Hello everyone,
I am confused by the AMD GPU driver options (on a Mac running Windows via Boot Camp) and their impact on performance and temperature.
After a fresh install of Windows 10 via Boot Camp Assistant on my iMac Late 2015 (4.0 Ghz i7, R9 M395X, 16 GB), using the default Boot Camp graphics drivers, I ran Unigine Heaven benchmark and got the following results:
34,0 FPS; 78 °C (using Macs Fan Control to set the fan to 100% when the GPU temp reaches 80 °C)
Then, I tried downloading a new version using the "Update" function of the preinstalled graphics driver. The download window suddenly closed each time I tried and it just didn't seem to work for some reason. The feature seemed broken.
Afterwards, I went directly to AMDs website and manually selected the latest Boot Camp Driver (using this URL: https://www.amd.com/en/support/kb/release-notes/apple-boot-camp). Installing that driver worked but to my surprise, the results were radically different:
41,3 FPS; 93 °C (using Macs Fan Control to set the fan to 100% when the GPU temp reaches 80 °C)
While I am happy about the major performance increase, I can't explain why the card is getting so much hotter, especially given that the fan spins at 100%.
My questions are:
1) If AMD has released a newer driver than the one that comes with Boot Camp, why does Boot Camp not suggest it as an update?
2) Why does it not work to use the "Update" function of the graphics driver that Boot Camp provides?
3) How is the driver that AMD provides on their website different from the graphics driver that Boot Camp provides?
4) Why does that driver from AMD's website result in 93 °C after one single pass despite the fan running at 100%?
5) What is the best AMD driver to use on a Mac running Windows via Boot Camp?
I am confused by the AMD GPU driver options (on a Mac running Windows via Boot Camp) and their impact on performance and temperature.
After a fresh install of Windows 10 via Boot Camp Assistant on my iMac Late 2015 (4.0 Ghz i7, R9 M395X, 16 GB), using the default Boot Camp graphics drivers, I ran Unigine Heaven benchmark and got the following results:
34,0 FPS; 78 °C (using Macs Fan Control to set the fan to 100% when the GPU temp reaches 80 °C)
Then, I tried downloading a new version using the "Update" function of the preinstalled graphics driver. The download window suddenly closed each time I tried and it just didn't seem to work for some reason. The feature seemed broken.
Afterwards, I went directly to AMDs website and manually selected the latest Boot Camp Driver (using this URL: https://www.amd.com/en/support/kb/release-notes/apple-boot-camp). Installing that driver worked but to my surprise, the results were radically different:
41,3 FPS; 93 °C (using Macs Fan Control to set the fan to 100% when the GPU temp reaches 80 °C)
While I am happy about the major performance increase, I can't explain why the card is getting so much hotter, especially given that the fan spins at 100%.
My questions are:
1) If AMD has released a newer driver than the one that comes with Boot Camp, why does Boot Camp not suggest it as an update?
2) Why does it not work to use the "Update" function of the graphics driver that Boot Camp provides?
3) How is the driver that AMD provides on their website different from the graphics driver that Boot Camp provides?
4) Why does that driver from AMD's website result in 93 °C after one single pass despite the fan running at 100%?
5) What is the best AMD driver to use on a Mac running Windows via Boot Camp?