AMD halts development of graphics drivers for 32-bit operating systems



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With the recent versions of Adrenalin Edition released in October, AMD has finally stopped supporting 32-bit operating systems. The latest 32-bit packages can still be downloaded manually through older notes on driver editing, of which Adrenalin Edition 18.9.3 is the latest version with 32-bit drivers.

The change is not a surprise. Earlier this year, NVIDIA stopped developing drivers for 32-bit operating systems, and early last year, AMD discontinued graphics driver support for Windows 8.1 32-bit. The pre-GCN material was transferred to the legacy state in 2015. Ultimately, the idea is to focus development and engineering resources, especially if these resources are limited. In recent years, AMD has renewed its graphics driver development efforts, dropping Catalyst for "Radeon Software" and making major annual updates for both gaming products and professional products. In this sense, extending 32-bit support broadcasts focus on very specific end-point cases for little benefit, and this goes for NVIDIA and AMD.

A mandatory look at the Steam Hardware Survey indicates that about 2% of users use 32-bit Windows, although the numbers can not be generalized to the larger PC user base. In any case, it is highly unlikely that the vast majority of users updating their graphics drivers updating their operating systems will be under a 32-bit operating system. Older 32-bit systems with AMD graphics are more likely to be in embedded applications, such as casino games and digital signage, but these support cycles work slightly differently.

As usual, updated drivers for AMD's desktop, mobile and embedded GPUs are available on the Radeon Settings tab or online on the AMD driver download page. For more information on AMD graphics driver updates, refer to the Radeon Software Release Notes pages.

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