AMD Confirms Old GPUs Still Fully Supported After Driver Confusion
▼ Summary
– AMD moved Radeon RX 5000 and 6000-series GPUs to a “maintenance mode” driver path, initially indicating they would no longer receive fresh fixes or optimizations for new games.
– Following backlash, AMD clarified that these GPUs will still receive new features, bug fixes, game optimizations, and support for new game releases based on market needs.
– AMD confirmed that RDNA 1 and RDNA 2 architectures are not at the end of support and will continue to get stability, security, and game optimizations.
– The separate driver path is intended to prevent updates for newer RDNA 3 and RDNA 4 GPUs from inadvertently causing issues for older architectures.
– This approach allows AMD engineers to develop features faster for newer GPUs while maintaining a stable, optimized experience for RDNA 1 and RDNA 2 users.
When AMD rolled out its Adrenalin 25.10.2 driver update for Radeon graphics cards, the announcement initially sparked concern among owners of certain older models. The company stated it was shifting Radeon RX 5000-series and 6000-series GPUs—built on the RDNA 1 and RDNA 2 architectures—into what it termed “maintenance mode.” This led many to believe that graphics hardware released as recently as 2022 would no longer receive performance enhancements or fixes for newly launched titles, causing a swift backlash across the user community.
Responding to the uproar, AMD issued multiple clarifying statements to reassure customers. The company emphasized that these GPUs would, in fact, continue to receive new features, bug fixes, and game optimizations based on ongoing market needs. When that failed to fully calm users, AMD published a separate post to directly confirm that driver version 25.10.2 did not signal the end of support for RDNA 1 and RDNA 2 based products. Both integrated and dedicated graphics cards using these architectures would still get game support for new releases, stability improvements, performance optimizations, and critical security updates.
According to AMD, the change actually involves moving older architectures to a distinct driver branch. This separation is intended to prevent updates and features developed for newer RDNA 3 and RDNA 4 GPUs from accidentally causing issues on the older hardware. The company explained that this dedicated driver path is built on years of tuning, offering a more stable and consistent gaming experience.
“These products now benefit from a dedicated, stable driver branch, one built on years of tuning and optimization,” AMD’s official statement noted. The approach is designed to shield previous generation GPUs from rapid changes made for newer architectures, while still delivering optimizations for current and upcoming games. By isolating the code paths, AMD’s engineers can innovate more freely for RDNA 3 and RDNA 4, all while preserving the reliability and performance of RDNA 1 and RDNA 2 based systems.
(Source: Ars Technica)
