AMD Releases Crimson ReLive 17.9.3 WHQL Drivers

Over the past year, AMD has stuck to a breakneck pace in driver development. Just last week, AMD released Radeon Crimson ReLive 17.9.3 as a beta optional release. That brought support for new titles as well various bug fixes. The headliner wa support for Total War: WARHAMMER II and Forza Motorsport 7. Now into October, AMD is releasing the same driver as Radeon Software Crimson ReLive 17.9.3 WHQL.

The move is somewhat surprising given the tight timeline between the two releases. Usually, with a beta optional release, there is not always a corresponding WHQL official release later. This is not the first time that AMD has done something similar though. More commonly, a WHQL release would stand on its own with its own version number and fixes separate from the beta that preceded it.

AMD Reaffirms Commitment to WHQL

In any case, seeing a WHQL release is a welcome development. Previous Radeon Software, AMD had made statements suggesting that beta releases would be the way to go. Official certification to get official releases would only slow things and is no guarantee of stability as many will know. However, moving to WHQL was a key goal for AMD in courting professional and enterprise users. This makes AMD GPUs more attractive for wider deployment and a greater sense of assurance to users.

In any case, it is nice to see AMD continue to put the effort into getting WHQL certification. While the tangible effects may be minimal, they do show off the commitment to stability and investment into driver development. Being early in the month, we can expect at least another real driver release for October if not more. You can find the original release notes here.