September has been busy but it's not quite over just yet, and AMD Radeon are finishing it with a modest flourish. This weekend they have released their final Radeon Software update for the month, in this instance preparing the way for the release of Assassin's Creed: Odyssey and Forza Horizon 4 on PC.
The Radeon Software Adrenalin Edition 18.9.3 update is a driver primed for optimal day one support in two new Triple-A games due in the first week of October. Scheduled for October 2nd is Forza Horizon 4, developed by Turn 10 and Playground Games, published by Microsoft Studios for Windows 10. Launching on the same day for Special Edition Early Access is Assassin's Creed: Odyssey, followed by a general release of the game on October 5th.
RSAE 18.9.3 is non-specific with regards to improvements in Forza Horizon 4, but far more explicit in when it comes to AC:Odyssey. The release notes detail improvements of 3-5% with the RX580 and Vega64 tested at 1080p and 1440p respectively. Of greater importance will be tangible benefits to minimum frame rates and stutter (i.e. 99th percentile frame times) that can be an issue with poorly optimised titles at launch.
Of course, there is another reason why it's in AMD's best interests to optimise for AC: Odyssey. The game is part of the Raise The Game promotion, which has bundled it and two other new games alongside new AMD graphics hardware bought in the last six weeks.
These drivers also fix two significant 'known issues': a FreeSync stuttering issue when in-game frame rates exceeded monitor limits, and a driver installation problem for systems with 16-core CPUs. Neither are groundbreaking, but it's always pleasant to see manufacturers take support responsibilities seriously. Two other issues have been added to the known issues list with this release, to be addressed in a future update.
Download the Radeon Software Adrenalin Edition 18.9.3 drivers here. Driver packages are available for 32 and 64-bit versions of Windows 7 and 10.
Release Note (summary)
Radeon Software Adrenalin Edition 18.9.3 Highlights
Support For
Assassin's Creed® Odyssey
- Up to 3% faster performance in Assassin’s Creed® Odyssey using Radeon™ Software Adrenalin Edition 18.9.3 on the Radeon™ RX 580 graphics card than with Radeon™ Software Adrenalin Edition 18.9.1 at 1920x1080 (1080p).RS-254
- Up to 5% faster performance in Assassin’s Creed® Odyssey using Radeon™ Software Adrenalin Edition 18.9.3 on the Radeon™ RX Vega 64 graphics card than with Radeon™ Software Adrenalin Edition 18.9.1 at 2560x1440 (1440p).RS-255
Forza Horizon 4
Fixed Issues
- Stutter may be observed when exceeding Radeon FreeSync range in certain high framerate scenarios.
- System configurations with 16 CPU cores may experience a random system reboot during installation when upgrading Radeon Software from a version older than RSAE 18.8.1.
Known Issues
- Some AMD Ryzen™ Desktop Processors with Radeon™ Vega Graphics system configurations may experience a black screen during installation downgrade to a previous Radeon Software version. A recommended workaround is to perform a clean install during Radeon Software installation.
- Radeon RX Vega Series graphics products may experience elevated memory clocks during system idle.
Footnotes
- Testing conducted by AMD Performance Labs as of September 25th, 2018 on the 8GB Radeon™ RX 580, on a test system comprising of Intel i7 7700k CPU (4.2 GHz), 16GB DDR4-3000 Mhz system memory, and Windows 10 x64. PC manufacturers may vary configurations, yielding different results. With high preset settings on Assassin’s Creed Odyssey at 1920x1080, Radeon™ RX 580 scored 50.3 FPS with Radeon Software Adrenalin Edition 18.9.1, whereas the Radeon™ RX 580 scored 51.9 FPS with Radeon Software Adrenalin Edition 18.9.3. Comparing software versions, Radeon Software Adrenalin Edition 18.9.3 has 3% faster performance in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. Performance may vary based on use of latest drivers. RS-254
- Testing conducted by AMD Performance Labs as of September 25th, 2018 on the 8GB Radeon™ RX Vega 64, on a test system comprising of Intel i7 7700k CPU (4.2 GHz), 16GB DDR4-3000 Mhz system memory, and Windows 10 x64. PC manufacturers may vary configurations, yielding different results. With high preset settings on Assassin’s Creed Odyssey at 2560x1440, Radeon™ RX Vega 64 scored 54.8 FPS with Radeon Software Adrenalin Edition 18.9.1, whereas the Radeon™ RX Vega 64 scored 57.4 FPS with Radeon Software Adrenalin Edition 18.9.3. Comparing software versions, Radeon Software Adrenalin Edition 18.9.3 has 5% faster performance in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. Performance may vary based on use of latest drivers. RS-255
Package Contents
The Radeon Software Adrenalin Edition 18.9.3 installation package contains the following:
- Radeon Software Adrenalin Edition 18.9.3 Driver Version 18.30.19.01 (Windows Driver Store Version 24.20.13019.1008)
Support For
Assassin's Creed® Odyssey
- Up to 3% faster performance in Assassin’s Creed® Odyssey using Radeon™ Software Adrenalin Edition 18.9.3 on the Radeon™ RX 580 graphics card than with Radeon™ Software Adrenalin Edition 18.9.1 at 1920x1080 (1080p).RS-254
- Up to 5% faster performance in Assassin’s Creed® Odyssey using Radeon™ Software Adrenalin Edition 18.9.3 on the Radeon™ RX Vega 64 graphics card than with Radeon™ Software Adrenalin Edition 18.9.1 at 2560x1440 (1440p).RS-255
Forza Horizon 4
Fixed Issues
- Stutter may be observed when exceeding Radeon FreeSync range in certain high framerate scenarios.
- System configurations with 16 CPU cores may experience a random system reboot during installation when upgrading Radeon Software from a version older than RSAE 18.8.1.
Known Issues
- Some AMD Ryzen™ Desktop Processors with Radeon™ Vega Graphics system configurations may experience a black screen during installation downgrade to a previous Radeon Software version. A recommended workaround is to perform a clean install during Radeon Software installation.
- Radeon RX Vega Series graphics products may experience elevated memory clocks during system idle.
Footnotes
- Testing conducted by AMD Performance Labs as of September 25th, 2018 on the 8GB Radeon™ RX 580, on a test system comprising of Intel i7 7700k CPU (4.2 GHz), 16GB DDR4-3000 Mhz system memory, and Windows 10 x64. PC manufacturers may vary configurations, yielding different results. With high preset settings on Assassin’s Creed Odyssey at 1920x1080, Radeon™ RX 580 scored 50.3 FPS with Radeon Software Adrenalin Edition 18.9.1, whereas the Radeon™ RX 580 scored 51.9 FPS with Radeon Software Adrenalin Edition 18.9.3. Comparing software versions, Radeon Software Adrenalin Edition 18.9.3 has 3% faster performance in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. Performance may vary based on use of latest drivers. RS-254
- Testing conducted by AMD Performance Labs as of September 25th, 2018 on the 8GB Radeon™ RX Vega 64, on a test system comprising of Intel i7 7700k CPU (4.2 GHz), 16GB DDR4-3000 Mhz system memory, and Windows 10 x64. PC manufacturers may vary configurations, yielding different results. With high preset settings on Assassin’s Creed Odyssey at 2560x1440, Radeon™ RX Vega 64 scored 54.8 FPS with Radeon Software Adrenalin Edition 18.9.1, whereas the Radeon™ RX Vega 64 scored 57.4 FPS with Radeon Software Adrenalin Edition 18.9.3. Comparing software versions, Radeon Software Adrenalin Edition 18.9.3 has 5% faster performance in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. Performance may vary based on use of latest drivers. RS-255
Package Contents
The Radeon Software Adrenalin Edition 18.9.3 installation package contains the following:
- Radeon Software Adrenalin Edition 18.9.3 Driver Version 18.30.19.01 (Windows Driver Store Version 24.20.13019.1008)
