AMD Radeon Software Adrenalin 2019 Edition Released

By Nathan Kirsch

AMD Radeon Software Adrenalin 2019 Edition (driver build 18.12.2) is available download right now and is packed with a ton of new features, performance improvements and bug fixes for Radeon GPU owners. The AMD release notes are almost 1,000 words long for this driver update and they released a Youtube video about it, so you know this is a big deal.

From what it looks like AMD did some major changes under the hood to ReLive and it feels like the most important new feature would be AMD Link. The AMD Link app allows gamers to stream and play their PC games on a mobile device. The app supports Bluetooth controllers or you can play with controls on your mobile device display. Any game that you own can be streamed as well as your personal video library. You can even stream VR games to a wireless VR headset. AMD Link is more than just game streaming and sounds pretty slick.

AMD Wattman also got some updating done as auto overclocking and undervolting has been introduced for the very first time. NVIDIA recently introduced an auto overclocking feature for the GPU only. AMD takes it a step further and allows auto overclocking for both the GPU and memory. If you wanted to undervolt your GPU to save power, you can utilize the auto undervolting feature.

AMD Wattman auto overclocking

Terry Makedon, SR Director, Software Strategy Radeon Technologies Group was interviewed in yet another Youtube video about Radeon Software Adrenalin 2019 edition and is worth watching if you’d like to hear his thoughts on the new driver and features. AMD has done some really neat stuff in Radeon Software Adrenalin 2019 Edition.

adrenalin 2019 drivers

Radeon Software Adrenalin 2019 Edition 18.12.2 Highlights

Support For

  • Assassins Creed: Odyssey
    • Up to 4% faster performance in Assassins Creed: Odyssey using Radeon Software Adrenalin 2019 Edition 18.12.2 on the Radeon RX Vega 64 graphics card than with Radeon Software Adrenalin Edition 18.12.1 at 1920×1080 (1080p). RS-277
  • Shadow of the Tomb Raider
    • Up to 3% faster performance in Shadow of the Tomb Raider using Radeon Software Adrenalin 2019 Edition 18.12.2 on the Radeon RX Vega 64 graphics card than with Radeon Software Adrenalin Edition 18.12.1 at 2560×1440 (1440p). RS-278
  • DOOM
    • Up to 5% faster performance in DOOM using Radeon Software Adrenalin 2019 Edition 18.12.2 on the Radeon RX Vega 64 graphics card than with Radeon Software Adrenalin Edition 18.12.1 at 3840×2160 (4K). RS-279
  • Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus
    • Up to 5% faster performance in Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus using Radeon Software Adrenalin 2019 Edition 18.12.2 on the Radeon RX Vega 64 graphics card than with Radeon Software Adrenalin Edition 18.12.1 at 3840×2160 (4K). RS-280
  • Strange Brigade
    • Up to 7% faster performance in Strange Brigade using Radeon Software Adrenalin 2019 Edition 18.12.2 on the Radeon RX Vega 64 graphics card than with Radeon Software Adrenalin Edition 18.12.1 at 3840×2160 (4K). RS-281

New Features

  • Radeon ReLive (1)
    • In-Game Replay feature that allows you to replay your gaming moments instantly on screen.
    • Scene Editor allows creation and editing of scenes for recording or streaming with transitioning options via hotkeys or Radeon Overlay.
    • GIF Support allows creation of GIFs via hotkey or Radeon Overlay.
    • Added platform connection support for Restream.io, Streamable and Gfycat.
    • Multi-channel audio support and 16:9 streaming support.
  • Radeon ReLive Game Streaming (2)
    • Bringing Radeon gaming quality to your mobile devices allowing up to 4K 60fps low latency gaming with hardware acceleration. Seamlessly transition from your PC to your phone or tablet. Free on both Android and iOS via the AMD Link app.
  • Radeon ReLive for VR (3)
    • Bringing ultra-high PC quality VR experiences to standalone VR devices with low-level hardware acceleration optimized for streaming and recording.
    • Streaming enabled via Steam, the SteamVR ecosystem* and available through the Radeon ReLive VR app.
  • AMD Link (4)
    • Better reliability for a stable connection.
    • Get started easily with a redesigned connection process.
    • Upgrade Radeon Software through your phone.
    • Voice Controls for Radeon ReLive and Performance Metrics.
    • Radeon WattMan support.
    • Enhanced Performance metrics for capturing average, max and min FPS.
    • Radeon ReLive support allows viewing screenshots, playing back video, cropping video and saving video to your mobile device.
  • Radeon Overlay (5)
    • Enhanced Sync controls available in display tab with per game real-time adjustment.
    • Radeon FreeSync controls now found in display tab.
    • Per-game color controls now available in display tab.
    • Radeon WattMan is now supported in Radeon Overlay allowing for in-game power and performance optimizations.
    • Performance Metrics Overlay now supports visual customization with adjustable colors, columns, position, transparency and size.
    • Performance Metrics Overlay now supports a lower sample interval and frame-time measurement logging.
  • Radeon Game Advisor (6)
    • Measures game performance and generates a detailed report with suggestions to improve performance or increase image quality. Available through Radeon Overlay.
  • Radeon Settings Advisor (6)
    • Scans your systems capabilities and provides optimization suggestions in just a few simple clicks. Available through Radeon Settings.
  • Radeon Upgrade Advisor (7)
    • Analyzes your PC for minimum and recommended game compatibility specifications with clear compatibility indicators in Game Explorer. Available through Radeon Settings.
  • Radeon WattMan (8)
    • One click tuning with Auto Overclock GPU, Auto Overclock Memory and Auto Undervolt GPU.
    • Change fan speed with temperature dependent fan curves and Zero RPM fan control.
    • Unlocked Radeon RX Vega series DPM states for finer power adjustments.
    • Targeted optimization of memory bound applications with new memory tuning feature.
  • Radeon Chill (9)
    • Improved Radeon Chill efficiency allows increased power savings.
  • Radeon FreeSync 2 (10)
    • Improved Radeon FreeSync 2 with auto-tone mapping for a more detailed experience in HDR 10 supported games.
  • Virtual Super Resolution (11)
    • Now supports ultra-wide 21:9 displays.
  • Radeon Installer (12)
    • A new one-click express install option is now available with installation progress and percentage indicators.

Added Vulkan Support

  • VK_EXT_inline_uniform_block
    • This extension introduces the ability to back uniform blocks directly with descriptor sets by storing inline uniform data within descriptor pool storage.
  • VK_KHR_swapchain_mutable_format
    • This extension enables processing of swapchain images as different formats to that used by the window system, which is particularly useful for switching between sRGB and linear RGB formats.
  • VK_EXT_scalar_block_layout
    • This extension enables C-like structure layout for uniform and storage buffers, allowing non-scalar types to be aligned solely based on the size of their components.
  • Sparse Support is Enabled
    • Sparse support relaxes the requirement to have memory allocated and bound to resources prior to being used. It also relaxes the requirement for the bound memory to be contiguous and for the memory bindings to be immutable.

Fixed Issues

  • Radeon Settings EULA screen may appear every time a reboot occurs.
  • Google Earth VR fails to load or may not launch.
  • Assassins Creed: Odyssey may experience a black screen when going into action phases of the game.
  • Assassins Creed: Odyssey may experience a game crash or TDR in some locations of the game like performing a leap of faith or deep-diving into water.
  • Forza Horizon 3 may experience a game crash on launch.
  • Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 may experience a crash on launch on AMD Ryzen desktop processors with Radeon Vega Graphics.
  • A limited number of users may experience a black screen or signal loss when watching YouTube videos in full screen mode on Chrome browser.
  • Battlefield 1 may experience flickering when looking at water textures.
  • Strange Brigade may experience stuttering when the game is set to run in windowed mode using the Vulkan API.
  • Radeon Overlay may fail to invoke when playing Kingdom Come Deliverance.
  • Eyefinity advanced setup options may sometimes not appear in Radeon Settings after a driver upgrade.