AMD, new drivers say goodbye to three generations of Graphics Core Next (GCN) GPUs

Not just Nvidia with Kepler, too AMD breaks the bridges with the architectures and operating systems of the past. The new Radeon Software Adrenalin 21.6.1 drivers, important because they introduce support for FidelityFX Super Resolution technology, say goodbye to the first three generations of the Graphics Core Next (GCN) architecture.

Pre-Radeon RX 400 video cards and APUs with integrated graphics for Ryzen are therefore no longer supported by current drivers, with the 21.5.1 release which from here on will represent the latest compatible with old products. It should be emphasized that 21.6.1 say goodbye also to support for Windows 7, an operating system now abandoned by Microsoft itself, and retain compatibility with the various versions of Windows 10 64-bit.

The GCN architecture has given way to Radeon DNA in the gaming field, an architecture more optimized for gaming, while the umpteenth evolution of GCN lives in Compute DNA (CDNA), the AMD project at the heart of the Instinct computing accelerators. With this move, AMD says goodbye to pre-2016 GPUs, including the HD 7000 and HD 8000 series, but also the 200, 300 and Fury solutions. Also involved are some Radeon R7 M400 mobile GPUs and APUs that have marked AMD history – for better or for worse – such as Bristol Ridge, Carrizo and Kaveri. The complete picture in the following table:

“This change allows AMD to dedicate valuable engineering resources the development of new features e improvements for products based on ours latest graphic architectures“, emphasizes the company.