Not too long ago, I came across modified drivers for AMD Radeon GPUs that are supposed to fix bugs and maximize performance.
First, I read about the so-called “NimeZ” drivers, which later became the R.ID mod drivers. The project has now been set up in a really professional manner and even seems to enjoy official tolerance or support from AMD.
With this post, I primarily wanted to point out that such a thing exists and that it can be a real gift, especially for older TeraScale or GCN-based GPUs (more modern or better DirectX support, newer WDDM, better performance and compatibility, less bloat…). AMD’s graphics drivers have never been known for exceptional stability or long-term support, so any improvement is welcome.
In a quick test with a TeraScale 2 GPU (Radeon HD 6650M with 1 GB DDR3, notebook), I noticed a repeatable improvement in the double-digit percentage range (Unigine Heaven) without overclocking.
I wish you success with your tinkering, and don’t forget to uninstall the old driver with DDU.