ati control panel ?

[Riddick]

Heya guyz

I just wanted to know what AtI control panel actually is and what it does. is it something similiar to the dets control panel in right click desktop properties --> display -->settings advanced --> (nvidia card) ?

Also when using the ati control panel, must the version be the same as ur catalysts ? (eg ati control panel 3.5 for cats 3.5 )

thx and cheeers

[Black Hawk]

It's the same as nVidia's but with more options. I guess you have to use the same version. The downloads are usually together.

[Riddick]

there doesnt seem to be an ati control panel for the 3.6 cats tho.. please clarify me if im wrong :x

how are is the control panel accessed? is it thru the same method as nvidia ?

[GHoosdum]

Yes; it is accessed the same. If you download the Omega Catalyst 3.6 (www.omegacorner.com) the Control panel is built-in to the driver; and the driver is optimized for performance and image quality... it's a smaller more efficient size too. You just need to uninstall any contol panel that is previously installed first.

[Riddick]

i see :D

would one have any negative sideeffects if the control panel wasnt installed together with the cats in terms of performance?

and i gather omega cats>default cats ?

[GHoosdum]

I don't think you'd see a performance drop... I've run with and without the control panel and not seen any difference in game performance. A little less customizability in the view is all...

The Omega Cats are usually better than the default Cats. Particularly for the 9500/9700 series cards, but they usually give a bit of a performance and usually an image quality boost to other models as well.

[SimGuy]

Yep, ATI Control Panel = NVidia Control Panel Extensions.

You SHOULDN'T mix driver revisions with ATI Control Panel revisions, as it can make for nasty driver problems. Say for instance a new feature was written into the 3.6 Catalyst drivers, and you only have the 3.5 Catalyst drivers installed. Installing the 3.6 Control Panel and attempting to enable that feature could crash your PC, as the code modifications to the driver don't exist in the previous package. Play it safe and keep the revisions the same, unless you like living on the edge. :)

There is absolutely no performance difference between running your Catalyst drivers with the ATI Control Panel or without the control panel. :)

(Just tested this fact on my system). :)

Omega's drivers increase performance and visual quality to levels that are better than the ATI Catalyst drivers.

Before you install the Omega's, make sure you uninstall any previous ATI Catalyst/Control Panel drivers & applications you had previously installed. :)

[Riddick]

Hmm, i find the driver revisions confusing (they arent labled 3.5 3.6 etc) how would i know which is da latest ?

[Enverex]

er....... higher number = newer

NS

[GHoosdum]

The Omega drivers 2.4.74 are the Cat 3.6s for Win2K and XP, and the 2.6.16 are the Cat 3.6 for WinMe and all the other crap that's not NT-based.