AMD has officially confirmed that older Radeon graphics cards with RDNA 1 “RX 5000” and RDNA 2 “RX 6000” architectures will continue to receive driver support. This announcement comes after some confusion caused by the latest Adrenalin driver release, providing reassurance to owners of older cards.
Support for older Radeon GPUs will continue: AMD outlines its plans
The past few days have been challenging for the AMD Radeon team due to the Adrenalin 25.10.2 driver. Miscommunications around this release caused confusion. The release notes indicated that RDNA 1 (RX 5000) and RDNA 2 (RX 6000) cards would enter “Maintenance Mode” and be moved to a separate branch. The update also included other issues, such as the temporary removal of USB-C charging support for RX 7900 series and package size exceeding 1 GB. However, the main concern was driver support.
Initially, AMD stated to tech outlets that game driver support and optimizations for older GPUs would not be removed. Support would continue “according to market needs,” though the phrase caused some ambiguity.
Today, AMD clarified everything: RDNA 1 “RX 5000” and RDNA 2 “RX 6000” GPUs will continue to receive driver support for the latest games. This support includes stability improvements, game optimizations, security updates, and bug fixes. The approach will be similar to that for the newest RDNA 3 “RX 7000” and RDNA 4 “RX 9000” GPUs.
The main change is in the driver development approach. Older GPUs will now benefit from a “special and stable” driver branch built on years of adjustments and game optimizations. This ensures continued stability and optimization for current and future games. Meanwhile, the new driver branch will allow engineers to deliver new features faster for RDNA 3 and RDNA 4 GPUs.
This announcement signals long-term game support and optimization for all RDNA GPU families, including RDNA 1 and RDNA 2. It will be interesting to see how AMD maintains this promise in future driver releases.
What do you think of AMD’s new driver strategy?
Support for older Radeon GPUs will continue: AMD outlines its plans
The past few days have been challenging for the AMD Radeon team due to the Adrenalin 25.10.2 driver. Miscommunications around this release caused confusion. The release notes indicated that RDNA 1 (RX 5000) and RDNA 2 (RX 6000) cards would enter “Maintenance Mode” and be moved to a separate branch. The update also included other issues, such as the temporary removal of USB-C charging support for RX 7900 series and package size exceeding 1 GB. However, the main concern was driver support.
Initially, AMD stated to tech outlets that game driver support and optimizations for older GPUs would not be removed. Support would continue “according to market needs,” though the phrase caused some ambiguity.
Today, AMD clarified everything: RDNA 1 “RX 5000” and RDNA 2 “RX 6000” GPUs will continue to receive driver support for the latest games. This support includes stability improvements, game optimizations, security updates, and bug fixes. The approach will be similar to that for the newest RDNA 3 “RX 7000” and RDNA 4 “RX 9000” GPUs.
The main change is in the driver development approach. Older GPUs will now benefit from a “special and stable” driver branch built on years of adjustments and game optimizations. This ensures continued stability and optimization for current and future games. Meanwhile, the new driver branch will allow engineers to deliver new features faster for RDNA 3 and RDNA 4 GPUs.
This announcement signals long-term game support and optimization for all RDNA GPU families, including RDNA 1 and RDNA 2. It will be interesting to see how AMD maintains this promise in future driver releases.
What do you think of AMD’s new driver strategy?
