I recently got a new PC with a Geforce 9600 GSO graphics card, the 700ish mb version
For whatever reason, I am unable to set custom 3d settings in the control panel - For example, Mass Effect doesn't allow for AA in its own settings. I used the Nvidia control panel to force masseffect.exe to run with 4xAA, but this doesn't actually happen when I run the game. The same happens with every other game I've tried.
I've tried several different driver versions, all to no avail.
Have you tried the latest drivers? When you save the settings in the Control Panel, does it reset to its original settings? I've tried using the driver's AA for Mass Effect too, and I couldn't tell the difference. I even crashed on occasion for using the control panel so I try not to use it unless it really helps.