Well these updates can most certainly be useful, if done correctly. They just had to do it ON TIME, when it is uploaded on AMD servers. Even if it is a week late couldn't hurt, with the actual monthly schedule. Driver version detection must be improved. Is that so hard to recognize between some character strings in the registry and not offer the update if it already has been applied? Also driver rollback must be perfect, in case you find that your apps won't perform well with the new driver. So only 3 easy things to be done... and then it would mean a centralized, driver site in Windows Update. Very nice.
I got burned with their first driver through Windows Update as it was my first time out of XP, which left my 4800 management to me. As I skipped Vista I thought "well, Win7 is smart, if it's important, let the OS do it's job" and then went "bye bye computer ("... now I'm doing web research on their updates before installing :)