NVIDIA releases 197.16 WHQL Driver - *UPDATED*

As part of their Verde Program, NV released 197.16 (WHQL) today.

SLI Profile Updater - Updated!

With the release of the NV 197.15 driver, I figured it was time for another update. I grabbed the SLI Profiles and have updated the 'modded' batch updater. Again, this is to be used if you are having issues with enabling SLI on newer game releases with your current driver.

Dell posts NV beta driver to resolve DPC audio interrupt

Today Dell posted the 196.86 NV Beta driver. This driver implements the change which ManuelG of NVIDIA Forums spoke of here:

The fix does not disable Powermizer. The driver was in a DPC state for too long and this was corrected. It should not have an adverse affect on performance. Tomorrow (Tuesday) we will be releasing a new driver which unfortunately does not include this fix as it did not make it in time (the fix was added shortly after this driver was built). The fix will be in drivers following this. Once I get the exact driver versions, I will update this thread. Quote Source

Resident Evil 5 Benchmark demystified... FPS Drop FIXED

Notebookreview.com member Kade Storm approached me with an interesting issue. The Resident Evil 5 benchmark as some of you know has issues with Area 3 and Area 4. A very low FPS drop shows up in Area 3 and also slightly impacts Area 4.

In Memoriam: ChrisRay, 1982 - 2010 (NVNews)

I saw this earlier over @ NVIDIA's forums and wanted to pass it on. Some of you may have exchanged PM's or posts with Chris in the past. He was very active in the NVIDIA community.

NVIDIA 195.81 BETA Driver Released - Still needs work NV...

NVIDIA posted up the 195.81 BETA driver today. Their notes indicate the following:

This driver is identical to the 195.62 WHQL drivers except for the following:

Several bug fixes to support the new Adobe Flash 10.1 Beta 2 release. Learn more here.
Adds new SLI and multi-GPU profiles for Avatar Demo, Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising Demo, and Wings of Prey.

NVIDIA Releases PhysX update - v9.09.1112

NVIDIA recently released v9.09.1112 of PhysX.

NVIDIA releases 195.62 WHQL mobile driver - EPIC FAIL #2

NVIDIA posted the 195.62 WHQL driver today. Highlights include:

- Adds GPU-acceleration for smoother online HD videos with the new Adobe Flash 10.1 beta. See this link for PROPER SUPPORT of 10.1.
- Adds support for DirectCompute with Windows 7.
- Adds support for OpenGL 3.2.
- Adds support for OpenCL 1.0.
- Adds support for CUDA Toolkit 3.0 features and performance enhancements.
- Adds SLI and multi-GPU support for many top new gaming titles including Borderlands, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, FIFA Soccer 10, and more.
- Includes numerous bug fixes including improved performance for Need for Speed: Shift.

NVIDIA posts beta driver 195.55 - EPIC FAIL

Today NVIDIA posted the 195.55 Beta. For the M17x it will not install - no small surprise. C'mon NVIDIA - time to get your game on and NOT leave out the Alienware M17x.

Adds GPU-acceleration for smoother online HD videos with the new Adobe Flash 10.1 beta.

Adds support for DirectCompute with Windows 7.

Adds support for OpenGL 3.2.

Adds support for OpenCL 1.0 (Open Computing Language).

Adds support for CUDA Toolkit 3.0 features and performance enhancements.

Adds SLI and multi-GPU support for many top new gaming titles including Borderlands, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, FIFA Soccer 10, and more.

Includes numerous bug fixes including improved performance for Need for Speed: Shift.

Installs NVIDIA PhysX System Software v9.09.0814.

TESTING NOTES:

HybridSLI is functional and pulling the AC Power Cord will automatically kick you into 9400M G mode only (if you have Hybrid and Integrated Graphics enabled in the BIOS of course).

L4D2, TF2, MW2 and others are running fine in SLI with this driver.

ISSUE #1: BluRay playback is again not functional. Same issue was present with 187.xx. You can work around this issue by unchecking the option in PowerDVD to disable Aero for BluRay Playback.

ISSUE #2: If you are running SLI your second GPU will not downclock properly after ending a 3D Gaming session. Clocks for GPU #2 will remain @ default (583/950/1450) whereas GPU #1 will return to 200/100.

ISSUE #3: Uninstaller is broken. When accessing the Programs & Features Control Panel to uninstall, the display driver option is missing. You will need to uninstall each display adapter via the Device Manager.

The only + side to this release so far has been the updated SLI Profiles. Given the issues found, I cannot recommend this driver for use with the M17x. I will not be adding it to the lists. Back to 186.82 for me.

If you are as tired as I of these sub-par drivers NVIDIA has been churning out or tired of the fact that 186.81, 195.39 and now 195.55 (which are all part of the NVIDIA Verde Driver Project) have NOT installed properly on the M17x, I ask all of you to provide feedback on these issues. In fact, since the M17x has been released, not one driver NVIDIA has published has worked correctly. Please take a moment and report the issues - HERE.

Dell releases 186.64 NVIDIA display driver (Vista/W7)

Thanks to Douglaz over @ NBR for the heads-up on this release.

Today Dell posted the 186.64 WHQL display driver. This driver is a WHQL certified driver and can be used with Vista and Windows 7. This driver also includes the current version of PhysX. As always, when installing a new display driver, be sure to install with Hybrid Graphics and Integrated Graphics enabled in the BIOS. I have added this driver release to the Current Vista / Windows 7 driver pages.

Note: My recommendation for install is as follows:

1. If you have Hybrid Graphics / Integrated Graphics disabled in the BIOS, reboot and enable. If they are already enabled skip to next step.

2. Uninstall the NVIDIA Display Driver ONLY using the Programs & Features Control Panel. Reboot the system.

3. Once you are back at your desktop, reboot into Safe Mode using the F8 Key @ BIOS screen). (The reason why we boot into the desktop and then exit/reboot again is that the OS needs to install the Standard VGA Adapter driver for each GPU - just to keep the install clean).

4. Once in Safe Mode, run DriverSweeper and scan for NVIDIA DISPLAY files ONLY. Remove any found. Next, open CCleaner's Registry Scan Module. Fix any left over registry entries from the Display Driver uninstall. Once complete, reboot normally.

5. Once you are back at the desktop, run the 186.64 installer. Once install is complete, reboot.

Direct Download Link

I am currently testing all compatibility aspects (wake from sleep, AC to Battery Hybrid functionality, etc.) of this driver and will add my findings later. So far, no issues and the driver is very stable with the same low thermals.

NVIDIA PhysX 9.09.0814 released

Release Date: 2009.08.14
Operating System: Windows XP 64-bit, Windows 7, Windows 7 64-bit, Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows Vista 64-bit
Language: English (U.S.)
File Size: 39.3 MB

Details of the release are HERE.
DOWNLOAD LINK

Remember, download and install - no need to clean uninstall.

NVIDIA Stereo 3D Vision service bug causes handle leak

A memory leak has been identified with the NVIDIA 3D Vision driver. Affected: GeForce 8800 GT and higher, 9600 GT and higher, or any GeForce 200 series and higher, using driver version 186.xx and up. Suggest disabling or uninstalling the driver (3D Stereo Vision Only - not the regular display driver) until a fix can be implemented by NVIDIA.

Full article can be found over @ withinwindows.com.