Nvidia to abandon 32-bit OS driver support from release 390

[Arthur]

Release 390 is due later this month. I wonder if AMD and Intel will follow NVIDIA's lead?

 

Source: NVIDIA (via Hexus)

 

After Release 390, NVIDIA will no longer release drivers for 32-bit operating systems for any GPU architecture. Later driver release versions will not operate, nor install, on 32-bit operating systems. Driver enhancements, driver optimizations, and operating system features in driver versions after Release 390 will not be incorporated back into Release 390 or earlier versions. This impacts the following operating systems:

 

• Microsoft Windows 7
  
• Microsoft Windows 8/8.1
  
• Microsoft Windows 10
  
• Linux
  
• FreeBSD
  

NVIDIA intends to support critical driver security fixes until January 2019. For more details on product security, see https://www.nvidia.com/security.

Edited December 22, 2017 by Arthur

[FN-GM]

I am not surprised, I haven't seen a 32 bit OS in a number of years now.

[3s-gtech]

I have a 32 bit OS on two VMs and a couple of Bay Trail tablets that don't support 64 bit UEFI. In a school of 850+ PCs that's not bad, and the servers are just kept because they're rock solid and in extended support still.

 

Haven't had a 32 bit OS in my home PC for seven years (and I'm always a late adopter) so this won't be a problem for many!

[Arthur]

AMD has finally decided to do the same as NVIDIA. That just leaves Intel.

 

AMD Ceases Graphics Driver Development for 32-bit Operating Systems

 

With the recent October releases of Adrenalin Edition, AMD has finally discontinued support for 32-bit operating systems. The latest 32-bit packages can still be manually downloaded through older driver release notes, of which Adrenalin Edition 18.9.3 is the last release with 32-bit drivers.

 

The change doesn't come as a surprise. Earlier this year, NVIDIA ceased driver development for 32-bit OSes, and early last year AMD dropped graphics driver support for 32-bit Windows 8.1. Pre-GCN hardware was moved to legacy status back in 2015. Ultimately, the idea is to concentrate development and engineering resources, particularly if those resources are limited. Over the past few years, AMD has put in a renewed effort in graphics driver development, retiring Catalyst for "Radeon Software" and embarking on major annual updates, both for gaming and professional products. In that sense, prolonging 32-bit support diffuses focus for very specific edge cases for little benefit, and that goes for both NVIDIA and AMD.

 

An obligatory glance at the Steam Hardware Survey indicates around 2% of users on 32-bit Windows, though the numbers are not generalizable to the broader PC userbase. In any case, the vast majority of consumers regularly updating their graphics drivers are highly unlikely to be on a 32-bit OS. Older 32-bit systems with AMD graphics are more likely to be in embedded applications, such as casino gaming and digital signage, but those support cycles work somewhat differently.