AMD adds beta support for Windows 10 GPU Scheduling feature

AMD recently released 20.5.1 Adrenalin 2020 Edition suite of drivers to beta testers and this update is solely focused on providing proper support for the Windows 10 May 2020 Update, also known as version 2004 and 19041.

In the release notes, AMD states that its 20.5.1 Adrenalin driver adds support for hardware-accelerated graphics scheduling, but the kicker is that feature isn't available for all AMD GPUs.

The feature is currently available for Radeon RX 5600 and Radeon RX 5700 series graphics products only. For now, it appears that Ryzen or Vega owners will have to wait longer for Windows 10 May 2020 Update's best feature.

The feature essentially allows GPU to manage its VRAM efficiently rather than relying on Windows 10 to do it. In a blog post, Nvidia confirmed that some users will benefit from increased performance and reduced latency in some games after enabling the feature.

After applying the driver update, you can turn on the feature by navigating to Settings > System > Display > Graphics Settings.

If you're planning to get the beta driver to enable the new GPU feature, do not forget that there are also a raft of known issues in this update, which include performance issues when using Microsoft Edge to play video content on a multi-display system configuration.

AMD is aware of the following known issues in Radeon Software Adrenalin 2020 Edition 20.5.1 Beta update:

• Oculus™ VR headsets may not display content or may experience severe performance drops with Hardware Scheduling enabled.
• Enhanced Sync may cause a black screen to occur when enabled on some games and system configurations. Any users who may be experiencing issues with Enhanced Sync enabled should disable it as a temporary workaround.
• Using Edge™ web browser to playback video content with a multi display system configuration may cause a system hang or crash after extended periods of use.
• Performance Metrics Overlay and Radeon WattMan incorrectly report higher than expected idle clock speeds on Radeon RX 5700 series graphics products. Performance and power consumption are not impacted by this incorrect reporting.
• Some games may exhibit stutter intermittently during gameplay on Radeon RX 5000 series graphics products.
• Radeon RX Vega series graphics products may experience a system crash or TDR when performing multiple task switches using Alt+Tab.
• Desktop or In-game corruption may occur intermittently when HDR is enabled.
• Direct ML Media Filters are currently unavailable in Radeon Software Media gallery for video or image content.
• Some users may still experience black screen or system hang issues during extended periods of gameplay.
• Some game titles may experience hitching when Instant Replay is enabled on Radeon RX 5000 series system configurations.

Radeon Software Adrenalin 2020 Edition 20.5.1 Beta is compatible with the following AMD Radeon products.

• Radeon™ RX 5700 Series Graphics
• Radeon™ RX 5600 Series Graphics

You can download the driver from AMD's website.