AMD chipset drivers, OMG (rant).

ubersonic · 16 Sep 2018 at 12:44

Last night I tried to install the latest drivers for my X370 board and Jesus Christ the experience is still the same aids it was at launch (despite LtMatt saying AMD were aware it was awful and planned to address it).

Got the latest chipset driver from the Gigabyte site which was 18.10.20 and uploaded 20/06/2018. Went to install it and the installer checked the internet (for apparently no reason) and then told me my current driver was 18.10 and the local driver (presumably the one I'm trying to install was 17.12. Okay I thought, maybe GB uploaded the wrong driver or it's displaying wrong in the installer so I checked the details of installer in properties in the hope that would have some reference to what it was installing (lol) and that said it was file version 9.0.0.4, the product name was AMD software and the product version was 9.0.000.4, super helpful.

At this point I figured I would give up with using the drivers from the motherboard manufacturer and just get them straight from AMD (years of using AMD GPU drivers had taught me not to try that as a first port of call). So I went to AMD's site and that directed me to the 18.10.0830 driver which was released on 4/9/2018. Now obviously .0830 is newer than .20 because smaller numbers usually = higher revision (sarcasm), so I downloaded that (as according to the date it IS a newer revision) and tried to install it.

So this worked right? Hahaha nope. The installer loaded and again told me that my installed driver was 18.10 butt now that the local driver was 18.10, Awesome! Both drivers were released this year! Amazingly specific information >.> At this point I tried checking the file versions of the installer again in the vain hope AMD included any relevant information this time (lol) and it lists the file version 0.0.0.0, the product name was 17.4 and the product version was blank, again super helpful.

In the end with no way to compare what I was installing with what was installed I just had to install it and gamble it was a newer version. Seriously AMD need to sort their ****, it's now over a year since Ryzen made their chipsets relevant again and there drivers still aren't even in the same league as Nvidia's were when they ditched the chipset business lol.

opethdisciple · 17 Sep 2018 at 22:02

I stopped reading at "Got the latest chipset driver from the Gigabyte site which was 18.10.20"

You don't use the chipset drivers from the third party manufacture. Grab the chipset drivers from the AMD drivers web page.

Anther thing worth noting... if on windows 10 disable your network connection when updating drivers. As Windows will try and be 'smart' and download drivers for you and your end up in a scenario where windows is installing drivers your also installing and get in to a right mess.

Silent_Scone · 21 Sep 2018 at 16:19

opethdisciple said:
I stopped reading at "Got the latest chipset driver from the Gigabyte site which was 18.10.20"

You don't use the chipset drivers from the third party manufacture. Grab the chipset drivers from the AMD drivers web page.

Anther thing worth noting... if on windows 10 disable your network connection when updating drivers. As Windows will try and be 'smart' and download drivers for you and your end up in a scenario where windows is installing drivers your also installing and get in to a right mess.

To be fair, to ensure the best compatibility it's best to stick to the motherboard vendors versions, as each iteration is validated by them before being made available. What you're saying doesn't really excuse the lack of clarity when installing a newer chipset driver, which for all intents and purposes should be unintrusive and straightforward. The Intel ME driver does not require an internet connection, either.

d_brennen · 21 Sep 2018 at 16:29

Silent_Scone said:
which for all intensive purposes should be unintrusive and straightforward.

Funny how something can spark a memory from even years ago

https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/posts/29811915

For AMD chipset drivers, the AMD website has been the first port of call for ever, with the exception of some OEM notebooks.

Silent_Scone · 21 Sep 2018 at 17:29

d_brennen said:
Funny how something can spark a memory from even years ago

https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/posts/29811915

For AMD chipset drivers, the AMD website has been the first port of call for ever, with the exception of some OEM notebooks.

I know, right!

https://ell.stackexchange.com/questions/48066/meaning-of-expression-blanket-rationale

Rroff · 21 Sep 2018 at 17:31

opethdisciple said:
As Windows will try and be 'smart' and download drivers for you and your end up in a scenario where windows is installing drivers your also installing and get in to a right mess.

I expect as much as anything the problem is Windows 10 :s

EsaT · 22 Sep 2018 at 07:33

Rroff said:
I expect as much as anything the problem is Win~~dows~~toys 10 :s

Why don't we just call it as what it is, fashion toy of Microsoft for pushing their web store onto people?
And that's also how its UI look was designed breaking their own guidelines.

ubersonic · 24 Sep 2018 at 12:34

opethdisciple said:
I stopped reading at "Got the latest chipset driver from the Gigabyte site which was 18.10.20"

You should have carried on reading, wouldn't have wasted time typing

I still can't believe AMD still haven't sorted this mess, over a year since LtMatt said they were aware and working on it xD

opethdisciple · 24 Sep 2018 at 14:06

ubersonic said:
You should have carried on reading, wouldn't have wasted time typing

I still can't believe AMD still haven't sorted this mess, over a year since LtMatt said they were aware and working on it xD

I am inclined to disagree.

What makes people think the chipset drivers posted by say Asus (eg) is any different or better to use than AMD's official?

That's like saying we should not use Nvidia drivers but the drivers hosted on the manufactures website.... :rolleyes:

Drivers I get from source are AMD chipset drivers and Intel Lan. I don't use the Asus provided ones. They are usually older and out of date.

I mean you might have a legitimate point as to why the manufactures chipset drivers are the ones to use but I'm not sure I've heard it yet.

---

I do agree that there is a mess tho. I've mentioned it before that the drivers on the Asus website are a different size (chipset and lan) to the official ones. Sometimes 100x smaller sometimes 100x larger.

But I just ignore it and just get straight from source.

Silent_Scone · 27 Sep 2018 at 10:51

opethdisciple said:
I am inclined to disagree.

What makes people think the chipset drivers posted by say Asus (eg) is any different or better to use than AMD's official?

They're not, but they're the most recent that the vendor has validated to work with that particular SKU and all its features. That said, that has nothing to do with AMD's installer process.

HellDiverUK · 27 Sep 2018 at 11:04

It's fun when you've got an AMD GPU and the GPU drivers randomly install chipset drivers too. Usually breaking things.

Vince · 27 Sep 2018 at 11:44

I have had an AMD system for the last 10 years or more - I can't say I have ever noticed an issue. Does anybody actually download and update chipset drivers on any system these days? Going to be honest I don't recall installing any chipset drivers on AM3 and now on x399 I can't say I have actively installed anything here either. Same with my intel systems, Just having a look and the manufacturer of my intel system seems to have IME (Intel management engine) install labelled as a chipset update as well as 4 or 5 other packages? As for my x399 board, ASRock x399 Taichi, asrock list an AMD all in one driver for all cpu's im guessing this is what historically would be referred to as chipset, surely with the majority of what the northbridge used to do integrated into the cpu soc, chipset drivers are pretty much a thing of the past?

LondonGman · 27 Sep 2018 at 17:36

I have the gigabyte 380 gaming motherboard using AMD Ryzen CPU. the motherboard comes with software that should update the BIOS automatically with him the software.
I'm just going to leave that there in case i am talking about a different thing.

HellDiverUK · 28 Sep 2018 at 08:25

LondonGman said:
the motherboard comes with software that should update the BIOS automatically with him the software.

That's not what we're talking about at all. What you're talking about is Gigabyte's 'app store' thing that runs the @BIOS updater, the fan controller software and all that other nonsense. It's pure junk, just like all motherboard software (Asus' is terrible too). It's bloatware and should never be installed.

SupraWez · 11 Oct 2018 at 20:04

I only ever use the drivers from AMD site directly and never had an issue

Motherboard driver packs are almost as bloated as third party antivirus installs, sometimes four times the size in download etc.