NVIDIA GeForce 185.81 Beta Drivers
Santa Clara, California-based NVIDIA has recently introduced a new series of GeForce graphics drivers with a new Beta release of their 185 series. The new release offers support for all of the company’s latest graphics accelerators, including the most recent GeForce GTX 275, as well as other previously-released GeForce cards, part of NVIDIA’s GeForce 6, 7, 8 and 9-series of desktop GPUs. In addition, according to the release notes of the new GeForce drivers, users of NVIDIA graphics accelerators will be able to take advantage of a series of performance increases.
The company’s new GeForce Driver release 185.81 Beta includes support for its latest GeForce GTX 275 graphics processing unit, as well as a number of new features. According to the release notes, users upgrading their drivers to the latest beta release will be provided with support for Ambient Occlusion, a new setting in the NVIDIA Control Panel, CUDA 2.2, for better performance in GPU-enabled applications, and expanded support in the NVIDIA Video Encoding library for GPUs that use less than 32 cores. Read more
NVIDIA GPUs in Toshiba Laptop
Now, wait a minute, and say that again, please. Could it be that three NVIDIA graphics processors are powering one of Toshiba’s portable computer systems? If so, this is happening at a time when most desktop computer systems are basically powered by a single graphics processor, while the majority of portable PCs are featured with integrated graphics. This should be interesting, at least if you are one of those late-night LAN party gamers looking for the very best in terms of computing experience.
Toshiba is known for offering some of the most interesting portable computer systems on the market but, this time, the company appears to have really outdone itself, with a bit of help from the Santa Clara, California-based green team. Read more
Dell Releases NVIDIA Patch
Owners of some quirky Dell Inspiron, Latitude, Precision, Vostro and XPS models should be relieved to learn that a patch has been announced that fixes most of the problems associated with a rogue NVIDIA graphics adaptor chip. These include lines on the screen, multiple images and random characters and they can appear when the graphics processor unit (GPU) overheats. The BIOS patch optimises the fan’s temperature regulation of the GPU. The problem, which is caused by a packaging fault on the chip should solve the problem for most users but if the chip fails then NVIDIA has set aside up to $200 million to cover warranty claims. There’s a list of affected models, and link to the download on the Dell2Direct website.
Nvidia’s New Driver Takes Gaming on the 3D Stage
Nvidia is reportedly working on a new driver for its already existing and upcoming graphics card offerings that will unleash 3D features even for 2D games. The new feature is expected to arrive in June or July this year but will only be available for Nvidia graphics card owners.
In short, once the 3D driver is installed, any PC equipped with an Nvidia graphics card will be able to run the game either in 2D mode or in 3D, without having to purchase an expensive 3D-ready monitor. However, you will still have to purchase a pair of 3D glasses, also designed in Nvidia’s laboratories.
The three-dimensional effect will be achieved by giving the user a left eye- and right eye-view of the screen. The new technology is expected to work with any gaming title, given the fact that the 3D effect is not rendered on-screen, but rather on the user’s eye via the special glasses. Read more
