AMD Reinstates Support for Game Optimization for RX 5000 and RX 6000 GPU Families
After heavy community outcry, AMD has since revised its plan to stop providing new optimizations and features for game support for its Radeon RX 5000 (RDNA 1) and RX 6000 (RDNA 2) series graphics cards. In addition, the company rebutted false media reports, based on incorrect release notes, that it was disabling USB-C power delivery on the Radeon RX 7900 XTX.
An About-Face on Driver Support
The Adrenalin Driver 25.10.2 release notes from AMD had originally stated that RDNA 1 and 2 GPUs would be moved to maintenance mode, receiving only critical bug fixes and security updates. This was widely condemned as some of these GPUs have only been purchased in the last few years and are still in widespread use in devices such as the Steam Deck and most recent consoles.
Within a day following the initial backlash, AMD provided a new statement to Tom's Hardware to clarify its position regarding support for these GPUs:
New features, bug fixes, and game optimizations will continue to be delivered as required by market needs in the maintenance mode branch.
This new statement thus stands as a confirmation of continued support; however, the phrase "as required by market needs" remains quite vague. The explanation may point toward one interpretation being that day-zero game support will still continue for RDNA 1 and 2 hardware. Comparisons of this initial move to NVIDIA were not favorable, as historically NVIDIA has been known to provide extended support on features and games for older architectures.
Clarifications on RX 7900 XTX USB-C Power Delivery
For another issue in question in regard to the same driver release, release notes for Adrenalin Edition 25.10.2 incorrectly stated that USB-C functionality on the Radeon RX 7900 series GPUs would be disabled. AMD reached out to TechPowerUp for a correction, labeling a line in the original release notes "misinformation."
In its statement, AMD went on to confirm:
There is no change to USB-C functionality on the RX 7900 series GPUs in the 25.10.2 driver...We apologize for any inconvenience.
The USB-C port on the reference RX 7900 XTX and XT cards supports DisplayPort 2.1 passthrough and up to 27W of power delivery. Further testing confirmed that the port was still working just fine even without a driver installed, therefore corroborating that the erroneous statement found in the release notes was indeed an error.
Summarization of Events
Events surrounding this case involved providing erroneous information in official release notes, which, in turn, spurred considerable community reactions and required AMD to conduct several rounds of corrections. For the time being, owners of RDNA 1 and RDNA 2 GPUs may expect continued game optimizations, though how far future feature support extends will be revealed over time.
