Author Topic: GeForce R180 claims "Up to 38% performance increase in Far Cry 2" and more (Read 7696 times)

Nephilim · « **on:** November 19, 2008, 10:36:29 PM »

and i quote...

Quote

This is a WHQL-certified driver for GeForce 200-series, 9-series, and 8800-series desktop GPUs.

Exciting New Features:

* Enables NVIDIA SLI technology on SLI-certified Intel X58-based motherboards with the following GPUs: GeForce GTX 280, GeForce GTX 260, GeForce 9800 GX2, GeForce 9800 GTX+, and GeForce 9800 GTX. Learn more here.
* Enables 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. (Note: GPU PhysX is supported on all GeForce 8-series, 9-series and 200-series GPUs with a minimum of 256MB dedicated graphics memory. This driver package automatically installs PhysX System Software version 8.10.13).

Blazing Fast Performance:

* Boosts performance in numerous 3D applications. The following are some examples of improvements measured with Release 180 WHQL drivers vs. Release 178 WHQL drivers (results will vary depending on your GPU, system configuration, and game settings):
o Up to 10% performance increase in 3DMark Vantage (performance preset)
o Up to 13% performance increase in Assassin's Creed
o Up to 13% performance increase in BioShock
o Up to 15% performance increase in Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts
o Up to 10% performance increase in Crysis Warhead
o Up to 25% performance increase in Devil May Cry 4
o Up to 38% performance increase in Far Cry 2
o Up to 18% performance increase in Race Driver: GRID
o Up to 80% performance increase in Lost Planet: Colonies
o Up to 18% performance increase in World of Conflict

And More:

* Supports single GPU and NVIDIA SLI technology* on DirectX 9 and OpenGL.
* Supports CUDA.
* Supports Folding@home distributing computing application. Download the high performance client for NVIDIA GPUs here and join the NVIDIA team: #131015.
* Supports GPU overclocking and temperature monitoring by installing NVIDIA System Tools software.
* Includes numerous 3D application compatibility fixes. Please read the release notes for more information on product support, features, driver fixes and known compatibility issues.
* Users without US English operating systems can select their language and download the International driver here.

*Note: The following SLI features are only supported on Windows Vista: Quad SLI technology using GeForce 9800 GX2, 3-way SLI technology, Hybrid SLI, and SLI multi-monitor support.

I'll believe it when i see it.
I'm installing FC2 now, will run the bench in it and compare before/after performance, and a lil real world too, if you got it do the same nuh.

Carigamers · « **on:** November 19, 2008, 10:36:29 PM »

Spazosaurus · « **Reply #1 on:** November 20, 2008, 07:20:28 AM »

ATI is coming out with a similar driver next month that supports GPGPU applications etc. Hopefully, they too will come with optomisations for games like Crysis and Warhead.

Doomtack · « **Reply #2 on:** November 20, 2008, 08:52:29 AM »

Those performance gains are with the dedicated physx, or 1 card and driver alone?
Next thing is.. i not seeing this driver on the "force within" page (yet?), does this mean that i have to isntall the nvidia physx driver separately (assuming i want to use GPU physx)?

Nephilim · « **Reply #3 on:** November 20, 2008, 09:20:54 AM »

It's on the drivers page of the main site.

Also the driver package comes with the physx drivers in it.

I assume its the performance gain of one (1) card they talking about. Otherwise they doing some serious nonsense.

RustyPlumber · « **Reply #4 on:** November 20, 2008, 10:13:52 AM »

these drivers are a freaking EPIC FAILURE! i downloaded them,installed,and kept getting BSOD on startup,so i thinking its some compatibility issue with my hardware,apparantly not,check some of these threads out:

http://forums.nvidia.com/index.php?showtopic=82258
http://forums.nvidia.com/index.php?showtopic=82212
http://forums.nvidia.com/index.php?showtopic=82262

there are alot more if you poke around

i guess its back to 178.26 for me

Carigamers · « **Reply #4 on:** November 20, 2008, 10:13:52 AM »

Doomtack · « **Reply #5 on:** November 20, 2008, 10:34:57 AM »

Ya i've been seeing all those threads... but i'm also seeing alot of threads with ppl stating that it works fine, and performance increases....
Think i'll hold out a little before i install.
Anybody else takin the fall?

Nephilim · « **Reply #6 on:** November 20, 2008, 10:52:09 AM »

Already have.

It works fine for me, however I cannot confirm this in XP/Vista as I use 2k3.

I guess this is where the "results will vary depending on your GPU, system configuration, and game settings" come in.

Crixx_Creww · « **Reply #7 on:** November 20, 2008, 10:54:02 AM »

ati is coming out with drivers?
lolz? and?

you game on 2k3??why?

Arcmanov · « **Reply #8 on:** November 20, 2008, 11:56:19 AM »

Yeah Neph... 2K3???

How is THAT working out?

Spazosaurus · « **Reply #9 on:** November 20, 2008, 12:06:15 PM »

well i'd imagine the experience would be very similar to that of XP. Years ago I did it and it worked out very well. So it COULD work for gaming. Question is why.

Kraeoss · « **Reply #10 on:** November 20, 2008, 12:24:27 PM »

man go upgrade to server 2k8 jus now.... watch

Nephilim · « **Reply #11 on:** November 20, 2008, 12:35:25 PM »

Quote from: Crixx_Creww on November 20, 2008, 10:54:02 AM

you game on 2k3??why?

Quote from: Arcman on November 20, 2008, 11:56:19 AM

Yeah Neph... 2K3???

How is THAT working out?

Quote from: Captain Awesome on November 20, 2008, 12:06:15 PM

well i'd imagine the experience would be very similar to that of XP. Years ago I did it and it worked out very well. So it COULD work for gaming. Question is why.

Quote from: Kraeoss on November 20, 2008, 12:24:27 PM

man go upgrade to server 2k8 jus now.... watch

It's incidental, I use the software raid in 2k3.

As it turns out, it's a pretty darn sweet OS. The ability to customize almost anything I want is great.
Given there are downsides (namely I can't use jack for freeware).

And in case your wondering I didn't just wake up and decide I gonna install 2k3 it was a decision that took a few weeks and many a night searching information on Technet and various forums to come into fruition.

I wanted a certain degree of data recovery should sh1t happen again (ala when my last storage drive croaked).
Decided that a mirror wasn't cost effective as it only gave me about 500GB space for the 700 sum i was shelling out, even though it was the one that was the least obstructive (no real downtime just a period of time with no fault tolerance).
Decided on a fault tolerant array, RAID 5, decided software (because have you SEEN the price of a decent raid card?? 0_0).

Why yuh doh use the on board neph?

Disaster recovery - in the case of the board going i will need to get a board with similar specs and even then it not guaranteed to identify the array and work. If i try to use software recovery even that tell yuh.."organize the drives such that you get the largest file size...that more than likely yuh file..."
No thanks. I want as few areas of catastrophic failure as possible. And each drive is already a point of failure.

Oh ho.

which left me with only 2 options really, some nix distro, or 2k3. 2k3 it was.
Got me 2 320s(about 800) and i had a 5 already, partition they MCs set up the R5, within a few hours I had 600GB of storage (and another 170 unallocated on the 5) with fault tolerance.

The only thing i though was a weak point was if the OS go i screwed made like 3 copies of the Acronis Disk image I have, and less than 15mins later read that 2k3 and above have the ability to import disks (including arrays) from other servers into their disk groups set them up,organize them, resync them and within a few hours you good to go...go f@#$in' figure...

The last time I had any real trouble was when I installed the beta MSN and it flipped the f@#% out. messed up my network settings, i could access the internet but for some reason i couldn't get to any sites, never bothered to figure out why, Acronis and GO!

FYI...write times are a bitch...I mean A BITCH...anything over a 2GB will take almost twice as long to transfer, reads are slightly faster but not enough to warrant a parade.

For my use it's serving its purpose and I get my super-duper-peace-of-mind.

As for 2k8, no thanks. Read post and some articles from people who use server as a workstation OS that it uses up allot more resources than 2k3...so unless there is some significant improvement to the raid system/disk management in 2k8 that relates to my needs...there is no need for 2k8.

Almost forgot this, its 32 bit, and can allocate all 4GB of my ram. +1 to the argument for 2k3 on the desktop.

On Topic

just ran the bench in FC2, 1280 x 1024 @ 60Hz, Ultra settings in the bench

nil, nada, zilch (there was infact a tiny decrease but I'll cough that up to the nvidia applet in the background as i didn't disable it yet)

It's prob an in game thing. Which I can't really say for sure cuz i already have the thing from nvidia saying it increase so some mindf#$% might make me thing it running smoother when it the same.

TriniXaeno · « **Reply #12 on:** November 21, 2008, 07:18:24 AM »

nvidia gets the increase in some obscure res/setting and makes the boast as if it's across the board. They been doing that for decades.

lol @ upgrading to server 2k8 as desktop os.

Interested read and rationale behind the 2k3 decision. I'd think a software nas (linux distro) would have been the way to go.

When I've done mine, we can compare notes.

Crixx_Creww · « **Reply #13 on:** November 21, 2008, 08:45:37 AM »

i want to know what warzone he uses his computer in that he believes that much "oh noeeezzz" protection is needed

and secondly.. after all that rationalization, software raid is still a hmmm....

Nephilim · « **Reply #14 on:** November 21, 2008, 10:09:11 AM »

Quote from: NoobGoneWild on November 21, 2008, 07:18:24 AM

Interested read and rationale behind the 2k3 decision. I'd think a software nas (linux distro) would have been the way to go.

i had already though of this in fact i was gonna get a nas from linksys for like 100 sum us, but i read some bad reviews on it wrt performance, freenas was just as boss, but for under a 1k what ah man to do?

Quote from: Crixx_Creww on November 21, 2008, 08:45:37 AM

i want to know what warzone he uses his computer in that he believes that much "oh noeeezzz" protection is needed

no warzone, i would just rather REALLY not lose my stuff again, and i willing to suffer the drawbacks.
and come now crixx even you have to admit that for ppl at our level this is hardly much.

Quote from: Crixx_Creww on November 21, 2008, 08:45:37 AM

and secondly.. after all that rationalization, software raid is still a hmmm....

no argument there, anyone who has seen a decent array up will want to blow they bleedy brains out with a software raid, but as i say earlier, i cant come up with a better solution for <1k

on topic
anyone done any testing in FC2 and such with the drivers?

rassmatic · « **Reply #15 on:** November 21, 2008, 01:22:01 PM »

well, since installing the drivers, i can finally run Far Cry 2 at 1920X1200 in DX10 mode on Ultra Settings without any slowdown. the game ran very choppy before, so there is a definite improvement there. Also DMC4 runs at a flawless 60fps without slowing down once at the above resolution with 8XCQ AA on Ultra. used to run near perfect before, but used to hit around 50fps on occasion. i for one like the new drivers. score 1 for Nvidia!