Radeon HD 7990 “Malta” is stopped waiting for drivers

Already at the launch of the Radeon HD 7000 series at the end of 2011, the promise was made of at least one model with dual graphics processors. The graphics card went by the code name “New Zealand” and became a long story, where several delays eventually forced AMD to scrap the model. Instead, partner manufacturers were given free rein to develop their own graphics cards with two Tahiti XTs.

Now the official Radeon HD 7990 is up to date again, but this time the model is called “Malta”. Sources from partner manufacturers, however, tell SweClockers that there is again talk of delays. The reason is said to be problems with uneven rendering times in Crossfire, something that will be fixed in future versions of the drivers.

The problem of uneven rendering times with multiple graphics processors in Crossfire (and SLI) was highlighted especially at the launch of the Asus enthusiast model Ares II, which is also based on two Tahiti XTs. Some frames take significantly longer than others to render, which gives rise to so-called “micro stuttering” – small delays that negatively affect the gaming experience.

AMD promises to get the right side of the problem in future versions of the driver package Catalyst, but according to previous information, it is required that large parts of the software are rewritten for the whole thing to have the intended effect. Only when these drivers are ready for end users can the launch of the Radeon HD 7990 “Malta” take place. The latest offer for partner manufacturers is just in time for the Computex trade fair in June.