AMD no longer supports Windows 7 and 8 in its GPU drivers

Several days ago, NVIDIA announced its plans to cease supporting Kepler-based GPUs (the GTX 700 series) and old Windows versions, namely Windows 7 and 8. Now Advanced Micro Devices follow suit. But unlike NVIDIA, which is to drop updates for Windows 7 and 8 in October 2021, AMD has already released a driver that only works on Windows 10. Beginning with Radeon Software 21.6.1, AMD's GPU drivers no longer support Windows 7, 8, and 8.1.

Besides moving drivers to Windows 10-only, AMD has stopped supporting all GPUs released before Polaris. That means only those with Radeon RX 400 Series and newer GPUs can install Radeon Software 21.6.1 and all future releases.

Now, AMD users can only get new drivers if their system is running 64-bit Windows 10 (the company dropped 32-bit systems support long ago) paired with a GPU from the RX 400 series or newer.

End of support means new graphics cards that require the latest drivers will not work on Windows 7/8/8.1. Also, those systems will not be getting new features, performance improvements, bug fixes, etc. Pre-Windows 10 releases are now in a legacy support mode that covers only critical security fixes.

Legacy computers with Windows 7/8/8.1 and now unsupported AMD GPUs will continue working without issues. Just do not expect any significant improvements or optimizations for new and upcoming games. On its official website, AMD recommends its users "upgrading to a modern GPU and benefit from exciting new features, improved performance, lower power consumption, and broader compatibility with the latest PC games," which is quite a challenge these days.

You can learn more about the latest Radeon Software release here. Also, there is a dedicated page about the end of support for Windows 7/8/8.1 and pre-RX 400 GPUs.

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