Skip to main content

AMD’s new Crimson driver revolutionizes the Radeon’s desktop graphics back-end

Oops! We couldn't load this video player
Although there are a number of areas that Nvidia fans would suggest long-time competitor AMD is behind the green-giant in, one that we can all likely agree on is drivers. They’re less regular for sure, but some have complained about their function too. AMD is looking to change that with the launch of Crimson, its replacement for the Catalyst Control Center.

With CCC’s retirement, AMD is looking to revamp and revolutionize the back-end, desktop GPU experience that it offers its customers. The new software package is obviously different right off of the bat, as it features an entirely redesigned UI. Tabs have replaced drop downs, and large, graphically denoted panel menus make everything easier to understand and access in one place.

Recommended Videos

The whole thing is faster too, with AMD reporting that the utility itself should launch in under a second, compared with just shy of 10 seconds on average for the CCC. To make sure nothing gets in the way of new installs, Crimson also includes a driver wiping utility, that lets you clean out all mentions of AMD from your system and registry, which should keep it all feeling snappy.

Get your weekly teardown of the tech behind PC gaming
Check your inbox!

The new Crimson software allows for custom resolutions, clocks and refresh rates, easily chosen by the user. There’s also said to be better support for Virtual Super Resolution under Windows 10, as well as frame rate compensation with Freesync, which helps eliminate issues with low-frame-rate gaming.

What’s perhaps most exciting about Crimson, though, isn’t the additional features or the cleaner interface, but that it’s making games faster. Star Wars Battlefront purportedly loads levels as much as 33 percent faster than under the latest Catalyst drivers. The Witcher 3 also sees much more stable frame rates, reduced stuttering, and lower game latency.

crimsonfeatures
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Performance gains are also said to be found in Black Ops III, Fable Legends and the upcoming Rainbow Six: Siege.

You can even save yourself some wattage through frame rate limiting. AMD is said to have expanded its Frame Rate Target Control feature under Crimson, allowing for a maximum threshold for frame rates, thereby reducing the production of unneeded frames, easing off on the amount of number crunching your GPU has to do.

If you have a compatible GPU, you can download the latest Crimson Edition driver from AMD’s official download page.

Jon Martindale
Jon Martindale is a freelance evergreen writer and occasional section coordinator, covering how to guides, best-of lists, and…
AMD’s new graphics cards are sold out, and scalpers are already charging twice the price
Listings for AMD's RX 7900 XTX and RX 7900 XT graphics cards.

AMD's new RX 7900 XTX and RX 7900 XT graphics cards went on sale Tuesday morning, but they sold out in a flash. Some retailers only had cards in stock for a few minutes, and although there are a few stragglers, it's clear AMD's latest graphics cards are popular.

If you were hoping to score the RX 7900 XTX, you're out of luck. It's sold out at every retailer I checked, including AMD's own website. I queued on AMD's website for an hour to buy a card, but only the weaker RX 7900 XT was still in stock. It sold out during the course of writing this article. As you can read in our RX 7900 XTX versus RX 7900 XT comparison, the XTX model is a clear favorite.

Read more
Here’s why Nvidia’s shots against AMD drivers just don’t add up
Three RTX 4080 cards sitting on a pink background.

Nvidia is no stranger to criticizing AMD, and more recently, Intel, as the three companies duke it out for the best graphics cards. Earlier this year, Nvidia jabbed at AMD for its drivers, claiming that optional or beta drivers (which AMD frequently releases) are "sub-par" and don't provide a "smooth user experience."

And Nvidia is at it again, shortly before AMD is set to release its new RX 7900 XTX graphics card.

Read more
This new leak spells bad news for AMD Radeon RX 7000
AMD Radeon RX 6900 graphics card hovers over an AMD red and black background.

AMD's next-gen RDNA 3 graphics cards are just around the corner, but a new leak from a fairly established source tells us that it might be a rough climb for AMD this time around.

According to the rumor, the performance of AMD Radeon RX 7000 may leave much to be desired when compared to Nvidia's GeForce RTX 40-series.

Read more