CATALYST 3.0 Update

*CATALYST maker* · Jan 10, 2003, 06:39 PM

Hi guys, just wanted to drop a quick note that on our driver download pages we have now update CATALYST 3.0.

It is now WHQL certified for all RADEON's and also fixes the OGL stutter.

Thanks to Zardon for beta testing for me this week!

the CATALYST MAKER

UberLord · Jan 10, 2003, 06:41 PM

Link: http://mirror.ati.com/support/driver.html

Grab em and post your feedback here!

RIV@NVX · Jan 10, 2003, 06:49 PM

Yes! Downloading it now!

Zardon · Jan 10, 2003, 06:52 PM

lets get some feedback guys on this driver. Terry and the team in ATI worked hard on this. post your findings in here.

LukeK · Jan 10, 2003, 07:25 PM

this set works great for me, all my stuttering has gone and MOHAA I can play again !!!!!!! as well as seeing the cool ATI demos in DX9.

great job ATI, I got a nice bench as well in 3dmark so D3D aint bust either.

nice interview as well, a good ATI week !!!

Jan 10, 2003, 07:29 PM

good job cat maker, set works good for me as well. nice n smooth.

RIV@NVX · Jan 10, 2003, 07:47 PM

OK, removed Omega's installation and just installed over the old drivers... it went smooth and asked for restart, I didn't restart and looked; Radeon 8500LE shown in device manager. Installation - excellent, updating without need to reinstall monitor etc - great (it has been there for a while, but I haven't had a chance to say that I like it

).
Going to be back report soon.

CPanel downloading in progres - 88% @ 3.83kbps

evergreen · Jan 10, 2003, 07:55 PM

What have I downloaded? I think there site may have been bogged down for awhile, but through my searching I ended up with two different versions:
wxp-w2k-radeon-7-81-021218a-007192c-efg.exe
wxp-w2k-radeon-7-81-021218a-007193c.exe

Which driver should I install when I get home--I've got an 8500?

BerndJazz · Jan 10, 2003, 07:59 PM

The first one. "efg" stands for english-french-german. The other ones contaains 24 other languages. the rest is the same.
You can read it here: http://www.rage3d.com/board/showthre...eadid=33658872
BerndJazz

shuki · Jan 10, 2003, 08:00 PM

need... more... mirrors....

Zardon · Jan 10, 2003, 08:07 PM

if you guys are having problems getting them from the ATI site, let me know, ill get an FTP up or something for them.

RIV@NVX · Jan 10, 2003, 08:25 PM

OK, here is a reply:
First I installed them over old drivers and this went bad (having messed Displays section in ATI advanced tabs, crash after restart and some other issues).

But when I removed old driver and then installed, installation went smooth and now everything is running good, but I still need to disable secondary display that is detected, but not present on my Hercules 3DProphet FDX 8500LE. Seems like a HW issue.
Now some game tests and benchies... will report soon.

evergreen · Jan 10, 2003, 08:27 PM

Yes, thanks for the feedback BerndJazz!

Renegade[CSR] · Jan 10, 2003, 08:36 PM

Ok here is my feedback so far, although I haven't gotten around to testing the games that have stuttering.

- Soldier of Fortune 2 cannot be run in Very High Texture mode without extreme stuttering. I am not sure if this is a game issue or a driver issue, this is just what I see.

Also, with Anti aliasing on, the intro movies will refuse to show in the same manner as with Tribes 2, as you will soon see.

- Tribes 2 Will not run with Anti aliasing on. It just refuses to run, and gives a flickering screen. This has been recurring in every driver set.

I will continue my testing and give more feedback as it arrives.

digitalwanderer · Jan 10, 2003, 08:51 PM

...ok, I'll download 'em and throw the 8500 back in Bubbles. (That interview REALLY changed me perspective on ATI, seriously!

)

Zardon · Jan 10, 2003, 08:55 PM

one of the important issues fixed with this driver set is that it should resolve opengl problems. I tested it earlier this week with ATI on several systems at home and performance was smooth.

one person has mentioned to me in email that he still needs to lower the hardware performance slider down one notch to resolve stuttering.

In all cases, I suggest a clean install of this set, meaning cleaning the registry first then installing the new set.

Xp2000 · Jan 10, 2003, 09:02 PM

Im going to do one better than that.
I have a new Abit n7f-s at home with a brand new hard drive as well.
Ill install them and then do a fresh install of xp and the drivers.
I do wish this fixed the d3d stutters. I know the opengl bug is bad but so is the d3d one.
I always play ut2k3 in d3d so I need it fixed. Still this is good work by ati.
I hope they keep it up and continue with more driver sets for us to play around with

Renegade[CSR] · Jan 10, 2003, 09:15 PM

It appears the stuttering in OpenGl is indeed gone, which I am quite pleased about, but there are still several opengl issues which should be addressed as I previously mentioned.

RIV@NVX · Jan 10, 2003, 09:15 PM

JKII works without stuttering now.
Lost about 100 3DMarks.

Zardon · Jan 10, 2003, 09:21 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Renegade[CSR]
It appears the stuttering in OpenGl is indeed gone, which I am quite pleased about, but there are still several opengl issues which should be addressed as I previously mentioned.

Tribes 2, well I dont know, never liked it enough to warrant a second play.

SOF2 works perfect, always has. I read a post that you couldnt get movies to work with AA on. they work fine here. I suggest trying another clean install, or a clean system to verify. might be some other issue in this specific case.

Zardon · Jan 10, 2003, 09:23 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by RIV@NVX
JKII works without stuttering now.
Lost about 100 3DMarks.

100 marks isnt really a "loss", you will probably find if you retest it will be the same or even slightly higher. Most people get minor fluctuations between tests with 3dmark.

good to hear JKII is working well. that was one I tested during the week with the new set.

No_Style · Jan 10, 2003, 09:26 PM

There was a text bug in the previous 3.0s for Mafia. Is it still there? I don't want to install it if it is still there.

Renegade[CSR] · Jan 10, 2003, 09:27 PM

This issue has been in the drivers for quite some time, I doubt it has been brought up.

I just want ATi to look into it, especially for Tribes 2, as the SoF 2 issue does not effect gameplay in the least, aside from the Very High Texture mode.

Zardon · Jan 10, 2003, 09:28 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by No_Style
There was a text bug in the previous 3.0s for Mafia. Is it still there? I don't want to install it if it is still there.

what bug was this---- can you be more specific? I dont remember seeing it when I ran it last.

digitalwanderer · Jan 10, 2003, 09:49 PM

Seriously, I am!

I can't seem to load the ATI download page, but the direct links work just fine for me. I was discouraged that I couldn't get the download or get the time to swap cards yet, so I cruised past nVnews to see if there was ANYTHING nVIdia news worthy out there.

There top story was the new Cat 3.0 release, with a note saying the page won't load but here's the direct links that work.

Many thanks and kudos, I pass along the links from an nVidia site with a lot of heart.

Win2k/XP
Win9x/ME

Thanks again nVnews, it's very much appreciated.

RIV@NVX · Jan 10, 2003, 09:49 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by No_Style
There was a text bug in the previous 3.0s for Mafia. Is it still there? I don't want to install it if it is still there.

I think that "alternate pixel center" option solves most text problems.

Zardon · Jan 10, 2003, 09:55 PM

funny quite a few people have said the ATI page wouldnt load, but its worked for me all night, and I just checked again, its still showing fine....

shuki · Jan 10, 2003, 10:00 PM

man, has my r8500 ever had better IQ??? I really don't think so. Absolutely beautiful! Though since 6200c I've lost 200 3dmark points but IMO, the IQ makes all that OK

cat 2.0 = 9802 cat 2.5 = 9761 cat 3.0 = 9602 (after defrag and reboot ran 3dmark twice got 9602 both times heh). Will do some gaming tomorrow and be back. Great Job ATI! And I'm with DW in having an all new hope in ATI. In fact, I've just got an r9700 on the way

RIV@NVX · Jan 10, 2003, 10:11 PM

Yeah, IQ is great! There is loss in FPS in Q3A and 3DMarks, but who cares when IQ gets better, right?

Arikel · Jan 10, 2003, 10:31 PM

I wasn't able to get to the ATI page earlier, but I just got to it OK a few minutes ago. I'm downloading them now, I'll give them a try later on and see how they work out.

Jan 10, 2003, 06:39 PM	#1
CATALYST maker ATI driver guru Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: ATI, Canada Posts: 678 Rep Power: 63	CATALYST 3.0 Update Hi guys, just wanted to drop a quick note that on our driver download pages we have now update CATALYST 3.0. It is now WHQL certified for all RADEON's and also fixes the OGL stutter. Thanks to Zardon for beta testing for me this week! the CATALYST MAKER Last edited by CATALYST maker; Jan 10, 2003 at 07:32 PM.

Jan 10, 2003, 06:41 PM	#2
UberLord A Legend in Underwear Join Date: May 2002 Location: Unknown Posts: 5,255 Rep Power: 0	Link: http://mirror.ati.com/support/driver.html Grab em and post your feedback here! __________________ Gentoo Linux - Developer (baselayout) Read my blog "I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours." Stephen Roberts

Jan 10, 2003, 06:49 PM	#3
RIV@NVX Freedom is a feature. Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Croatia, Rijeka Posts: 4,476 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	Yes! Downloading it now! __________________ -- Vedran

Jan 10, 2003, 07:25 PM	#5
LukeK DriverHeaven Lover Join Date: Dec 2002 Posts: 158 Rep Power: 61	wow this set works great for me, all my stuttering has gone and MOHAA I can play again !!!!!!! as well as seeing the cool ATI demos in DX9. great job ATI, I got a nice bench as well in 3dmark so D3D aint bust either. nice interview as well, a good ATI week !!!

Jan 10, 2003, 07:47 PM	#7
RIV@NVX Freedom is a feature. Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Croatia, Rijeka Posts: 4,476 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	OK, removed Omega's installation and just installed over the old drivers... it went smooth and asked for restart, I didn't restart and looked; Radeon 8500LE shown in device manager. Installation - excellent, updating without need to reinstall monitor etc - great (it has been there for a while, but I haven't had a chance to say that I like it). Going to be back report soon. CPanel downloading in progres - 88% @ 3.83kbps __________________ -- Vedran

Jan 10, 2003, 06:52 PM	#4
Zardon DriverHeaven Founder Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 32,480 Rep Power: 179	lets get some feedback guys on this driver. Terry and the team in ATI worked hard on this. post your findings in here.

Jan 10, 2003, 07:29 PM	#6
Billy Guest Posts: n/a	good job cat maker, set works good for me as well. nice n smooth.

Jan 10, 2003, 07:55 PM	#8
evergreen DriverHeaven Lover Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: West Virginia Posts: 148 Rep Power: 0	Cat 3.0a What have I downloaded? I think there site may have been bogged down for awhile, but through my searching I ended up with two different versions: wxp-w2k-radeon-7-81-021218a-007192c-efg.exe wxp-w2k-radeon-7-81-021218a-007193c.exe Which driver should I install when I get home--I've got an 8500?

Jan 10, 2003, 07:59 PM	#9
BerndJazz DriverHeaven Newbie Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Solingen, Germany Posts: 6 Rep Power: 0	The first one. "efg" stands for english-french-german. The other ones contaains 24 other languages. the rest is the same. You can read it here: http://www.rage3d.com/board/showthre...eadid=33658872 BerndJazz

Jan 10, 2003, 08:00 PM	#10
shuki DriverHeaven Senior Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: in the hidden place Posts: 1,975 Rep Power: 0	need... more... mirrors....

Jan 10, 2003, 08:07 PM	#11
Zardon DriverHeaven Founder Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 32,480 Rep Power: 179	if you guys are having problems getting them from the ATI site, let me know, ill get an FTP up or something for them.

Jan 10, 2003, 08:25 PM	#12
RIV@NVX Freedom is a feature. Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Croatia, Rijeka Posts: 4,476 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	OK, here is a reply: First I installed them over old drivers and this went bad (having messed Displays section in ATI advanced tabs, crash after restart and some other issues). But when I removed old driver and then installed, installation went smooth and now everything is running good, but I still need to disable secondary display that is detected, but not present on my Hercules 3DProphet FDX 8500LE. Seems like a HW issue. Now some game tests and benchies... will report soon. __________________ -- Vedran

Jan 10, 2003, 08:27 PM	#13
evergreen DriverHeaven Lover Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: West Virginia Posts: 148 Rep Power: 0	Yes, thanks for the feedback BerndJazz!

Jan 10, 2003, 08:36 PM	#14
Renegade[CSR] DriverHeaven Senior Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: Undisclosed Renegade Location Posts: 396 Rep Power: 0	Ok here is my feedback so far, although I haven't gotten around to testing the games that have stuttering. - Soldier of Fortune 2 cannot be run in Very High Texture mode without extreme stuttering. I am not sure if this is a game issue or a driver issue, this is just what I see. Also, with Anti aliasing on, the intro movies will refuse to show in the same manner as with Tribes 2, as you will soon see. - Tribes 2 Will not run with Anti aliasing on. It just refuses to run, and gives a flickering screen. This has been recurring in every driver set. I will continue my testing and give more feedback as it arrives.

Jan 10, 2003, 08:51 PM	#15
digitalwanderer Colour Commentator Join Date: May 2002 Location: Highland, IN USA Posts: 5,619 Rep Power: 0	Hmmmm... ...ok, I'll download 'em and throw the 8500 back in Bubbles. (That interview REALLY changed me perspective on ATI, seriously! ) __________________ WTF is up with the sigs?

Jan 10, 2003, 08:55 PM	#16
Zardon DriverHeaven Founder Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 32,480 Rep Power: 179	one of the important issues fixed with this driver set is that it should resolve opengl problems. I tested it earlier this week with ATI on several systems at home and performance was smooth. one person has mentioned to me in email that he still needs to lower the hardware performance slider down one notch to resolve stuttering. In all cases, I suggest a clean install of this set, meaning cleaning the registry first then installing the new set.

Jan 10, 2003, 09:02 PM	#17
Xp2000 DriverHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Jun 2002 Posts: 51 Rep Power: 0	Im going to do one better than that. I have a new Abit n7f-s at home with a brand new hard drive as well. Ill install them and then do a fresh install of xp and the drivers. I do wish this fixed the d3d stutters. I know the opengl bug is bad but so is the d3d one. I always play ut2k3 in d3d so I need it fixed. Still this is good work by ati. I hope they keep it up and continue with more driver sets for us to play around with

Jan 10, 2003, 09:15 PM	#18
Renegade[CSR] DriverHeaven Senior Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: Undisclosed Renegade Location Posts: 396 Rep Power: 0	It appears the stuttering in OpenGl is indeed gone, which I am quite pleased about, but there are still several opengl issues which should be addressed as I previously mentioned.

Jan 10, 2003, 09:26 PM	#22
No_Style Styleless Wonder Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Ottawa, Ontario Posts: 6,034 Rep Power: 0	Mafia Fixed? There was a text bug in the previous 3.0s for Mafia. Is it still there? I don't want to install it if it is still there. __________________ "The Best Style Is No Style" Specifications Here

Jan 10, 2003, 09:27 PM	#23
Renegade[CSR] DriverHeaven Senior Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: Undisclosed Renegade Location Posts: 396 Rep Power: 0	This issue has been in the drivers for quite some time, I doubt it has been brought up. I just want ATi to look into it, especially for Tribes 2, as the SoF 2 issue does not effect gameplay in the least, aside from the Very High Texture mode.

Jan 10, 2003, 09:49 PM	#25
digitalwanderer Colour Commentator Join Date: May 2002 Location: Highland, IN USA Posts: 5,619 Rep Power: 0	ROFLMAOTTRIME~~~~~~~~ Seriously, I am! I can't seem to load the ATI download page, but the direct links work just fine for me. I was discouraged that I couldn't get the download or get the time to swap cards yet, so I cruised past nVnews to see if there was ANYTHING nVIdia news worthy out there. There top story was the new Cat 3.0 release, with a note saying the page won't load but here's the direct links that work. Many thanks and kudos, I pass along the links from an nVidia site with a lot of heart. Win2k/XP Win9x/ME Thanks again nVnews, it's very much appreciated. __________________ WTF is up with the sigs?

Jan 10, 2003, 09:55 PM	#27
Zardon DriverHeaven Founder Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 32,480 Rep Power: 179	funny quite a few people have said the ATI page wouldnt load, but its worked for me all night, and I just checked again, its still showing fine....

Jan 10, 2003, 10:00 PM	#28
shuki DriverHeaven Senior Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: in the hidden place Posts: 1,975 Rep Power: 0	man, has my r8500 ever had better IQ??? I really don't think so. Absolutely beautiful! Though since 6200c I've lost 200 3dmark points but IMO, the IQ makes all that OK cat 2.0 = 9802 cat 2.5 = 9761 cat 3.0 = 9602 (after defrag and reboot ran 3dmark twice got 9602 both times heh). Will do some gaming tomorrow and be back. Great Job ATI! And I'm with DW in having an all new hope in ATI. In fact, I've just got an r9700 on the way

Jan 10, 2003, 10:11 PM	#29
RIV@NVX Freedom is a feature. Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Croatia, Rijeka Posts: 4,476 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	Yeah, IQ is great! There is loss in FPS in Q3A and 3DMarks, but who cares when IQ gets better, right? __________________ -- Vedran

Jan 10, 2003, 10:31 PM	#30
Arikel DriverHeaven Lover Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 225 Rep Power: 0	I wasn't able to get to the ATI page earlier, but I just got to it OK a few minutes ago. I'm downloading them now, I'll give them a try later on and see how they work out.