AMD Ends Driver Support For Radeon HD 8000, 7000, 6000 and 5000 Series Cards

We missed this in the Radeon Software Crimson Edition driver release notes, but it appears that AMD had ended driver support for non-GCN based video cards and older APU’s (Llano, Trinity and Richland). AMD is providing an ‘as-is’ beta version of the new Radeon Software Crimson Edition drivers for those that have an older graphics cards that is still using it on the latest gaming titles or wants to try out the new software utility. If you want to use a WHQL certified driver you’ll be able to use Catalyst 15.7.1 drivers as AMD is going to keep that version around for legacy users. Those running Windows Vista or XP will be stuck using AMD Catalyst 13.12 drivers from two years ago.

If you are a gamer using an older AMD Radeon HD Series Discrete graphics cards it appears that now is the time to upgrade! The good news is that AMD’s legacy drivers for these cards are leaving folks with functioning Windows 10 drivers and that they aren’t abandoning their users. Some of those cards are over six years old, so you can’t say AMD didn’t deliver as we all know cards get retired soon enough.

AMD Radeon HD 8000 Series (HD 8400 and below), Radeon HD 7000 Series (HD 7600 and below), Radeon HD 6000 Series, and Radeon HD 5000 Series Graphics products have reached peak performance optimization as of November 24th, 2015.

These products have been moved to a legacy support model and no additional driver releases are planned. This change enables us to dedicate valuable engineering resources to developing new features and enhancements for graphics products based on the GCN Architecture.

As a courtesy to our valued supporters we are providing a final As Is Beta driver together with the release of the AMD Radeon Software Crimson Edition. The AMD Radeon Software Crimson Edition Beta driver includes the redesigned user interface as well as some enhanced features. More information can be found in the AMD Radeon Software Crimson Edition Beta Driver Release Notes.

For users looking for a WHQL certified driver, the AMD Catalyst 15.7.1 driver will continue to be available for users running Windows 10, Windows 8.1, and Windows 7. Users running Windows Vista and older Microsoft operating systems can use the AMD Catalyst 13.12 driver. These drivers are available for download on the Drivers + Download Center page.

For users passionate about gaming, you may wish to consider upgrading to a modern GPU and benefit from exciting new features, improved performance, lower power consumption and broader compatibility with the latest PC games.