6-17-08 ATI Radeon Mobility X1250 Driver

[rjo]

Has anyone tried the new ATI Radeon Mobility X1250 drive dated 6-17-08 available from Dell's driver download site? What new features or fixes does it contemplate? Does it effect the Windows Experience Index? Better yet, does it emliminate the systme crashes?

[Steve S]

<<...Has anyone tried the new ATI Radeon Mobility X1250 drive dated 6-17-08...>>

Roger: See today's posting (18Jun08) on the XT Driver &amp; BIOS Update Notes thread:

http://www.gottabemobile.com/forum/f...=5422&amp;PN=2

This Dell update would appear to be ATI driver Version 8.491, an interim version of the driver between ATI-Catalyst Version 8.4 (circa May08) and ATI-Catalyst Version 8.5 (circa Jun08). The current version of ATI-Catalyst is Version 8.6, which was just updated at the AMD-ATI website today (18Jun08)!

<STRIKE>Although the AMD-ATI website is pretty good about documentation, they're not so good about documenting feature updates and fixes; however, you should feel free to research this for yourself, maybe I overlooked the correct hotlink!</STRIKE>

UPDATE: I retract the above comment; I was thinking about some of the Dell documentation, which is sketchy, at best. The AMD-ATI documentation is good, but usually written in terms of effects to various gaming software rather than generic graphics effects. This is good if you are a gamer, but less good if you are interested in general performance effects. To read the AMD-ATI documentation, look for the hotlink (in small type) near the top of the X1250 webpage:

www.amd.com - then follow the links to ATI drivers (32-Bit Vista > Integrated / Motherboard > X1250...)

So far, I have not noticed anyincrease in my WEI as the result of a video driver update (however, I did suffer a decrease during the very first round of updates which, coincidentally (?), included a Dell video driver update...) I now run ATI-Catalyst Version 8.5, and it seems to be functioning normally.

Interestingly, I have never had a BSOD or a system crash. What are you and everbrave doing...???

Edited by: Steve S

[rjo]

I installed the new ATI Driver (6-17-08 from Dell's Driver Download Page). It is too soon to know if it cured any problems, but the Rating went down to 2.3 from 3.5

[Steve S]

<<...I installed the new ATI Driver (6-17-08 from Dell's Driver Download Page)...the Rating went down to 2.3 from 3.5...>>

Roger: Exactly the same thing happened to me.

However, having said that, I haven't noticed any practical effect of this apparent degradation. My AERO interface seems snappy and I haven'tnoticed any obviously negative effects...

[spridell]

I updated my driver and put Vista back in Vista Aero theme. I got a Blue Screen within 4 hours of installing the new driver. So now back to Vista Basic theme.

My rating also went down to 2.3Edited by: spridell

[Rob Bushway]

mine went down to 2.3, too. I'm still not running Aero.

[Steve S]

...I have the low rating, but I'm running AERO with no problems and no BSOD's (at least, not yet...).


What's going on, here...?!??

[Ch00k]

There must be some other factor. I havent updated my drivers for a while, am running AERO, and dont get crashes. I suspect I dont use the XT for as long as most people here, since its not my work machine.

[Steve S]

<<...There must be some other factor...>>

Ch00k: I agree. The question is: "What?"

The BSOD thing is what bothers me; spridell, everbrave, rjo... What are you guys doing...???

[spridell]

I was browsing on the internet when I got mine the other day. But it just happens at random. I have gotten them when using google earth, writing a word documet, listening to music, there is no certain thing that causes them on my machine. I usually dont get the Blue Screen though. Most of the time i just get the ATI warning message and the computer freezes and i have no choice but to restart the machine. Only got the Blue Screen about 3 times all the other times i got the ATI warning message.