Catalyst Control Center

[OCedHrt]

I have a Radeon 9800 Pro, which is a bit outdated now, but still more than enough for me.

I finally decided to give CCC a second try to see how much it's improved over the last year, and to my surprise, after installing CCC I lost all ability to customize the performance and image quality settings of my card.

The only function CCC does for me is to change my desktop resolution and bit depth. A 66 MB application to change my desktop resolution in 3 different ways:
1. Right click on my desktop and choose resolution (nifty!).
2. Choose basic and be prompted by a wizard what resolution I want.
3. Choose advanced and choose my resolution from a pulldown menu.

What is the point of this lame excuse for software again?

I'm sure it works great for the X series of cards. Anyone with an older gen card can confirm this? Or maybe I just need some sleep...

 

[TheRyuu]

Uninstall all Catalyst stuff
THEN
Run Catalyst remover
THEN
Install JUST THE DRIVERS from the download (i guess 6.2 is the latest at this point)
THEN
Install ATI Tray Tools, configure as you like from there.

*hugs nvidia rig*
*hugs nv control panel* <-not that thats physically possible...

 

[Malak]

Don't listen to wizboy at all.

CCC was greatly improved after only like one or two generations of it. EVERYTHING can be changed, performance and quality settings, straight from the system tray icon. Right click the ATI systray icon, and go from there. If you have the latest CCC installed, then it should all be there. If not, you may want to download the catalyst remover, uninstall your drivers, and reinstall them again. It might just be corrupt or something.

 

[xtknight]

ATI Tray Tools is a great program.

 

[TheRyuu]

Originally posted by: Malak
Don't listen to wizboy at all.

CCC was greatly improved after only like one or two generations of it. EVERYTHING can be changed, performance and quality settings, straight from the system tray icon. Right click the ATI systray icon, and go from there. If you have the latest CCC installed, then it should all be there. If not, you may want to download the catalyst remover, uninstall your drivers, and reinstall them again. It might just be corrupt or something.

True, but I hate the loading times (and yes I know how to make them faster, and I still think it's too slow), I don't like the interface, etc.

I just prefer ATI Tray Tools. Try both and see which one you like better.

 

[theAnimal]

Originally posted by: xtknight
ATI Tray Tools is a great program.

:thumbsup:

 

[TheRyuu]

Originally posted by: theAnimal

Originally posted by: xtknight
ATI Tray Tools is a great program.

:thumbsup:

:thumbsup::thumbsup:
I'll double that (even though I originaly pitched the idea in this thread )

 

[Fenixgoon]

interestingly enough, i installed catalyst control center with the 6.1 drivers and its worked great!

 

[Painman]

According to Rage3D, you can slap the old Control Panel from an older Cat download onto the newer Cats and it works fine.

(But I prefer to go with Tray Tools as well)

 

[corkyg]

I have two computers - both about the same - but one uses CCC. I find it cumbersome, layered, and it tries to take over my desktop, tray and start menu.

The other computer, I updated only the ATI drivers leaving the old ATI Control Panel the same. They work perfectly that way and, IMHO, are more efficient and hog fewer resources.

Between the two, I prefer CP over CCC.

 

[TheUnk]

CCC works great for me.

Load times? Who cares? Once my PC is booted up I usually don't shut it down for several weeks if not months at a time..

 

[jjones]

I use the old Control Panel. I installed CCC when it first came out but didn't like it. Went back to using the Control Panel and haven't had a need for anything else. I'm curious though, what does CCC or Tray Tools do that I can't do with Control Panel?

 

[torpid]

I just upgraded my rig. Used to have CCC. Man I hated that piece of crap. It hogs the system and offers no useful benefit for the amount of resources it takes up compared to other control panels. Being that I program .net apps, it's kind of ironic for me to have this opinion.

I much prefer the nVidia control panel tools or the older ATI ones.

 

[OCedHrt]

Originally posted by: Malak
Don't listen to wizboy at all.

CCC was greatly improved after only like one or two generations of it. EVERYTHING can be changed, performance and quality settings, straight from the system tray icon. Right click the ATI systray icon, and go from there. If you have the latest CCC installed, then it should all be there. If not, you may want to download the catalyst remover, uninstall your drivers, and reinstall them again. It might just be corrupt or something.

There are no options when right clicking on the tray for my 9800 Pro, other than to run CCC and there I am given basic and advanced, where are functionally the same ><

Originally posted by: Fenixgoon
interestingly enough, i installed catalyst control center with the 6.1 drivers and its worked great!

I don't have a X800, or an X series for that matter

Originally posted by: Painman
According to Rage3D, you can slap the old Control Panel from an older Cat download onto the newer Cats and it works fine.

(But I prefer to go with Tray Tools as well)

That is what I am doing right now.

 

[BFG10K]

Use the base driver + ATi Tray Tools.

 

[sandorski]

Originally posted by: jjones
I use the old Control Panel. I installed CCC when it first came out but didn't like it. Went back to using the Control Panel and haven't had a need for anything else. I'm curious though, what does CCC or Tray Tools do that I can't do with Control Panel?

Not much. I think CCC is more about being Vista ready than about improved funtionality. Although, it does offer the Preview and some of the Shader Effect options I don't recall being in the old Control Panel

 

[xtknight]

Shader effects were in the old control panel under SmartShader. The preview is the only new thing.

 

[OCedHrt]

Originally posted by: sandorski

Originally posted by: jjones
I use the old Control Panel. I installed CCC when it first came out but didn't like it. Went back to using the Control Panel and haven't had a need for anything else. I'm curious though, what does CCC or Tray Tools do that I can't do with Control Panel?

Not much. I think CCC is more about being Vista ready than about improved funtionality. Although, it does offer the Preview and some of the Shader Effect options I don't recall being in the old Control Panel

Hey you have a 9800 Pro like me! Have you tried CCC? I'm curious if the lack of functionality is due to the use of a 9x series card.

 

[Jotho]

Originally posted by: OCedHrt
Hey you have a 9800 Pro like me! Have you tried CCC? I'm curious if the lack of functionality is due to the use of a 9x series card.

I can do everything with the CCC that I could do with the old Control Panel. The preview window is about the only difference I can see, as well as the Catalyst AI settings.

 

[rbV5]

Originally posted by: OCedHrt

Originally posted by: sandorski

Originally posted by: jjones
I use the old Control Panel. I installed CCC when it first came out but didn't like it. Went back to using the Control Panel and haven't had a need for anything else. I'm curious though, what does CCC or Tray Tools do that I can't do with Control Panel?

Not much. I think CCC is more about being Vista ready than about improved funtionality. Although, it does offer the Preview and some of the Shader Effect options I don't recall being in the old Control Panel

Hey you have a 9800 Pro like me! Have you tried CCC? I'm curious if the lack of functionality is due to the use of a 9x series card.

3D settings are available from the system tray icon with the 9x cards, works fine with my AIW9700pro.

CCC also has the profiles and hotkeys managers, access to newer features like temporal/adaptive AA, geometry instancing, AVIVO deinterlace and color controls as well as Catalyst AI (as stated)that aren't available in the old CP (I think Overdrive may be available in the CP but I don't recall now) Its certainly not required with ATIT available however.

 

[Malak]

Originally posted by: wizboy11
True, but I hate the loading times (and yes I know how to make them faster, and I still think it's too slow), I don't like the interface, etc.

I just prefer ATI Tray Tools. Try both and see which one you like better.

What loading times? What interface? It sits in the system tray, you don't need to actually open the GUI ever. I have never tried tray tools and can't even seem to see a single reason why to bother when the CCC already does everything.

 

[sandorski]

Originally posted by: OCedHrt

Originally posted by: sandorski

Originally posted by: jjones
I use the old Control Panel. I installed CCC when it first came out but didn't like it. Went back to using the Control Panel and haven't had a need for anything else. I'm curious though, what does CCC or Tray Tools do that I can't do with Control Panel?

Not much. I think CCC is more about being Vista ready than about improved funtionality. Although, it does offer the Preview and some of the Shader Effect options I don't recall being in the old Control Panel

Hey you have a 9800 Pro like me! Have you tried CCC? I'm curious if the lack of functionality is due to the use of a 9x series card.

Ya, I'm using CCC right now. The Shader Effects are there, but I haven't tried them out. Truthfully, Ive never bothered to figure out what the settings are for or when/why to set them. The card still plays newer games reasonably well, especially since upgrading from a XP 2800 to my current x2 3800, but performance in many of the games I play is very important and adding too much effects/eyecandy will make them unplayable.

 

[OCedHrt]

Hmm interesting. I will give it another try, as my CCC had no functionality other than resolution and refresh rate change. And the hotkey and profiles of course. Maybe because I still had the old control panel one installed.

 

[agathodaimon]

so, I just installed my new radeon card and I am using the Catalyst Control Center. I really don't have any clue about ATI cards, I've always been Nvidia... Until recent issues... But that's another matter.

What's the best thing to do for my card? CCC or something else?
How the heck do I find overclocking settings AND TEMPERATURE monitoring? is it in CCC?
Thanks!

 

[simms]

I'm using the Omega CCC Drivers on my 7500 Mobility.