AMD Radeon Adrenalin release date, new features

Back in 2015 AMD renamed its Radeon software from Catalyst to Crimson. Then last year it tagged on ReLive Edition due to the inbuilt livestreaming capabilities.

Now, at the end of 2017, it has renamed it again to Adrenalin Edition. Not after the hormone, as you might guess, but after a red rose which matches Radeon’s red colour.

The drivers include updates to Radeon Chill, WattMan, ReLive and Enhanced Sync. There’s the usual performance improvements too (AMD reckons there’s been a 15 percent boost in performance on average since Crimsom ReLive was first launched).

But the big news is a new in-game overlay which lets you check on your GPU, message friends and change settings.

Plus, there’s a brand new AMD Link app for Android and iOS so you can use your phone as a second screen and get all that overlay info without it cluttering up your main screen.

When can I get the Adrenalin Edition driver and Link App?

The new drivers are available right now, and you can download them from AMD’s website.

Similarly, the Link app is now in the Google Play Store and Apple App Store, and requires Android 5.0 onwards or iOS 10.0 or later.

Which Radeon graphics cards are supported?

You can get the Adrenalin drivers for the following AMD graphics cards:

• Radeon RX Vega range
• Radeon RX 500 range
• Radeon RX 400 range
• Radeon R9 300 range
• Radeon R9 Fury Graphics

Check out our RX Vega 64 review.

What are the new features?

Radeon Overlay

When you press Alt+R, the Overlay will pop up on the right-hand side of the screen when in a game. It gives you quick access to ReLive for recording and streaming games, performance monitoring (of FPS and system info), Radeon Chill settings (which now work on a per-game basis), FreeSync and colour settings.

With performance monitoring, you can quickly see the current FPS as well as log it over time (using Ctrl+Shift+L if you like).

You can also choose which metrics you want to see.

AMD Link

The new Link app works on tablets as well as phones, and you pair it with your PC by scanning a QR code displayed in the Radeon driver interface (click the AMD Link button at the bottom).

Your phone / tablet needs to be connected to the same network as your PC for it to work.

The app replicates a lot of the functions of the overlay which effectively turns it into a remote control for ReLive.  That means you can start and stop screen recording and streaming, plus take screenshots.

It’s easy to then share those captures on YouTube, Facebook, Twitch and other services.

What else is new?

Here are 7 new features you’ll get in Radeon ReLive in the Adrenalin drivers:

1. Integrated Chat – Talk to your viewers on Facebook, Twitch etc.

2. Chroma Key – Put in your own background with a webcam

3. Trim Videos – Built-in editing for videos in the gallery

4. Gallery – Where you view your clips and screenshots

5. Region capture – Pick just the part of the screen you want to share

6. Separate audio tracks – Now you can edit game and mic audio separately

7. Eyefinity support – Multiple monitors can now be captured