AMD Stops Graphics Card Support For Windows 7 and 8.1

Nvidia recently announced that it will end driver support for Windows 7/8.1 soon, AMD is already taking the step. Because the manufacturer has released its 21.6.1 driver and that is the first one that is not available for older Windows versions.

FidelityFX Super Resolution is here

Owners of AMD cards can look forward to a new driver update these days, this brings as usual bug fixes and support for various games, but also a new feature, namely FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR). This is a new upscaling technology from AMD that is similar to Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) from Nvidia – but does not require tensor cores.

FSR will not work across the board for all games but will require appropriate optimizations. AMD has so far confirmed support for seven games, including Godfall and Anno 1800, for launch, with games like Baldur’s Gate 3, Dota 2, Far Cry 6, Resident Evil Village, and a few more to come at a later date.

Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 now “Legacy”

Radeon Software Adrenalin 21.6.1 is also something special for another reason, as it is the first AMD driver that only supports Windows 10. Earlier versions of the operating system, however, are left out and that means specifically or in practice Windows 7 and Windows 8.1.

The two older Microsoft operating systems have thus arrived in the so-called “legacy support model”, which also applies to older AMD graphics cards. The overview of the GPUs pushed to the support siding can be found on the AMD website. This makes Radeon Software Adrenalin 21.5.2 the last driver to support Windows 7 and Windows 8.1.

The legacy classification means in practice that there will be no more updates for Windows 7 and Windows 8.1; AMD will continue to focus only on drivers for Windows 10 in the future.