Radeon Pro WX7100 - 30bit?

[JGMUK]

Hi

Would appreciate some help.

I am working on a problem for a client. He is using an AMD Radeon Pro WX7100 card driving a 30bit Monitor but can't get a 30bit workflow in PS to work.
I checked the drivers and the card is set to 10bpc. PS is set to use the card in 30bit, but... a 10bpc reference image is still showing banding so I'm assuming we are only 8bpc. AMD state the card supports 10bpc. Does Ps support a 30bit workflow with this card?

Thanks in anticipation.

J

[D Fosse]

Photoshop, as well as all other major graphics and CAD applications, use OpenGL for 30-bit display. Only the FirePro and Quadro lines can do that, with their own dedicated drivers.

The advertised 30 bit support in Radeon and GeForce cards is for DirectX.

Even so, OpenGL 30 bit display in Photoshop only works at 66.67% zoom and upwards.

[JGMUK]

Yeah, I'm aware of that thanks so cheers, but...

[D Fosse]

All current video cards support OpenGL, that's not the problem. They just don't support 30 bit display using OpenGL.

Sorry, but it has to be FirePro or Quadro.

[JGMUK]

No need to apologise Sir, your help is appreciated.

Hmmm, my goodness, that's very misleading on AMD's part; my client will not be chuffed. I use Quadro's myself and this is my first experience with the Radeon Pro line, but I'm sure you can understand my query; A card aimed at Pro's sold to him as supporting Open GL that has a 10bpc setting enabled in the driver, that doesn't actually output 10bpc using open GL. That's not so good.

Thank you.

[andreamaestri]

Hi @JGMUK,

It seems that your card can support 10bit Colour! And also be sure to check to check the 30 bit monitor option in Settings>Performance>Advanced Settings

Let me know if this help, if it doesn't write down your specifications (graphics driver version included!) and Photoshop version

[D Fosse]

As pointed out above, that's most likely DirectX 30 bit, not OpenGL 30 bit which Photoshop and most other graphic/3D/CAD applications need. We've seen that before here in the forums, can't recall which cards, but advertised 30 bit capability turned out to be DirectX only.

It has been so well established, for so long now, that Photoshop requires a FirePro or Quadro card for 30 bit display, that any change in that policy would have made headlines. That's a major paradigm shift. This isn't about technology, it's market segmenting.

(The fact that you can check the 30 bit box in Photoshop doesn't mean you get it. And the fact that you can check it in the driver doesn't mean you get it in Photoshop.)

[D Fosse]

Oops. According to some sources, Radeon Pro is the new FirePro. And then there's this: https://community.amd.com/thread/214322

I suppose there's only one way to find out for sure: does it use the same driver release as the standard Radeons or does Radeon Pro use the FirePro driver?

Checklist:

• video card in question
• DisplayPort
• 30-bit capable monitor
• 30-bit checked in Photoshop
• 66.67% zoom and up
• probably Windows 10. Win 7 had unstable 30 bit support. That's consistent with my own experience and everything I've read.

[davescm]

I suppose there's only one way to find out for sure: does it use the same driver release as the standard Radeons or does Radeon Pro use the FirePro driver?

According to the info on this AMD site, the Radeon Pro W..  and FirePro W... share the same driver (currently version 17.Q4)

Download Drivers

Dave

[D Fosse]

Ouch. That's me over here in the corner, with the pointed hat...I'll just sit here for a while...

So the question is why JGMUK couldn't get it to work. I had problems myself in Windows 7 (but not 10), so that may be it. And of course, it has to be a DisplayPort interface.

[davescm]

There was something you mentioned in your earlier post that the OP should check. Is the banding showing at 100% zoom?
The display may use a 10 bit/channel workflow but, as you know and eluded to, anything less than 66.7% zoom starts with an 8 bit/channel image preview.

Dave

[JGMUK]

No worries D Fosse, we are all human.

I've used similar setups for years myself but using Quadros, so I'm au fait with the necessary tech and steps required to get the matches to light. That's why I'm so perplexed it's not working with the WX7100.

Radeon 17.Q4 driver (latest)| Check!

10bpc enabled | Check!

DisplayPort - using correct cable | Check!

30-bit capable monitor - using ASUS PA329 | 30bit Check!

30-bit checked in Photoshop - Radeon pro detected in advanced graphics and enabled | Check!

66.67% zoom and up - Check!  - banding at all zoom levels.

Windows 10 latest version and all updated. | Check!

When you switch between 8bpc and 10bpc there is no difference whatsoever; that's why I'm assuming that 1: the monitors only being fed an 8bpc signal, or 2: It's perhaps a Photoshop issue in that the software isn't fully Radeon Pro WX series compliant yet?

[D Fosse]

I have no experience with AMD. With a Windows 7 setup/Quadro card it was very erratic - sometimes it worked, sometimes not. But since building a new Windows 10 system it has worked without a hitch.

Maybe try to roll back the driver to an earlier version?

Just out of curiosity, which monitor?

[JGMUK]

I had already tried rolling back the driver. No joy! Monitor - as mentioned above. ASUS PA329Q.

[JGMUK]

I tried sourcing an answer from AMD but no-one seems to be able to resolve this. Very frustrating.
My client was going to buy another 5 of these cards for his design studio workstations but it looks as though I'll be directing him to nVidia Quadro cards after this experience.

[SteamKeyStudios]

I have the WX 7100 also and NOTHING except 3Ds Max supports this card.....NO CAD OR renderers use this card series yet...I think Radeon screwed us all on this to try and fund there Vega tech and left us WX series owners in the dirt...I have 2 Wx 7100's and found out NOTTENING but 3ds max uses multi gpu's so I wasted 800 USD......yES I am pissed....Never will go AMD again..Plus it seems EVERYONE and there Grandma supports Nvidia and gets extra goodies like ray tracing,god rays,hairworks ext ect ect.......

[JGMUK · Accepted solution]

I feel your pain mate; however, I received a answer from AMD directly a day ago. (Not the speediest service, eh!) 😉

After recreating my setup in their labs and testing, I was told the issue was confirmed and is fixed in the next driver release. What's kinda worrying is that this card has been on the market for a year or so; It concerns me that a card aimed at Pro's that's supposed to support 30bit open GL in PS and has been set to 10bpc in the driver, has been pumping out 8bit and no-one has noticed it prior to me raising the issue with them. Anyway at least they seem to have fixed it. We will see when the next driver is released.

[davescm]

That's a result - thanks for sharing

Dave

[JGMUK]

Update

The new driver has been released.  I have installed and it works fine in Ps when you select and enable 10bit pixel format support in the advanced driver setting. However....

If you then try to use Premiere Pro CC 2018 at the same time, you can't see any video in the source or preview monitors. All you get is a black screen... which is pretty useless when you need to see the video footage you're editing. To resolve the issue you need to deselect 10bit pixel format support in the advance driver settings, save it, then reboot your PC. Premiere will then show video in the monitors again.

So if you want to use Ps in 10bpc and Premiere Pro at the same time - you can't. Comic cuts? Back to the drawing board AMD.

[D Fosse]

Well, that sounds like a run of the mill bug. Welcome, meet the others. It will probably get fixed next time, to be replaced by three new bugs nobody has ever seen before.

The main thing is that 30 bit color does indeed work in the Radeon Pro line.