Advanced Micro Devices has launched its new graphics software, Radeon Software Crimson Edition, to serve as a “graphics operating system” for your PC. Targeted at gamers, the new driver software will enable computers to run games at optimal settings.
The move is the latest effort by AMD to cater to the tastes of players of PC games, which are a $33.7 billion market in 2015, according to market researcher Newzoo. The Radeon Software Crimson edition is the latest collection of software — such as graphics drivers that connect hardware and software in a PC — that the company has been delivering for more than 20 years. The drivers consist of user interfaces, libraries, tools, and applications that make it easy for games and other apps to work with your PC’s graphics system.
AMD announced Crimson earlier this month, and now it’s ready for release. AMD promises an easy user interface, cool new features, and a performance boost.
The latest Radeon Software replaces what was previously known as the AMD Catalyst Control Center, and it is meant to compete with rival Nvidia’s GeForce Experience. (AMD’s Catalyst software has been downloaded more than 1 billion times.) Gamers can use the software to auto-detect their hardware and figure out the optimal settings for running games. AMD has revamped the interface, and it is introducing the new Radeon Settings as a modern way to get your PC’s settings just right.
The features include a Game Manager that lets you view all of your games and their graphics settings. The system also has video quality presets, social media integration, system notifications, and simplified setup. Radeon Software Crimson also loads 10 times faster than previous software — now in less than one second.
You can use the software to set overclock settings (which allow you to run the video card at higher speeds than the factory defaults), and each game can launch with a different preset graphics settings. AMD says Crimson enables 23 percent better performance per watt and 33 percent faster game load times.
“As the primary way that people interact with our products, our software deserves to be viewed as a top priority, and going forward that’s exactly what we’re doing, delivering easy-to-
use software that is packed with real user benefits, starting with Radeon Software Crimson Edition,” said Raja Koduri, senior vice president and chief architect, Radeon Technologies Group At AMD, in a statement. “Radeon Technologies Group is laser-focused on the vertical integration of all things graphics, propelling the industry forward by driving performance per watt, creating innovative technologies and ensuring that the software supporting our GPUs is world class.”