AMD Discontinues Monthly Driver Updates

[Mousemonkey]

http://www.anandtech.com/show/5880/amd-discontinues-monthly-driver-updates-releases-catalyst-126-beta

http://hothardware.com/News/AMD-Kills-Monthly-Driver-Updates-May-Be-Deemphasizing-Enthusiasts/

 

[ubercake]

Wow. This is one company that needs - at least - monthly "updates" in hopes that they'll get something right one of these times.

When I first read "...releasing drivers on a dynamic/as-needed basis", I thought maybe they'd transition to weekly since there always seemed to be something needed. How silly of me.

Of course, this is coming from my crossfire and 5000 series perspective.

 

[Mousemonkey]

This is one of those cases where "less may mean more" as now the driver team can now just concentrate on getting things right rather than just getting something out of the door at the end of the month, which is always what I have said is probably the reason that there are always seeming to be issues with AMD/ATi drivers.

It's going to be interesting to see how many threads start popping up about this in the future as people start to notice.

 

[Vettedude]

This was expected. 12.5 missed its launch.

 

[randomkid]

Agree. The 12.4 was particularly messy. Glad that at least the issue of the correct version not showing up in the 12.4 was finally fixed in 12.6 beta
I was actually waiting for 12.5 but it was skipped & AMD went straight to 12.6beta. Fortunately, this latest version have shown remarkable improvement for me so I think that is a good sign.

 

[mouse24]

I agree with mouse (lolpun) I would rather have a fully tested and stable working product that went through checks rather then 4 versions a month that had 12 hours of testing, you end up with a lot less issues that way. would be nice if they release a beta version and build feedback on that (say a week or 3) before the version goes live

 

[ubercake]

This is one of those cases where "less may mean more" as now the driver team can now just concentrate on getting things right rather than just getting something out of the door at the end of the month, which is always what I have said is probably the reason that there are always seeming to be issues with AMD/ATi drivers.

It's going to be interesting to see how many threads start popping up about this in the future as people start to notice.

True. I hope they really start to compete in this area.

 

[Mousemonkey]

The article is now up in the Comments forum if anyone should wish to go and take part.

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/15859-55-update-drivers-when-makes-sense

 

[ilysaml]

If the feedback team did a good job, it wouldn't be a problem at all.

 

[-Fran-]

I like the move.

Better "be sure and release" than just "release whatever we have in the pipeline" is always a better approach.

If they get it right with the 12.6, then they won't need patches nor hot fixes to push, so it will be fine for subsequent releases, I'm sure.

Cheers!

 

[atikkur]

I agree with mouse (lolpun) I would rather have a fully tested and stable working product that went through checks rather then 4 versions a month that had 12 hours of testing, you end up with a lot less issues that way. would be nice if they release a beta version and build feedback on that (say a week or 3) before the version goes live

every update has release notes of what have been updated or fixed. you dont have to test it yourself,, just pick the updates that have a fixes of your issues. so no problem how often an update releases,, as long as release notes supplied.

 

[vmem]

It doesn't make sense for them to be forced to adhere to a fixed schedule. espeically considering all the issues with 12.4. I'd rather get a driver update that's a month late than something that screws up my set-up.

meanwhile, I hope they'd split their drivers update into 2 pieces. If at all possible, they should resolve BSOD and other critical issues ASAP, with perhaps small plug-ins or work-arounds that are released as soon as possible. for other things such as crossfire scaling, game performance optimization, they can take their time, get it right, then release it as a full update. afterall, I'd rather be able to run my x-fire rig at 70 or 80% scaling, then spend hours or days trouble shooting with messy updates

 

[vmem]

every update has release notes of what have been updated or fixed. you dont have to test it yourself,, just pick the updates that have a fixes of your issues. so no problem how often an update releases,, as long as release notes supplied.

the issue is many updates also come with some sort of either game specific, or overall performance enhancement...

 

[ubercake]

It doesn't make sense for them to be forced to adhere to a fixed schedule. espeically considering all the issues with 12.4. I'd rather get a driver update that's a month late than something that screws up my set-up.

meanwhile, I hope they'd split their drivers update into 2 pieces. If at all possible, they should resolve BSOD and other critical issues ASAP, with perhaps small plug-ins or work-arounds that are released as soon as possible. for other things such as crossfire scaling, game performance optimization, they can take their time, get it right, then release it as a full update. afterall, I'd rather be able to run my x-fire rig at 70 or 80% scaling, then spend hours or days trouble shooting with messy updates

^+1

 

[gangrel]

Creating a high-frequency, fixed update schedule is designed to satisfy Pointy-Haired Bosses. In every other way, IMO, it's the absolute WORST POSSIBLE scenario. It's not product-driven; I doubt it's even market-driven in any positive sense. It's "we can't stand still" syndrome...the perception that EOL is 6 months after release. I absolutely agree with the comments to get it RIGHT before release, don't release on some arbitrary schedule.

(And gods know, I've seen enough of the hacks that take place when you do 'release' to a schedule...)

I've had hassles with Firefox for the last several months...because, I think, because they try the same approach.

 

[17seconds]

Quality over quantity. Seems like a logical choice, but I think it would be great if there were more beta, leaked, and developer drivers for users to try. It seems like just about all the drivers released by AMD are official ones. Nvidia users get several leaked versions a month to try out that come from other channels outside of the Nvidia downloads section. They allow the tweakers and enthusiasts more chances to tweak away and try to fix specific issues without waiting on that official release.
http://downloads.guru3d.com/Videocards---NVIDIA-ForceWare-Vista_c32.html

 

[vilenjan]

This is a good thing, I would rather have a driver that worth updating to every 3-4 months than drivers I skip more often than not on a monthly bases.