ATI Catalyst 9.8 Performance Comparison

The results of my test session suggest that AMD/ATI programmers have done a good job to optimize the graphics card driver for the new OS (and not only for it because Windows Vista and Windows 7 share the same Catalyst driver pack). The Radeon HD 4890 and Radeon HD 4870 X2 perform faster with the newer driver than with Catalyst 9.7 in Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X., Far Cry 2, and Company of Heroes: Tales of Valor. A smaller performance growth could also be observed in Cryostasis: Sleep of Reason, Lost Planet: Colonies, and S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky. In the other games and benchmarks the two versions of the driver are equal to one another. The new version does not provoke a performance hit in any game, except for a minor reduction of speed in Stormrise. I noticed no image defects with the new version of the driver during my tests, so Catalyst 9.8 is undoubtedly a step forward and I recommend it for installation and use under Windows 7 and Vista.