nVidia Drivers

[Flanker]

Why do drivers make such a big difference in the performance of the video cards?

I've seen lots of people use the 77.77 drivers or any of the 7-.-- series. I'm using the 8-.-- drivers right now. Will I see an improvement if I switch?

 

[Apokalipse]

the 81.26 drivers and above actually improve performance if you have a dual core CPU
although I expect they'd give you the same performance if you're not using dual core

as for why they make a difference:
if somebody was instructing you how to do something, the way they instruct you can have an effect on how well you do it.
it's the same with drivers

 

[Flanker]

Yea, I understand how drivers work, but shouldn't newer drivers perform better than older ones? I've seen a lot of overclockers use 77.77 drivers...

 

[Apokalipse]

maybe they're behind the times

 

[Apokalipse]

http://downloads.guru3d.com/download.php?det=1181

 

[003]

but shouldn't newer drivers perform better than older ones?

No, not necessarily. I use the 71.89 drivers, because for me, the 77.xx/78.xx drivers are slower, and they cause mouse problems in some of my games. I will have to take a look at these 8x.xx drivers.

 

[Apokalipse]

I use the 80.40 "Overdrive Apocalypse" drivers (it's a tweaked version)

 

[LoTeX]

im using 53.?something with my super sexy red vid card

 

[Apokalipse]

is it an MSI?

 

[gaara]

I only have 77.77 drivers as the general consent seemed to be they were the best...and I get lazy with my hardware and often don't update things

I've heard the newer drivers give you a few hundred points on your 3dmark score though which is a significant increase IMO just from software updates