Vista Tutorial - Latest NVIDIA ForceWare Video Drivers

For GeForce 6, 7, 8, 8M, 9, 9M, 100, 100M, 200, 200M, and ION GPUs:

New in Version 195.39

• Adds support for OpenCL 1.0 (Open Computing Language) for all GeForce 8-series and later GPUs.
• Adds support for CUDA Toolkit 3.0 features and performance enhancements. See CUDA Zone for more details.
• Adds SLI and multi-GPU support for Borderlands, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, G-Force, FIFA Soccer 2010, League of Legends: Clash of Fates, NHL 2009, Order of War, Pro Evolution Soccer 2010, Race On, Star Trek: D-A-C. Improved SLI and multi-GPU support for Champions: Online and Dragon Age: Origins.
• Includes over 200 bug fixes. Refer to the release notes on the documentation tab for information about the key bug fixes in this release.
• Users without US English operating systems can select their language and download the International driver here.

Existing Support:

• Supports DirectCompute with Windows 7 and GeForce 8-series and later GPUs.
• Supports OpenGL 3.2 for GeForce 8-series and later GPUs.
• Supports NVIDIA 3D Vision Discover, a complete, low cost solution to start your immersive stereoscopic 3D experience. NOTE: If you are using NVIDIA 3D Vision active shutter glasses, you must download the separate 3D Vision driver which includes the driver for the 3D Vision IR emitter.
• Supports single GPU and NVIDIA SLI technology on DirectX 9, DirectX 10, and OpenGL, including 3-way SLI, Quad SLI, and SLI support on SLI-certified Intel X58-based motherboards.
• Supports NVIDIA PhysX acceleration on a dedicated GeForce graphics card. Use one card for graphics and dedicate a different card for PhysX processing for game-changing physical effects. This driver installs PhysX System Software version 9.09.0814. Learn more here.
• Download these FREE PhysX and CUDA applications now!
• Supports GPU overclocking and temperature monitoring by installing NVIDIA System Tools software.

Release Notes (v195.39)

Control Panel User's Guide

For GeForce 6, 7, 8, 9, 100, 200 Series, and ION GPUs:

New in Version 191.07

• Adds support for OpenGL 3.2 for GeForce 8, 9, 100, and 200-series GPUs and ION GPUs.
• Accelerates performance in several gaming applications. The following are examples of improvements measured with version 191.07 drivers vs. version 190.62 drivers (results will vary depending on your GPU, system configuration, and game settings):
  • Up to 12% performance increase in ARMA 2
  • Up to 8% performance increase in Batman: Arkham Asylum with GPU PhysX enabled
  • Up to 50% performance increase in Call of Juarez: Blood in Bound with SLI enabled
  • Up to 14% performance increase in Fallout 3 (indoor scenes) with antialiasing enabled
  • Up to 10% performance increase in Far Cry 2 (DX9 version) with antialiasing enabled
  • Up to 34% performance increase in Prototype with antialiasing enabled
• Adds SLI support for Aion, Darkfall, Dawn of Magic 2: Time of Shadows, Dreamkiller, Fuel, Majesty 2: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim, Need for Speed: Shift and more.
• Includes numerous bug fixes, including the following key fix (additional bug fixes can be found in the release notes on the documentation tab): For graphics cards supporting multiple clock states, 3D clocks correctly return to 2D clocks after exiting a 3D application.
• Users without US English operating systems can select their language and download the International driver here.

New in Release 190/191 Drivers

• Includes WHQL support for DirectCompute with Windows 7 and GeForce 8-series or higher graphics cards.
• Installs PhysX System Software version 9.09.0814.
• Supports NVIDIA 3D Vision Discover, a complete, low cost solution to start your immersive stereoscopic 3D experience. NOTE: If you are using NVIDIA 3D Vision active shutter glasses, you must download the separate 3D Vision driver which includes the driver for the 3D Vision IR emitter.
• Supports CUDA 2.3 for improved performance in GPU Computing applications. See CUDA Zone for more details.
• Supports a new user-controlled power management setting for select GeForce 9-series and later graphics cards (only available on cards that already support more than one power state). This option allows users to set a performance level for each DirectX or OpenGL application.

Existing Support:

• Supports single GPU and NVIDIA SLI technology on DirectX 9, DirectX 10, and OpenGL, including 3-way SLI, Quad SLI, and SLI support on SLI-certified Intel X58-based motherboards.
• Supports NVIDIA PhysX acceleration on a dedicated GeForce graphics card. Use one card for graphics and dedicate a different card for PhysX processing for game-changing physical effects. Learn more here.
• Supports GeForce Plus Power Pack #3. Download these FREE PhysX and CUDA applications now!
• Supports GPU overclocking and temperature monitoring by installing NVIDIA System Tools software.

Windows Vista Release Notes (v191.07)

Control Panel User's Guide

For GeForce 8M, 9M, 100M, 200M, and Quad NVS and FX Series:

New in Release 186.81

• Includes several application compatibility fixes.
• Installs NVIDIA PhysX System Software v9.09.0428.

Existing Release 186 support:

• Adds support for CUDA 2.2 for improved performance in GPU Computing applications. See www.nvidia.com/cuda for more details.
• Expands GPU hardware acceleration for the NVIDIA Video Encoding library to GPUs with less than 32 cores. Applications using this library include CyberLink PowerDirector 7, Nero Move it 1.5, Loilo SuperLoiloScope MARS, and CyberLink MediaShow Espresso.
• Adds support for Ambient Occlusion – the newest NVIDIA Control Panel feature to offer enhanced 3D gaming realism exclusively to GeForce GPUs.
• Accelerates performance in several 3D applications. The following are examples of improvements measured with Release 186 drivers vs. Release 179 drivers (results will vary depending on your GPU, system configuration, and game settings):
  • Up to 25% performance increase in The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena
  • Up to 22% performance increase in Crysis: Warhead with antialiasing enabled
  • Up to 11% performance increase in Fallout 3 with antialiasing enabled
  • Up to 14% performance increase in Far Cry 2
  • Up to 45% performance increase in Mirror’s Edge with antialiasing enabled
• Includes full support for OpenGL 3.0.
• Supports NVIDIA PhysX hardware acceleration on GPUs with a minimum of 256MB dedicated graphics memory and 32 processing cores.
• Supports GeForce Plus Power Pack #3. Download these FREE PhysX and CUDA applications now!
• Supports single GPU and NVIDIA SLI technology on DirectX 9, DirectX 10, and OpenGL.
• Supports NVIDIA SLI Multi-monitor support, giving you the ability to use two monitors with your GeForce graphics cards in SLI mode. Learn more here.
• Includes numerous bug fixes.
• Please read the release notes for more information on product support, features, and known compatibility issues.

Windows Vista Release Notes (v186.81)

New Control Panel User's Guide

Thanks for the update Shawn

Your welcome Joe.

Hi

Can anyone help? Just rebuilt PC with a Q6600 from a E6600 and swapped motherboard from a Evga 650i Ultra to a Asus P5N32-E SLI but still using BFG 8800 GTS 512mb OC. I have Vista 64 Ultimate installed and cannot install the beta 169.44's although 2 days ago i could do using the same Vista!

The error is:
Fatal error
You are running a 32 bit version of Nvidia uninstaller on a 64 bit system (Binary type I386).
Wrong version of installer.

Then it says:
Setup detected that the operating system in use is not Windows Vista [64 bit]. This setup program are designed to run only on Windows Vista [64 bit]. The installation will be terminated.

Now, i have UAC turned off - could this be it? The drivers i am using are the 169.25 internationals downloaded from UK siteand the 169.44 beta is downloaded from the same Uk site.
Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

Hi Splosher,

It sounds like you were lucky enough to find a bug in the beta 169.44 version. I would just stick with the 169.25 until the other one is realeased as a non beta version.

Sorry,
Shawn

Hi Brink

Many thanks for the reply and i think you're right regarding the bug and sticking with 169.25 drivers as there's no way i'm rebuilding the PC again just so i can put beta drivers in!

Cheers

New Nvidia Forceware series 9 driver version 174.53 released 3-18-08

Shawn

Hi,

Ever since I installed SP1 on vista64 Ultimate, things have been a bit flaky in graphics response(using nVidia 169.25). So I tried 169.44 beta and it seems to have cured the problems. Not tried the latest beta since this one seems to work - I'll quit while I'm ahead!

Bob Frost

New 174.74 Nvidia beta driver version released for 6,7,8 and 9 series.

Shawn

Well I RMA'd my Gigabyte 8800GT OC 512 cos it kept freezing and black screening. I was using 169.25.
I've been looking at what driver to use when I get a replacement and notice that NVidia site now says get SP1 rather than "hotfix"
So has anyone tried 174.44 with an 8800GT? and/or does SP1 sort out the BSOD/driver issues?
Actually it'll be just my luck if Overclockers tell me there's nothing wrong with my card and I'll have to pay to get it back.
Perils of being being a (technically stupid) early adopter I suppose.

Cheers, John