Windows Drivers vs ATI Catalyst Drivers

[tritous]

Open question, discussion, and somewhat of a problem.

I've recently been having various issues with my pc, among the things I tried to do was update my graphics card driver: found the newest driver crashed madly, and rolled back. It's brought to mind a simple question:

What benefits are there in going for the newer ATI Catalyst drivers compared to the one defaulted by windows but which hasn't updated in 3 years.

Generally what could have changed? Compatablity? If it works it works. Stablity? Performance? Heat management?

Since it takes me 2 hours to download a driver (slow connection) I'm sticking on my w7 default ones: I know they work. It does make me ask though if there is a benefit to upgading after i've got my PC stable again.

 

[M1GU31]

newer drivers are made to improve performance and add new features in the graphic control panel and fixes bugs and issues that were in the previous drivers.

 

[tritous]

but surely once you have a stable version with no bugs it's not needed to change?

I do know ATI use a common driver system which implies that the older drivers, in my case the 48xx series, are only going to get WORSE as they get more and more generic to support the newer cards.

 

[M1GU31]

If your fine with the drivers then stay with them. Only when you need theses fixes or changes then you change the drivers to a new version. You can always look at the release notes of the driver to see what was changed and you can determine whether or not this would apply to you and thus make you want to change drivers. You could always stay with a older driver if you desire to if that is what your want.

 

[TGSoldier]

If it's not broken, don't fix it.

 

[tritous]

ive always found the documentation for the drivers either so non existent it is no use, or so excessive and incomprehensible that you can't make sense of it.

"if it's not broke don't fix it". The policy I've mostly followed. The question is should the motto be "if it's not better don't change it", and how do we know if it's "better"