Battlestate Games announces the final stage of the technical preparations for the Open Beta Testing of Escape from Tarkov. Thuswise, starting December 28 and over a few weeks, developers will conduct load testing of game servers in order to adjust processing for a large number of new players at the start of the OBT in the beginning of 2018. For this purpose, the studio has planned a New Year event, which will give free access to the game to a part of users who are registered on the official website of the project, but are not playing yet. 7-day access to the game will be granted to a part of the players, who will be picked randomly among the total number of subscribers, with bias for those who have been registered earlier.

AMD has released another driver suite for their Radeon graphics cards, in the form of the 17.11.1 Beta drivers. These bring support, and the best experience, for Call of Duty: WWII, with up to 5% faster performance on Radeon RX Vega64 (8 GB) graphics than with Radeon Software Crimson ReLive Edition 17.10.3 at 2560x1440.

Additionally, this driver brings AMD XConnect technology improvements for Vega 56. XConnect is AMD's technology that allows seamless plug and play ability for eGPU enclosures, and with this update, AMD is increasing the number of eGPU solutions that support AMD's RX Vega 56 graphics cards in this configuration. There's also an extensive list of fixes (including a particularly nasty bug where system devices such as printers could be removed during Radeon Software uninstallation) and known issues, which you can catch after the break. As always, you can download your drivers right here, on the best website of the known universe. Just follow the link below.DOWNLOAD: AMD Radeon Software Crimson ReLive 17.11.1 Beta

AMD today have released the latest (unnumbered) Beta version of their Radeon Crimson ReLive driver suite for Radeon graphics, which brings with it "Beta level support for the latest version of Microsoft's Windows 10 Operating System". Naturally, AMD says it should be considered "as is", which is always refreshing to see in a driver release. This update should improve users' experience when dealing with the Fall Creators Update's extended Mixed Reality features, so if you have one of those headsets ready to go and to power 343 Industries' "Halo Recruit" Experience please do and report back to this news editor. There's a list of known issues under MR and the Fall Creators Update, though, so be sure to check that list after the break. Follow the link below for AMD's driver download page.DOWNLOAD: AMD Radeon Crimson ReLive Beta Edition Windows 10 Fall Creators Update Drivers

Rumors of a forthcoming GTX 1070 Ti have been circulating for some time now, but today saw the first concrete evidence of the existence of NVIDIA's latest card. MSI, a NVIDIA add-in card partner, has preempted the official announcement, by adding core voltage control for reference design NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Ti series graphics cards to MSI Afterburner 4.4.0 Beta 19. The latest build also includes numerous other changes, which are detailed in the source. As we reported earlier, the GTX 1070 Ti is part of NVIDIA's anticipated addition to its performance SKUs ahead of the holiday season and is, of course, a response to the release of AMD's latest GPUs, RX Vega 56 & Vega 64.

Paraphrasing our own VSG, "So, this happened". AMD has gone out and done it: they've released a Beta driver specifically geared towards blockchain-based workloads, which should improve the company's GPU performance in generating money for miners. The driver is compatible with close to the entirety of AMD's GCN lineup - all the way from hot-from-the-foundry Vega to AMD's HD 7900 series. As AMD puts it, this is a driver solely purposed towards blockchain workloads - no gaming or graphics workloads (read, what graphics cards were originally meant to do) are officially supported in this release.

Apparently, AMD took it upon themselves to release this driver due to AMD's well documented DAG performance decrease for Ethereum mining hashrates. Specifically, according to Legit Reviews, the Radeon RX 480 went from an expected 14.8 MH/s at DAG #199 (down from 24.6 MH/s at DAG #130) to a prospective 24.8 MH/s DAG #199 performance according to Claymore's benchmark script. Performance improvements from the non-blockchain-geared driver release seem to stand at around 10-15%, which isn't too shabby from a single, Beta driver release.

AMD today has made available for early adopters the Crimson ReLive Edition 17.8.1 drivers. Users of other AMD graphics cards other than the newly released RX Vega 64 beware: these drivers are for exclusive use on those graphics cards.

For those early adopters who have a Vega 64 on their hands already, these drivers are for you. If you're currently on the fence on whether or not to make the plunge to a new red-powered graphics card, make sure to read our own resident W1zzard's reviews of AMD's latest foray into the high performance graphics processing market for both the RX Vega 56 and RX Vega 64 graphics cards. You might be surprised. Download the drivers from the link below.DOWNLOAD: AMD Radeon Software Crimson Relive Edition Radeon RX Vega Series Driver​

In this issue of the Ryzen BIOS update digest, we have the latest updates. Our BIOS update digest lets you keep track of crucial BIOS updates that improve stability of your AMD Ryzen machine. As per usual, only updated BIOSes from the last digest are listed. Changes are listed after each BIOS, sans beta BIOSes which do not always include change logs. You can find it all below.

In this release, we have several betas graduating to final release, mostly all consisting of AGESA 1.0.0.6 code.

In this issue of the Ryzen BIOS update digest, we have last week's latest updates. Our BIOS update digest lets you keep track of crucial BIOS updates that improve stability of your AMD Ryzen machine. As per usual, only updated BIOSes from the last digest are listed. Changes are listed after each BIOS, sans beta BIOSes which do not always include change logs. You can find it all below.

In this issue of the Ryzen BIOS update digest, we have last week's latest updates. Our BIOS update digest lets you keep track of crucial BIOS updates that improve stability of your AMD Ryzen machine. There have been a lot of updates this week corresponding with manufacturers still catching up with the AGESA 1.0.0.6 update. As per usual, only updated BIOSes from the last digest are listed. Changes are listed after each BIOS, sans beta BIOSes which do not always include change logs. You can find it all below.

Not to let itself be outshined by arch-rival NVIDIA, AMD today released a new driver suite that introduces support for the impending release of Arkane Studios' Prey. A totally new IP in an era of sequels and re-releases, which has been paired - even if only so slightly - with AMD's own Vega teaser campaign, Prey promises to offer a mix of Bioshock and System Shock, with Arkane's own peculiar blend of game mechanics and art direction. Go on ahead fighting the invasion - I'll be joining you shortly.

These drivers promise an up to 4.7% performance improvement measured on Radeon RX 580 8GB graphics when compared to Radeon Software Crimson ReLive edition 17.4.4, as well as multi GPU profile support. As always, you can grab these right here on your favorite hardware site on the universe. Just follow the link below, and catch some more details like fixed and current issues after the break.Download: AMD Radeon Crimson Relive 17.5.1 Beta Drivers

In this issue of the Ryzen BIOS update digest, we have last week's latest updates. Our BIOS update digest lets you keep track of crucial BIOS updates that improve stability of your AMD Ryzen machine. Our usual format has undergone some tweaks, but it's for the better. For one, we list beta BIOSes as well now. We also only list BIOSes now that have been updated since the last digest, to avoid redundancy.

While the Unity Engine isn't one used for cutting-edge triple-A releases, its workflow is considered by many to be one of the most scalable and platform-adaptable there is. The engine can be scaled all the way from 2D, text-based mobile games all the way towards 3D, VR presentations, which makes it a popular choice - particularly, to Indie studios. A slight sideline here as NVYVE Studio's P.A.M.E.L.A. is powered by Unity, and I have high hopes for that one piece of 3D interactivity.

According to Nvidia, adding VRWorks to titles created with the Unity Engine will now be significantly easier thanks to the recently released Unity 2017.1.0 Beta 2. Unity now doubles down as one of the most popular game engines for VR development (SuperHot VR was powered by it, for example), with Nvidia also stating that the Unity Engine is an important tool for other interactive experiences such as film, medical, tourism, design, education, and training, as well, proving the engine's versatility. As to VRWorks, it functions much like GameWorks: it's a suite of developer tools, APIs, libraries, and engines that are now available as a plugin in the Unity 2017.1.b2 update. Nvidia said that this provides developers an easy path to taking advantage of the SDK in their games and VR experiences. Namely, Unity Engine now includes plugins for Nvidia VRWorks technologies such as Multi-Res Shading, Lens Matched Shading, Single Pass Stereo, and VR SLI, and you can download the latest Beta version of the engine right from NVIDIA.

AMD today released Radeon Software Crimson ReLive Edition 17.3.3 Beta drivers. These drivers come with optimization for "Mass Effect: Andromeda," including support for AMD CrossFire in DirectX 11 mode. To enable CrossFire, however, you need to input "-RenderDevice.AmdCrossfireEnable 1" as a command-line argument (set launch options in Origin). The drivers also fix a texture flickering issue noticed with the game. Grab the drivers from the link below.DOWNLOAD: AMD Radeon Software Crimson ReLive 17.3.3

AMD today released the 17.2.1 Beta version of its Radeon Software Crimson ReLive. This release features Multi GPU profiles and support for For Honor (with an up to 4% performance improvement on Radeon RX 480) and Sniper Elite 4 (with a 5% performance improvement being registered here). Look after the break for a list of known, fixed issues.

As always, you can grab the drivers right here at TPU, through our revamped downloads section. Just follow the link below.DOWNLOAD: AMD Radeon Software Crimson ReLive Edition 17.2.1 Beta

"Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3" is the season's most hotly anticipated stealth open world shooter, bound for an April 2017 release. We are giving away 7 keys to the game's closed beta, which lets you take the CryEngine-powered AAA title for a spin. To throw in your hat, simply fill up a short form that lets us get back to you if you've won. The giveaway is open from today (3rd February) till tomorrow (4th February), with one lucky winner being randomly selected every 2 hours starting from 15:00 CET today (3rd Feb). Good Luck!To participate, please visit this page.

AMD today released a new version of Radeon Software Crimson ReLive. Version 17.1.2 brings with it support for the beta versions of Conan Exiles and Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands.

This driver also includes several fixes for previously identified issues, of which you can read all about after the break. Feel free to download the newest version of the AMD drivers right here on TPU through our recently-revamped downloads section, by following the link below.DOWNLOAD: AMD Radeon Software Crimson ReLive Edition 17.1.2 Beta

NVIDIA released the GeForce 369.00 Beta drivers featuring three new OpenGL extensions released by its architecture review board (ARB), and NVIDIA in 2016. These include the "ARB_gl_spirv," which works on NVIDIA "Kepler" architecture and above; the "EXT_window_rectangles," extension, which requires NVIDIA "Fermi" architecture and above; and the homebrew "NVX_blend_equation_advanced_multi_draw_buffers," which requires NVIDIA "Pascal" architecture. These updates to OpenGL are also shipped for the Linux platform via the 367.36.02 drivers. Grab the drivers from the links below.DOWNLOAD: NVIDIA GeForce 369.00 BetaImage Credit: DigitalTrends

AMD posted its second Radeon Software Crimson Edition release for this month, version 16.5.2 Beta. The drivers add optimization for "DOOM" (2016), the season's hottest shooter and a revival of the epic FPS franchise. The drivers also add CrossFire profiles for "Battleborn," letting it take advantage of multiple GPUs, and dual-GPU graphics cards, such as the Radeon Pro Duo. The drivers also fix texture corruption issues in "Star Wars: Battlefront," and "League of Legends" in CrossFire mode. Grab the drivers from the links below.DOWNLOAD: AMD Radeon Software Crimson Edition 16.5.2 for Windows 10/8.1/7 64-bit | Windows 10/8.1/7 32-bit

AMD released the Radeon Software Crimson Edition 16.5.1 Beta, the unified suite of drivers and system software AMD Radeon GPUs. Version 16.5.1 adds optimization for "Forza Motorsport 6: Apex," with the company noting up to 27 percent increase in performance compared to the older drivers (16.4.2), when tested on a Radeon R9 Fury X. Grab the drivers from the links below.DOWNLOAD: AMD Radeon Software Crimson Edition 16.5.1 Beta for Windows 10/8.1/7 64-bit | Windows 10/8.1/7 32-bit

NVIDIA released today its latest "Hotfix" GeForce drivers that add optimization for an unannounced game and a minor GeForce Experience-related bug. To begin with, GeForce 364.96 Hotfix driver comes with optimization (read: "support") for DOOM: Open Beta. Don't expect SLI support on this game's OpenGL-based engine, though. The drivers also address a bug with GeForce Experience that caused it to not open correctly without an active Internet connection.DOWNLOAD: NVIDIA GeForce 364.96 Hotfix for Windows 10 64-bit | Windows 10 32-bit | Windows 8/7/Vista 64-bit | Windows 8/7/Vista 32-bit

AMD released a quick follow up to Tuesday's (02/02) Radeon Software Crimson Edition (RSCE) 16.1.1 Beta release; with a Hotfix release. Version 16.1.1 Hotfix includes AMD CrossFire profiles for "Fallout 4," in addition to "Rise of the Tomb Raider," and in particular a flickering issue which was noticed on CrossFire machines running "Fallout 4." The rest of its feature-set is identical to that of the 16.1.1 Beta. Grab the driver for your OS from the link below.DOWNLOAD: AMD Radeon Software Crimson Edition 16.1.1 Hotfix

AMD rolled out the latest version of its Radeon Software Crimson Edition drivers. Version 16.1.1 Beta adds optimizations for "Rise of the Tomb Raider." This includes performance/quality optimizations for the game. In addition to this, the company added a long overdue CrossFireX profile for "Fallout 4." A number of GPU- and game-specific bugs were fixed. Grab the drivers from the links below.DOWNLOAD: AMD Radeon Software Crimson Edition 16.1.1 Beta for Windows 10/8.1/7 64-bit | Windows 10/8.1/7 32-bit

In the beginning, there were NVIDIA Detonator and ATI Catalyst. Detonator made way for GeForce Software, but Catalyst pulled through for another decade. These are the brand names GPU makers use to label their drivers, because GPUs are devices that warrant frequent driver updates to keep up with new software and performance improvements. AMD, after consolidating most of its visual computing divisions into the Radeon Technologies Group under technocrat Raja Koduri, made its first major announcement, re-branding AMD Catalyst as Radeon Software. Its first release gets a special name - Radeon Software Crimson Edition 15.11.

AMD's new nomenclature for its drivers involves firmly placing the Radeon brand name, replacing "Catalyst," followed by "software," indicating that these are not just drivers, but a suite of applications designed to give you control over your visual computing experience; with "Crimson Edition" being the major version for the year 2015-16, and 15.11 denoting November 2015, retaining the date-based version numbering scheme. These could come with extensions such as "WHQL" or "Beta." The first Crimson Edition drivers will be WHQL-signed.

AMD released a quick follow-up to its recent Catalyst 15.9 Beta drivers, to address a major video memory leak bug that caused the company to pull 15.9 Beta from its download servers. The new Catalyst 15.9.1 Beta drivers address that issue, and carry over the feature-set from 15.9 Beta, including optimization for Star Wars Battlefront Beta, and Fable Legends. It also addresses a bug that caused DirectX Diagnostics (DXDIAG) to not display Direct3D feature-level 12_0 from correctly displaying for Radeon GPUs that support DirectX 12, on Windows 10. Grab the driver from the links below.DOWNLOAD: AMD Catalyst 15.9.1 Beta for Windows 10/8.1/7 64-bit | Windows 10/8.1/7 32-bit

AMD released its latest Catalyst software update. Version 15.9 Beta brings you game optimizations for Star Wars Battlefront Beta, and Fable Legends. It also resolves an issue where DirectX 12 (feature level 12_0) support was not being reported by DXDIAG on supported Radeon graphics cards; a Dragon Age: Inquisition related bug in Mantle API mode; and frame-stutter in Assassin's Creed Unity, in CrossFire mode. Some issues related to BenQ's 144 Hz FreeSync monitors were also fixed.DOWNLOAD: AMD Catalyst 15.9 Beta for Windows 10/8.1/7 32-bit | Windows 10/8.1/7 64-bit