The latest ATI driver package -- Catalyst 10.7 -- adds a handful of new features and a spattering of performance improvements, as well as a bunch of bug fixes, AMD says.

Several tweaks were made with Eyefinity users in mind. For example, maximizing a window across displays will now take user defined bezel compensation into account. The new drivers automatically adjust window position when dragging and dropping windows to ensure title bar visibility, and Eyefinity users will now benefit from proper dialog box placement -- they're no longer hidden behind bezels.

Other notable features include GPU acceleration of H.264 content when using VLC 1.1.1, CrossFireX support for rotated displays, and enhanced pull-down detection.

Hit the jump to see what else Catalyst 10.7 brings to the table.

It won't be long before Nvidia releases its next set of WHQL-certified drivers for its GeForce family of graphics cards, but if you simply can't wait, or want to get a sneak peek at what lies ahead, beta drivers are now available for download.

The beta 258.69 drivers usher in support for Nvidia's 3D Vision Surround technology, "which works with SLI and PhysX controls to combine multiple displays to act as one larger display, allowing a panoramic view of full-screen games or your desktop." Think of it as Nvidia's take on Eyefinity, though it's not exactly the same thing.

Other changes include:

• Added support for GeForcet GTX 400M series of notebook GPUs
• Updates PhysX System Software to v9.10.0223
• Updates the HD audio driver to version 1.0.9.1

There are some limitations in the beta release. Surround gaming with 3-way SLI doesn't work, and the Graph tab on the Adjust Desktop Color Settings page in the Nvidia Control Panel Display Category isn't available.

Windows 7 / Vista 32-bit
Windows 7 / Vista 64-bit
Release Notes (PDF)

New drivers are available for AMD videocard owners, which add a handful of new features and a bunch of performance improvements. The Catalyst 10.6 driver suite brings GPU acceleration of H.264 video content using Adobe Flash Player 10.1, video deblocking support, Mosquito noise reduction, and official support for OpenGL 4.0 and OpenGL 3.3.

Performance gains range anywhere from 5 to 18 percent, some of which include:

• 3DMark Vantage: Up to 5 percent on a single ATI Radeon HD 5970
• Batman: Arkham Asylum: Up to 10 percent  on CrossFire HD 5970
• Crysis Warhead: Up to 7 percent on all HD 5000 series cards
• Wolfenstein: Up to 18 percent on CrossFire HD 5800 and single card HD 5970 cards

The latest driver release also resolves a bevy of issues across all modern Windows platforms, fixing everything from desktop corruption while playing SD/Blu-ray content on a 120Hz display (Windows XP), to addressing an issue in Windows 7 that caused CrossFire to become disabled when booting the OS without displays connected.

Download
Release Notes (PDF)

We're not sure why exactly Nvidia chose to make the leap from version 197 to 256 for its latest drivers, but whatever, designation aside, the first beta release for the 256 driver-set is available now, and it includes a whole bunch of goodies.

Release 256 are the first drivers to incorporate Blu-ray 3D acceleration for the PC (see here for system requirements), just in time for the first 3D Blu-ray movie due out June 1st, Nvidia says. The new driver also includes new settings in the Nvidia Control Panel for 3-way SLI customers that enable 48x SLI Anti-aliasing (96x for 3-way GTX 400 series PCs).

You'll find a lot of buzz words accompanying Release 256, including CUDA 3.1 and OpenGL 4.0 support, as well as a new SLI and PhysX configuration page. What you won't find, however is support for Nvidia's 3D Vision Surround, which the GPU chip maker promises to include in the second release targeted for the end of June.

Driver Download (includes notebook platforms)