windows Vista/7 32-bit

This article provides information on the latest posting of AMD’s software suite, AMD Catalyst 11.11. This particular software suite updates the AMD display driver and the AMD Catalyst Control Center / AMD Vision Engine Control Center. This unified driver has been updated to provide enhanced level of power, performance, and reliability.

The AMD Catalyst software suite 11.11 contains the following:

1. AMD display driver version 8.911
2. HydraVision for Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7
3. Southbridge/IXP Driver
4. AMD Catalyst Control Center version 8.911 / AMD Vision Engine Control Center version 8.911.

Caution!

• 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.

Highlights of the AMD Catalyst 11.11 Windows release includes:

New Features

• Adobe Flash Player 11 support
  • Enables full support of the GPU accelerated Stage 3D API and Stage 3D applications
  • Supported on the AMD Radeon HD Series of GPUs, A-Series APU and E-Series APU

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 11.11 software suite for Windows 7. These include:

• Images and textures are no longer corrupted (Blue) in Rage.
• Bezel compensation now works correctly with Far Cry 2.
• Screen tearing is no longer randomly observed while moving a window on the desktop while in Clone mode or Eyefinity mode.
• A black screen is no longer observed when extending displays.
• Homefront no longer crashes randomly when Crossfire is enabled.
• DC – Universe Online no longer hangs soon after selecting a character and entering the game.

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:

• Screen tearing may be observed occasionally while playing Portal 2 in DirectX 9 mode.
• Shogun 2 may exhibit screen corruption while playing on low resolution settings in 2x1 Eyefinity mode.
• Choppy playback may be observed playing interlaced DVD content in full screen mode using PowerDVD 11.
• A BSOD error may occur while playing Call of Duty – Black Ops in Multiplayer mode with Crossfire enabled.
• Video corruption may be observed while playing World of Warcraft in windowed mode and AVI file simultaneously.
• Dragon Age 2 may exhibit corruption during in game cinematics when run in DirectX 9 mode.
• Lost Planet 2 my display random corruption and flickering when run in DirectX 9 mode.
• Lost Planet 2 may crash randomly when Crossfire is enabled.
• The following games may experience random flashing textures during gameplay:
  • Homefront
  • Metro 2033
  • Far Cry 2
  • Stalker : Call of Pripyat

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 driver.
• A ‘ghost’ cursor may be observed when playing Dragon Age 2 in Crossfire mode.
• The character avatar in Dragon Age 2 may display random flickering.
• HAWX 2 may experience random system reboots when run in Eyefinity mode.
• Civilization V may experience random crashing when run at medium or high in game settings.
• Bulletstorm may experience random flashing during gameplay.
• Dead Space 2 may hang occasionally soon after game launch.

AMD Product Compatibility:

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

AMD Desktop Product Family Compatibility

• AMD Radeon HD 6900 Series
• ATI Radeon HD 4890 Series
• AMD Radeon HD 6800 Series
• ATI Radeon HD 4870 X2 Series
• AMD Radeon HD 6600 Series
• ATI Radeon HD 4850 X2 Series
• AMD Radeon HD 6550D Series
• ATI Radeon HD 4800 Series
• AMD Radeon HD 6530D Series
• ATI Radeon HD 4700 Series
• AMD Radeon HD 6500 Series
• ATI Radeon HD 4670 Series
• AMD Radeon HD 6410D Series
• ATI Radeon HD 4650 Series
• AMD Radeon HD 6370D Series
• AMD Radeon HD 6500 Series
• AMD Radeon HD 6310D Series
• ATI Radeon HD 4600 Series
• AMD Radeon HD 6300 Series
• ATI Radeon HD 4550 Series
• AMD Radeon HD 6200 Series
• ATI Radeon HD 4350 Series
• ATI Radeon HD 5900 Series
• ATI Radeon HD 3800 Series
• ATI Radeon HD 5800 Series
• ATI Radeon HD 3600 Series
• ATI Radeon HD 5700 Series
• ATI Radeon HD 3400 Series
• ATI Radeon HD 5600 Series
• ATI Radeon HD 2900 Series
• ATI Radeon HD 5500 Series
• ATI Radeon HD 2600 Series
• ATI Radeon HD 5400 Series
• ATI Radeon HD 2400 Series

AMD FireStream Product Families

• AMD FireStream 9350
• AMD FireStream 9250
• AMD FireStream 9270
• AMD FireStream 9170

AMD Chipset Product Families

• ATI Radeon HD 4290
• ATI Radeon 3200 Series
• ATI Radeon HD 4250
• ATI Radeon 3100 Series
• ATI Radeon HD 4200 Series
• ATI Radeon 3000 Series
• ATI Radeon HD 3300 Series

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.

AMD Mobility Product Families

• ATI Mobility Radeon HD 6900M Series
• ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4200 Series
• ATI Mobility Radeon HD 6800M Series
• ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4100 Series
• ATI Mobility Radeon HD 6300M Series
• ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3800 Series
• ATI Mobility Radeon HD 6300 Series
• ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3600 Series
• ATI Mobility Radeon HD 6200 Series
• ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3400 Series
• ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5800 Series
• ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3200 Series
• ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5700 Series
• ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3100 Series
• ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5600 Series
• ATI Mobility Radeon HD 2700 Series
• ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5400 Series
• ATI Mobility Radeon HD 2600 Series
• ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5100 Series
• ATI Mobility Radeon HD 2400 Series
• ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4800 Series
• ATI PowerXpress enabled notebooks
• ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4600 Series using AMD chipsets
• ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4500 Series
• ATI Radeon HD 6620G Series
• ATI Radeon HD 6520G Series
• ATI Radeon HD 6480G Series
• ATI Radeon HD 6380G Series
• ATI Radeon HD 6310G Series
• ATI Radeon HD 6250G Series

The following notebooks are not compatible with this release:

1. Any notebook launched after this driver release
2. Switchable Graphics enabled notebooks.
3. Toshiba® notebooks (please contact the notebook OEM for driver support for these notebooks)
4. Sony® VAIO® notebooks (please contact the notebook OEM for driver support for these notebooks)
5. Panasonic® notebooks (please contact the notebook OEM for driver support for these notebooks)

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
• Windows XP Professional
• Windows XP Home Edition
• Windows XP Media Center Edition
• Windows XP Professional x64 Edition

Note: Before proceeding with your driver installation we suggest you make sure you are installing the latest version available and for the appropriate model/revision and Operating System. We strongly suggest following 'readme' instructions for installing drivers when available. Often restarting your system will be necessary for the new driver to become active and start functioning properly.

You can check back regularly for the latest updates at TechSpot's Drivers section or stop by our homepage for the best daily coverage of PC technology news on the Web.