As Microsoft has released its Windows 8.1 Preview, AMD has jumped on the wagon by releasing its new Catalyst 8.1 release preview driver that brings new upgraded windows display driver model, the WDDM 1.3. This one allows you take advantage of some new features that Windows 8.1 will bring when it comes to PC graphics.

The WDDM 1.3 will only be supported on AMD's GCN architecture based graphics cards while older VLIW 4 and VLIW5-based GPUs will be stuck with WDDM 1.2 based drivers. Microsoft's Windows 8.1 update will bring some significant improvements to PC graphics including Microsoft's wireless display technology, V-Sync interrupt optimizations, video conferencing acceleration, new instructions for the DirectX 11.1 API, as well as some other optimizations.

The new WDDM 1.3 driver model supports a bunch of products including Richland, Kabini, Trinity and Temash APUs as well as bunch of graphics card in the Radeon HD 7000, 7000M, 8000M, 8000G and 8000D and AMD FirePro models, while Llano, Brazos and Radeon HD 6000 and below series will have to stick to WDDM 1.2 driver model.

This should be considered as a beta driver just in case you want to check out the new Windows 8.1 Preview, while AMD will bring the official one as soon as Microsoft officially releases the Windows 8.1.

Source: AMD Catalyst Windows 8.1 Preview download.