AMD promises to release Catalyst 13.8 with improved rendering times a week

Anyone using Crossfire has probably observed the phenomenon of “micro-stuttering” or micro-delays, which can also cause high frame rates to be perceived as jerky due to certain frames being delayed and taking longer for the graphics card to render.

AMD has made several attempts to get the right side of the problem, including in February’s Catalyst 13.2. The more general improvements, however, would appear in a new driver that was originally intended to be released on July 31, but this will be delayed and will not appear until later in the week.

The new driver is called Catalyst 13.8 Beta and is described as the first phase in AMD’s action program against uneven rendering times in Crossfire. The main news is so-called frame pacing for DirectX 10 and 11 in resolutions up to 2560 x 1600 pixels. The function is activated from the beginning but can be turned off in the driver control panel.

In the second phase, AMD will release frame-paced drivers in games and applications for DirectX 9, as well as support for resolutions higher than 2,560 x 1,600 pixels. This time, however, AMD chooses not to promise a specific launch date.

Update: Catalyst 13.8 Beta is now available for download from AMD’s website.