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AMD Software

Original author(s)	ATI Technologies
Developer(s)	AMD
Initial release	02.1 / June 13, 2002 (22 years ago) (2002-06-13)
Stable release	Windows Recommended 24.6.1 / June 27, 2024 (5 months ago) (2024-06-27) Unified-Linux 24.10.3 / June 19, 2024 (6 months ago) (2024-06-19)
Operating system	Microsoft Windows Linux
Platform	x64
Type	Device driver and management
License	Freeware
Website	www.amd.com/en/products/software/adrenalin.html

AMD Software (formerly known as Radeon Software) is a device driver and utility software package for AMD's Radeon graphics cards and APUs. Its graphical user interface is built with Qt and is compatible with 64-bit Windows and Linux distributions.

Software bundle

Functionality

AMD Software includes the following feature set:

• Game profile management
• Overclocking and undervolting
• Performance monitoring
• Recording and streaming
• Captured video and screenshot management
• Software update notifications
• Upgrade advisor

Radeon Anti-Lag reduces input latency. It helps when the GPU is bottlenecking the CPU and is supported in DirectX 9, 11, and 12. Radeon Super Resolution is image upscaling technology similar to FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR), but it does not have to be customized for specific games. It works on thousands of games, but AMD recommends using FSR when available. Radeon Boost also uses image upscaling to increase performance, but unlike AMD's other technologies, it does this only at certain times, such as when rapidly moving the mouse. This is interpreted as an action-heavy scene where image quality can temporarily be decreased without much noticeable effect. This only works in supported games. HYPR-RX enables Radeon Anti-Lag, Boost, and Super Resolution. In supported games, this is done automatically according to a user's AMD Software settings; otherwise, it requires some configuration in-game. HYPR-RX requires an RDNA3 GPU.

Radeon Chill lowers performance when the AMD drivers detect idle moments in games and can set frame rate caps. Smart Access Memory enables potential performance boosts on systems that use both AMD Ryzen CPUs and Radeon video cards. Radeon Enhanced Sync reduces screen tearing like v-sync, but it avoids capping frame rates at the monitor's refresh rate. This can reduce the input lag associated with v-sync. This is limited to DirectX 9, 10, and 12.

AMD Link allows users to stream content to mobile devices, compatible Smart TVs, and other PCs with Radeon video cards, enabling them to use their PC and game on them remotely. It can be used both locally as well as over the internet. The client requires a free app, which is available via Google Play, Apple App Store, and Amazon Appstore. Support for AMD Link has been axed in AMD Software releases from January 2024 onwards, citing the availability of alternatives and to focus driver development resources elsewhere.

History

The software was previously known as AMD Radeon Software, AMD Catalyst, and ATI Catalyst. AMD ceased providing 32-bit versions in October 2018.

Supported hardware

AMD Software is targeted to support all function blocks present on a GPU's or an APU's die. Besides instruction code targeted at rendering, this includes display controllers as well as their SIP blocks for video decoding (Unified Video Decoder (UVD)) and video encoding (Video Coding Engine (VCE)).

The device driver also supports AMD TrueAudio, a SIP block to perform sound-related calculations.

Supported products

AMD Software supports the following AMD (and ATI-tradition) product lines targeted at rendering:

• Graphics processing units (GPUs)
• Accelerated processing units (APUs)

The following product lines are probably not supported by AMD Software, but instead by some other software, which (for example) is OpenGL-certified:

• AMD FireStream product line for GPGPU in supercomputers and such
• AMD FireMV product line for multi-monitor setups (deprecated by AMD Eyefinity being available on all consumer products)
• AMD FirePro product line for professionals who require certified OpenGL support

Multi-monitor support

Starting in Catalyst 14.6 AMD has enabled mixed-resolution support, allowing for a single Eyefinity display group to be created where each monitor runs at a different resolution. The current version may, however, disable any additional display mode and change to a resolution in the one mode available. This feature is made possible through the addition of two new Eyefinity display modes, Fit and Expand, which join the traditional Fill mode. In both Fit and Expand modes, AMD is compensating for the mismatched resolutions by creating a virtual desktop that is of a different resolution from those of the monitors, and then either padding it out or cropping it as necessary.

Before Eyefinity, there was the Windows-only software "HydraVision" (originally acquired from Appian Graphics complete with its development team), a desktop/screen management software mostly providing multi-monitor and virtual-screen management. It has extensive hot-key support.

Video acceleration

Both of AMD's SIP cores for video acceleration, Video Coding Engine as well as Unified Video Decoder, are supported by AMD Software.

Audio acceleration

Some AMD products contain SIP cores for audio acceleration branded AMD TrueAudio. Support for this audio acceleration DSP co-processor is part of AMD Software.

Under Microsoft Windows the support for AMD TrueAudio is codenamed "ACP" (for audio co-processor) and implemented via "ACP user service" (amdacpusrsvc.exe), a background service that helps manage audio tasks in games.

Under Linux, AMD TrueAudio is codenamed "acp" as well: some code regarding this can be found in the /drivers/gpu/drm/radeon directory of the Linux kernel sources.

Power saving

AMD Software includes support for AMD PowerPlay, AMD PowerTune and AMD ZeroCore Power, AMD's set of technologies to reduce energy consumption in their graphics products.

Supported interfaces

Rendering

The AMD Software device driver supports multiple rendering interfaces, all designed to give the user-space programs, such as video games or CAD software, access to the corresponding SIP blocks.

Direct3D

Direct3D 12 is available for GCN with version 15.7.1 or higher.

Mantle

Only the Radeon Software releases targeting Microsoft Windows included support for Mantle. In 2019 starting with version 19.5.1 it was officially discontinued, in favor of DirectX 12 and Vulkan (built upon Mantle) raise in popularity. Windows users who still wish to use Mantle would have to use older version of drivers (prior to 19.5.1).

OpenGL

OpenGL 4.5 is possible for TeraScale 2 and 3 with Radeon Software Crimson Edition Beta (driver version 15.30 or higher like Crimson Beta 16.2.1). OpenCL support will be lost, but it can be recovered by copying the relevant files from a previous package like Radeon Software 15.11.1 Beta. Beta drivers do not support HDCP.

OpenGL 4.5 is available for GCN with version 16.3 or higher.

OpenGL 4.x compliance requires supporting FP64 shaders. These are implemented by emulation on some TeraScale GPUs.

OpenGL 4.6 is supported in AMD Adrenalin 18.4.1 Graphics Driver on Windows 7 SP1, 10 version 1803 (April 2018 update) for AMD Radeon HD 7700+, HD 8500+ and newer. Released April 2018.

Vulkan

Vulkan 1.0 is available with Radeon Software Crimson Edition 16.3.2 or higher for GCN.

Vulkan 1.1 with Radeon Software Adrenalin Edition 18.3.3 or higher.

Vulkan 1.2 with Adrenalin 20.1.2 or higher.

Vulkan 1.3 with Adrenalin 22.1.2 or higher.

Video acceleration

The AMD Software device driver supports multiple interfaces, all designed to give user-space programs, such as GStreamer or HandBrake software, access to the corresponding SIP blocks.

GPGPU

This section needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (January 2022)

ROCm

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (July 2024)

ROCm 6.0 was released on February 14, 2024, and supports the RX 7900 XTX, 7900 XT and 7900 GRE, alongside Radeon Pro W7900 and W7800 graphics cards. Ubuntu 22.04 is natively supported. PyTorch and ONNX Runtime can be used on ROCm 6.0.

OpenCL

With Catalyst 9.12 support of OpenCL 1.0 was available.

In Catalyst 10.10 OpenCL 1.1 was available.

Catalyst 12.4 Supports OpenCL 1.2.

OpenCL 2.0 driver works since 14.41 for GCN-based Models. This also supports previous OpenCL versions.

TeraScale 2 and 3 chips can use Level 1.2.

Close to Metal

Close to Metal was a low-level API by AMD which was abandoned in favor of OpenCL.

Other

AMD HD3D stereoscopic 3D API by AMD.

Heterogeneous System Architecture (HSA)

With Catalyst 14.1 HSA is possible. AMD main Processor graphic Units and Radeon graphic Card Units work combined.

AMD GPU Services (AGS)

• GPUOpen: AMD GPU Services (AGS) Library

AMD Display Library (ADL) SDK

• GPUOpen: AMD Display (ADL) Library
• AMD Display Library (ADL) SDK

Operating systems support

Linux

The main AMD GPU software stacks are fully supported on Linux: GPUOpen for graphics, and ROCm for compute. GPUOpen is most often merely a supplement, for software utilities, to the free Mesa software stack that is widely distributed and available by default on most Linux distributions.

AMD strives at packaging its software for Linux on its own, not relying solely on Linux distributions. They do so by using the amdgpu and amdgpu-pro shell scripts, and provide package archives for e.g. apt and rpm.

Microsoft Windows

Starting with version 4.9 (released on 4 September 2004) the Catalyst driver package included the ATI Catalyst Control Center, a new software application for manipulating many hardware functions, such as 3D settings, monitor controls and video options. It shows a small 3D preview and allows the user to see how changes to the graphics settings affect the quality of the rendered image. It also shows information about the card itself and the software data. This application requires Microsoft .NET Framework.

Radeon Software 16.x and higher drops support for TeraScale-based GPU models. Vulkan 1.0 support was introduced in Radeon Software 16.3.2.

Radeon Software 17.7.1 is the final driver for Windows 8.1.

Radeon Software 18.9.3 is the final driver for 32-bit Windows 7/10.

AMD Software 22.6.1 is the final driver for Windows 7 (and Windows 8.1 unofficially); 22.6.1 is also the final driver for GCN 1, GCN 2 and GCN 3 based GPUs

Issues

This section needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (January 2022)

On Windows Platforms

• Quantity of rendered ahead frames cannot be adjusted
• Triple buffering in D3D cannot be forced
• V-sync in many games under Windows 7 cannot be forced disabled

On Linux Platforms

• No support for 3D HDTVs.

See also

• AMD software
• ROCm
• GPUOpen
• CodeXL

Related technologies

• AMD CrossFire
• AMD PowerPlay
• AMD Hybrid Graphics
• ATI Avivo

Related topics

• ATI/AMD on Free and open-source graphics device drivers

Notes

1. Recommended releases are releases that have passed both WHQL tests and certification, as well as AMD's own suite of tests, and are guaranteed to be highly stable by AMD.
2. Supported platforms for AMD Link on Smart TVs include Android TV 7+ and Apple TV fourth generation or later on tvOS 12+

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External links

• Official website
  • AMD Graphics Drivers & Software

• AMD software
• ATI Technologies
• Device drivers
• Linux drivers
• Proprietary freeware for Linux
• Proprietary software that uses Qt
• Rendering APIs available on Linux
• Software that uses Qt
• Third-party Linux kernel modules
• X Window System