Thursday, October 30th 2008
![ATI Catalyst](https://tpucdn.com/images/news/catalyst-v1723816949774.png)
Catalyst Hotfix 71310 Restores Visual Elements at Expense of Performance
AMD had released an updated hotfix to its ATI Catalyst 8.10 drivers the other day, with hotfix 71310. It succeeded hotfix 70517 for the said version of Catalyst. Hotfixes specific to certain games, are intended to selectively improve hardware performance and/or visual quality. When AMD released the older hotfix for version 8.10 of Catalyst, it aimed to improve performance in general. It was later found by keen observers, that the hotfix manipulated with visual elements of the game in an attempt to gain performance. A popular example of this, was noted in the "lost rocks" issue in Far Cry 2, where the hotfix 70517 caused the texture and/or geometric loss of certain rocks along a track from a scene, presumably reducing load on the graphics processor(s).
With hotfix 71310 issued yesterday, AMD seems to have fixed the issue. Expreview put the hotfix to test, where it was found that the "lost rocks" issue was fixed. The larger issue was of the driver interfering with visual elements the game has to offer. The fix however, came at the expense of performance. Expreview used a test-bed consisting of Core 2 Extreme QX9650 CPU, ATI Radeon HD 4870 graphics, 2x 1 GB of DDR3 1066 MHz memory, all seated on an ASUS Striker II Extreme motherboard, running Windows Vista 32-bit operating system. The testers used Driver Sweeper to make sure a new variant of the driver installed on a purged environment. Testing Far Cry 2 revealed that the issue was addressed, but at a performance loss. The frame-rate dropped from 48.12 fps to 43.20, which is roughly a 10% loss in frame-rate.
Source:
Expreview
With hotfix 71310 issued yesterday, AMD seems to have fixed the issue. Expreview put the hotfix to test, where it was found that the "lost rocks" issue was fixed. The larger issue was of the driver interfering with visual elements the game has to offer. The fix however, came at the expense of performance. Expreview used a test-bed consisting of Core 2 Extreme QX9650 CPU, ATI Radeon HD 4870 graphics, 2x 1 GB of DDR3 1066 MHz memory, all seated on an ASUS Striker II Extreme motherboard, running Windows Vista 32-bit operating system. The testers used Driver Sweeper to make sure a new variant of the driver installed on a purged environment. Testing Far Cry 2 revealed that the issue was addressed, but at a performance loss. The frame-rate dropped from 48.12 fps to 43.20, which is roughly a 10% loss in frame-rate.
90 Comments on Catalyst Hotfix 71310 Restores Visual Elements at Expense of Performance
I was going to say the other day, that one could easily say this is the same as Nvidia degrading image quality to achieve greater performance.
Fortunatley for me, these drivers actually helped my performance, but either way, I don't think we should be complaining about ATi here. We should be complaining to Ubisoft for releasing a game with such a weak LOD scaling system, and a program that has far too few sprites and objects altogether.
He just lives in that little place inside his mind, where he is happy, unconnected from the harmful reality that is the outside. Sad...
We know the reviews screenshots are from the benchmark. We can clearly see the missing textures. And judging how the match up when you overlay them, aside from missing textures, its safe to assume they are in the same spot. Your screenshots however are clearly none of the above. Yours has too many variables tossed in which isn't the point the review was making. Of course frames fluctuate in game. They shouldn't in benchmarks at the same point along the way. If you can't trust Expreview, thats your issue. However, I can't imagine why they'd specifcally try to mudsling ATI, they're showing what they've found.
I've been saying this all along, however you've been refusing to realize it.
It's not a matter of agreeing or not. The drivers change the performance obtained out of the benchmark. Not screenshots. They state it very clearly in the links provided by Btrunr. To refute those, you took 2 screenshots at different angles and said you reproduced what they did. And no, you didn't. Period.
"You're trying to point out that we don't know anything about the screenshots other than what they say. You tried showing everyone this using your screenshots." is taken directly from post #22.
"Your screenshots however are clearly none of the above." Now this one hinges on the fact you've been arguing we don't know what they're settings for each screenshot is. Its why I mentioned the trust issue with Expreview which is my opinion whether its right or wrong. But you show an obviously different location and attempt to use that as your basis for the arguement. The screenshots in the first post are of the same spot. Its comparing Apples to Jupiter. I personally trust Expreview to be at least professional and consistent if they're going to start a story like this.
In the end I regret posting attempting to clear this up as it was obviously bothering some of the other members. In the end it would only seem, judging by your short and unhelpful posts, I've only gone so far as to feed the troll.
Honestly, I am arguing about what? What's your point? YOU are stating 2 respectable review sites are lying, based on something you fabricated. And of course I argue with that.
Here I finally found it:
en.expreview.com/2008/10/29/catalyst-810-hotfix-kidnapped-stones-in-far-cry-2.html
This is the article to which the other one is the follow up. In the other one in chinese things are not clear. But in this...
- They clearly state it's average frames.
- The screenshot is at the same angle, just in case you want to follow the same route once again.
Sorry kid, but you are just wrong, you have been since you started this mess. Period.
:..sits back with popcorn and pop and conitnously refreshes browser..:
Btw what are we arguing over ?
Dim the lights, put some "Take My Breath Away" by Berlin on in the background, and make sweet love like Osama and Leeroy Brown.
Honestly. I'm curious about what he is going say to refute my last post, because he NEVER will admit he was simply wrong, not being me the one he is arguing with.
I'm excited. It's going to be a really good literature, I'm sure. Some fantastic or sci-fi literature to be precise. Worth of one Hugo, probably. :roll:
EDIT: Oh he was faster than this post. Ooooooh... What a dissapointment. Negation of evidence. That's all he got. :(
Why does it only reveal itself in serious arguements!?!?
========================
ONE MORE POST DARKMATTER ! 1k!