Missing updated AMD driver in Bootcamp/Windows

You may also provide Product Feedback at http://www.apple.com/feedback/.

bomelkr wrote:

The drivers provided by Apple are outdated and need to be updated! Now there is software out there that requires newer drivers, and Apple has an obligation to provide this...

Apple has not provided updates to drivers since the days of Bootcamp 3.1. Apple provides BC drivers as part of Bootcamp initially when new hardware comes out. There are many who would like non-Apple drivers to work on Mac hardware, but in some cases they do not. If AMD does provide update for Mac-specific hardware, you can try these. nVidia seems much better than AMD. Your assumption that Apple is obligated is not true.

Please see this AMD-specific example - Retina 5K - AMD Boot Camp Driver failure.

The nVidia example is Re: Huge lag in games on bootcamp.

bomelkr wrote:

Spoken like a true Apple devotee...

Is this a new tactic of asking for help, by name calling?

Of course Apple has a responsibility. They provide us the hardware and the software (including drivers) to run Windows in Bootcamp. We pay dearly for that, and of course that responsibility does not end with the sale. And, in some cases they prevent us from running normal drivers on the hardware by using obscure HW IDs.

If you want to run windows on a Mac, you need to accept the limitations of this specific aspect. You made an ill-informed decision without researching what you wanted, and are now asking Apple to fix something, that they did not break. I am certain you have posted on the AMD user forums asking for an updated Mac driver which they have agreed to write and deliver, correct?

Have you asked the software vendors to port their applications to OSX also?

I agree that the hardware suppliers have a duty to provide standardised drivers for their hardware, but when Apple (in their infinite wisdom) than go and change the hardware, that duty falls on them! Anyone with a touch of sense can see that...

Apple did for the iMac 5K by writing their own TMCON. nVidia WHQL drivers seem to work well on Macs, why is AMD not working, can you please ask AMD to explain?

Apple, get this fixed...

This is why I had suggested Product Feedback. 😉

I suggest you buy a Dell/HP/Lenovo/Sony/... and run WHQL-certified drivers which will support AMD drivers also. Macs are not an astute choice for what you want.

I looked at

http://help.ea.com/en/article/amd-mantle-api-not-available-for-dragon-age-inquis ition/

http://support.amd.com/en-us/kb-articles/Pages/AMDCatalyst14-11-2-BetaWINRelease Notes.aspx

It has the following requirement

Please make sure to uninstall all previous versions of AMD Catalyst™ drivers before installing the AMD Catalyst™​ 14.11.2 Beta.

What are the errors you get when trying to install these Beta drivers?

"Now AMD has actually updated their Mac drivers... To ver. 14.301, and I will try to see if they solve the problem. I am not very hopeful, since that is a seriously old revision."

I have been addressing a similar problem trying to run FIFA 15. At first I received error message stating I needed to update driver from 12.8 to 14.00. After many uninstalls and reinstalls of various version of AMD drivers I went for broke with the 14.301 version (i-Mac mid-20ll with yosemite and AMD 6770 video card running bootcamp).

FIFA begins it's start-up process and did not deliver message to update driver -- however it only went as far as the opening screen of Lionel Messi and froze (very unlike Messi indeed but messy just the same).

I attempted a Radeon Pro fix of forcing Vsync and enabling Tripple buffering with association to FIFA and Radeon card profile associated with Origin loading -- a shot in the dark with no positive (or negative) result.

Just uninstalled FIFA 15 and reinstalled and same result so need to give up on this and wait out a fix from Radeon/Apple. Will check back after a short vacation where there are no games except the ones in my head space : )

Keep working at it -- need to resolve!

I am totally in agreement with the frustration of the original poster.

If you look here:

http://support.amd.com/en-us/download/desktop/bootcamp

You will see that AMD is keeping the drivers for older Macs updated. So I would have had no reason to believe that all of the sudden this support would end, and for new hardware no less! That's right, the graphics drivers for older machines are being kept more diligently up-to-date than the newest MacPro. I have submitted feedback multiple times to Apple, both with the submission form and to customer support chat. I have submitted feedback to the AMD webpage survey. Cannot figure out how to get AMDs customer support feedback page to submit. But all their webpage says is to go talk to Apple.

If Apple is going to advertise their hardware as having the option to install Windows through bootcamp, the respectable thing to do for those customers is to at least keep the video drivers up-to-date. Considering that the driver code base is readily being maintained by AMD, bringing it over to my D700 is a trivial thing for Apple to do. So it is a slap in the face to the consumer to not accommodate maintenance of the video driver for Windows installations.

Further still, as a comparison, back in the days when I would get a PC with say a Creative Labs audio card. Even though the card was an OEM, I was still able to get up-to-date drivers for the hardware for many years afterward, from the manufacturer. I don't know what is going on between Apple and AMD over this issue, but I strongly believe it is a black eye for all parties all around to not provide driver support. I believe it is an industry standard courtesy and service, esp for video cards. While I used to say that the best Windows machines are bootcamped Macs, and for years have been purchasing Macs with this in mind, that has recently come to a swift halt over this issue. Even if Apple produces very nice hardware I cannot conscientiously buy their product if they are clearly going to brick the equipment, accelerating the obsolescence, over driver support.

Totally agree with that problem exposed.

Tis MacPro is just a piece of crap. You want the truth about the drivers? The cooling of the machine is atrocious and the graphic cards inside are just downsized and cannot work at full rates. Nobody asking why they do not launch a new MacPro? It is impossible, the design does not allow to cool much power.

I have had an older MacPro, 2 MacBook Air, 3 MacBook Pro, all the iPhones since the 3G and other stuffs such as Apple TV or iPods : I will buy a PC this winter... It's incredible to come to this point!!!

While I used to say that the best Windows machines are bootcamped Macs, and for years have been purchasing Macs with this in mind, that has recently come to a swift halt over this issue

Amen! and.. yeah.. I'd rather have a Apple MBP Windows than a surface for now.. but you know, I'm leaning towards getting back to windows machines now when the bridge between the worlds is collapsing.

Thankfully, with Windows 10 and the release of bootcamp 6, the AMD drivers have been updated. I hope that there will be continued updates for some time to come, and not years between driver updates

I have the same problem with my MP (late 2013), AMD latest driver is currently at 16.XXX and we are still on 15.301, we are the group of people paying the largest amount of money for a PC but getting the least attention for aftersales from Apple.

Apple, please get this fixed