Tuesday, May 22nd 2012
NVIDIA Delivers the GeForce 301.42 WHQL Driver
Santa Clara-based GPU designer NVIDIA Corp. has now made available the first WHQL-certified unified driver from the R300 family, the GeForce 301.42. This latest release includes the PhysX System Software v9.12.0213, the HD Audio v1.3.16.0 driver, and features support for the GeForce 6, 7, 8, 9, 100, 200, 300, 400, 500 and 600 Series desktop cards (including the recently-launched GeForce GTX 690 and GTX 670).
Windows 7/Vista 32-bit | Windows 7/Vista 64-bit | Windows XP 32-bit | Windows XP 64-bit
Release Highlights:
● Performance Boost - Increases performance for GeForce 400 Series and 500 Series GPUs in several PC games vs. GeForce 296.10 WHQL-certified drivers. Results will vary depending on your GPU and system configuration:
GeForce GTX 570/580:
- Up to 23% in Just Cause 2 with SLI
- Up to 21% in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
- Up to 17% in StarCraft II with SLI
- Up to 14% in Far Cry 2 with SLI
- Up to 9% in Bulletstorm
- Up to 7% in Civilization V
- Up to 6% in Deus Ex: Human Revolution with SLI
- Up to 6% in Dragon Age 2 with SLI
- Up to 5% in Metro 2033 with SLI
- Up to 5% in Total War: Shogun 2
GeForce GTX 560/560 Ti:
- Up to 20% in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
- Up to 15% in Just Cause 2 with SLI
- Up to 13% in Far Cry 2 with SLI
- Up to 12% in Bulletstorm
- Up to 11% in Civilization V
- Up to 10% in StarCraft II with SLI
- Up to 9% in Batman: Arkham City
- Up to 4% in Deus Ex: Human Revolution with SLI
- Up to 4% in Dragon Age 2 with SLI
- Up to 4% in Metro 2033 with SLI
- Up to 4% in Total War: Shogun 2
● NVIDIA FXAA Technology - shader-based anti-aliasing technology available from the NVIDIA Control Panel that enables ultra-fast anti-aliasing in hundreds of PC games. FXAA delivers similar quality to 4x multi-sample antialiasing (MSAA) but is up to 60% faster, enabling substantially higher performance in games. FXAA is supported on all GeForce 8-series and later GPUs. Note: This feature is disabled for games that already have built-in support for FXAA.
● NVIDIA Adaptive Vertical Sync - dynamically enables vertical sync based on your current frame rates for the smoothest gaming experience. Adaptive VSync is supported on all GeForce 8-series and later GPUs.
● NVIDIA Frame Rate Target - dynamically adjusts frame rate to a user specified target. Support for this feature is enabled via third party applications via NVAPI.
● NVIDIA Surround Technology - Adds the following new Surround capabilities.
- Add in a fourth accessory display with GeForce GTX 600-series to get access to your email, web, or other applications while you game.
- Maximize an application to a single physical display when in Surround mode (enabled by default).
- Confine the Windows Taskbar to the center display (enabled by default).
- Enable bezel peeking - a feature which enables users to temporarily peek behind the monitor bezels using a hotkey (Ctrl + Alt + B). This feature is designed to be used in conjunction with bezel corrected resolutions.
- Add or remove resolutions from the list of Surround resolutions (only those selected will be available to applications).
- Full center display acceleration for single wide display modes (center display must be connected to the master GPU).
● NVIDIA SLI Technology - Adds or updates the following SLI profiles:
- Alan Wake
- Call of Juarez: The Cartel
- Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
- Deus Ex: Human Revolution - The Missing Link
- Left 4 Dead
- Orcs Must Die!
- Portal 2
- Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City
- Risen 2: Dark Waters
- The Darkness II
- Battlefield: Bad Company 2
- Crusader Kings II
- Max Payne 3
- Sniper Elite V2
- Street Fighter X Tekken
● NVIDIA 3D Vision - Adds or updates the following 3D Vision profiles:
- All Zombies Must Die! - rated Fair
- Ghosts 'n Goblins Online - rated Good
- Oil Rush - rated 3D Vision Ready
- Postal III - rated Good
- Rayman Origins - rated Good
- SevenCore - rated Fair
- Stacking - rated Good
- Unigine Heaven Benchmark v3.0 - rated 3D Vision Ready
- Wargame: European Escalation - rated Good
- Warp - rated Good
- Wings of Prey - rated Fair
- Krater - rated Poor
- Adam's Venture Episode 1- rated Poor
- Blacklight: Retribution - rated Poor
- The Darkness II - updated in-game recommended settings
- Depth Hunter - updated profile
- Dirt: Showdown - rated Good
- Passion Leads Army Benchmark - rated 3D Vision Ready
- Resident Evil: Operating Raccoon City - Rated Fair
- rFactor 2 - changed rating to 3D Vision Ready
- Trackmania 2: Canyon - rated Fair
- Unigine 3.0 Heaven Benchmark - updated profile
- World of Tanks - changed rating to Excellent.
Windows 7/Vista 32-bit | Windows 7/Vista 64-bit | Windows XP 32-bit | Windows XP 64-bit
● Performance Boost - Increases performance for GeForce 400 Series and 500 Series GPUs in several PC games vs. GeForce 296.10 WHQL-certified drivers. Results will vary depending on your GPU and system configuration:
GeForce GTX 570/580:
- Up to 23% in Just Cause 2 with SLI
- Up to 21% in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
- Up to 17% in StarCraft II with SLI
- Up to 14% in Far Cry 2 with SLI
- Up to 9% in Bulletstorm
- Up to 7% in Civilization V
- Up to 6% in Deus Ex: Human Revolution with SLI
- Up to 6% in Dragon Age 2 with SLI
- Up to 5% in Metro 2033 with SLI
- Up to 5% in Total War: Shogun 2
GeForce GTX 560/560 Ti:
- Up to 20% in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
- Up to 15% in Just Cause 2 with SLI
- Up to 13% in Far Cry 2 with SLI
- Up to 12% in Bulletstorm
- Up to 11% in Civilization V
- Up to 10% in StarCraft II with SLI
- Up to 9% in Batman: Arkham City
- Up to 4% in Deus Ex: Human Revolution with SLI
- Up to 4% in Dragon Age 2 with SLI
- Up to 4% in Metro 2033 with SLI
- Up to 4% in Total War: Shogun 2
● NVIDIA FXAA Technology - shader-based anti-aliasing technology available from the NVIDIA Control Panel that enables ultra-fast anti-aliasing in hundreds of PC games. FXAA delivers similar quality to 4x multi-sample antialiasing (MSAA) but is up to 60% faster, enabling substantially higher performance in games. FXAA is supported on all GeForce 8-series and later GPUs. Note: This feature is disabled for games that already have built-in support for FXAA.
● NVIDIA Adaptive Vertical Sync - dynamically enables vertical sync based on your current frame rates for the smoothest gaming experience. Adaptive VSync is supported on all GeForce 8-series and later GPUs.
● NVIDIA Frame Rate Target - dynamically adjusts frame rate to a user specified target. Support for this feature is enabled via third party applications via NVAPI.
● NVIDIA Surround Technology - Adds the following new Surround capabilities.
- Add in a fourth accessory display with GeForce GTX 600-series to get access to your email, web, or other applications while you game.
- Maximize an application to a single physical display when in Surround mode (enabled by default).
- Confine the Windows Taskbar to the center display (enabled by default).
- Enable bezel peeking - a feature which enables users to temporarily peek behind the monitor bezels using a hotkey (Ctrl + Alt + B). This feature is designed to be used in conjunction with bezel corrected resolutions.
- Add or remove resolutions from the list of Surround resolutions (only those selected will be available to applications).
- Full center display acceleration for single wide display modes (center display must be connected to the master GPU).
● NVIDIA SLI Technology - Adds or updates the following SLI profiles:
- Alan Wake
- Call of Juarez: The Cartel
- Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
- Deus Ex: Human Revolution - The Missing Link
- Left 4 Dead
- Orcs Must Die!
- Portal 2
- Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City
- Risen 2: Dark Waters
- The Darkness II
- Battlefield: Bad Company 2
- Crusader Kings II
- Max Payne 3
- Sniper Elite V2
- Street Fighter X Tekken
● NVIDIA 3D Vision - Adds or updates the following 3D Vision profiles:
- All Zombies Must Die! - rated Fair
- Ghosts 'n Goblins Online - rated Good
- Oil Rush - rated 3D Vision Ready
- Postal III - rated Good
- Rayman Origins - rated Good
- SevenCore - rated Fair
- Stacking - rated Good
- Unigine Heaven Benchmark v3.0 - rated 3D Vision Ready
- Wargame: European Escalation - rated Good
- Warp - rated Good
- Wings of Prey - rated Fair
- Krater - rated Poor
- Adam's Venture Episode 1- rated Poor
- Blacklight: Retribution - rated Poor
- The Darkness II - updated in-game recommended settings
- Depth Hunter - updated profile
- Dirt: Showdown - rated Good
- Passion Leads Army Benchmark - rated 3D Vision Ready
- Resident Evil: Operating Raccoon City - Rated Fair
- rFactor 2 - changed rating to 3D Vision Ready
- Trackmania 2: Canyon - rated Fair
- Unigine 3.0 Heaven Benchmark - updated profile
- World of Tanks - changed rating to Excellent.
25 Comments on NVIDIA Delivers the GeForce 301.42 WHQL Driver
I hope so.
It's been a while since i downloaded driver for my 580.
Last option is V-Sync with a drop box of 5 options
Use the 3d application settings
Off
On
Adaptive
Adaptive (Half refresh rate)
Dont know if its on by default. Will check later but Adaptive V-Sync is giving me fluxuations on Frames 60-62-58-59-60 then repeats occassionally it will shoot up to 70 which I dont get. Works better for me atleast with it on regular V-Sync less fluxuation 60-59 then the occational 58 drop.
Checked. Its not on by default. You have to active it with On / Adaptive / Adaptive HRR using OFF or 3D application doesnt turn it on.
As i understand Microsoft changed the way video hardware is handled from Vista upward. In XP the game/app has direct access to the graphics card, in Vista and up, the OS manages the talking between game/app and hardware.
So i guess it's a hardware problem if BSOD occurs on XP and "driver stop responding..." occurs on Win 7 x64.
I, having a very old socket 939 AMD, would kinda' figure there would be compatibility problems, but on a Bulldozer...
Before this one I was using the Skyrim specific drivers that Nvidia released some time ago. I'm using dozens of model and texture mods (Bethsoft HD pack included) and a few graphics enhancing mods, ENBseries shader package being the most notable one. With previous drivers I had to mod the hell out of the ENBseries (read substantially lower settings) in order to make it work at acceptable frames on my card, while still looking nice. That means tweaking until frames are 45+ fps in 99% of cases, and 60+ in 90% of cases, because Skyrim runs like real crap below certain fps due to the way that mouse input works (old engine). Of course there is still places where I would get lower frames and I know/remember those places very well (probably because I spent several minutes if not a couple hours tweaking ENB in those places), so I've tried those places after the driver update and miracle, not only do I get 3-5 extra frames but lower than 50 fps now feels a lot smoother, where it would previously feel like a slideshow.
So that is my experience with these drivers. It's the best driver improvement I've ever seen, at least game specific. I can only talk about Skyrim because I don't currently play anything else, but I would recommend this one to those with a GTX460 and playing Skyrim and I guess people with similar cards will get similar results. Or not because it's maybe specific to my mod selction and settings, who knows. At least give it a try.