Outdated manufacturer's Video Card Driver

[Fraco]

Hello everyone. I was trying out a game the other day that told me that my Geforce 330m driver needed to be updated. I went to the Sony website and found that the file available for my model is 2 years old. My question is:

Is there a way to force an install of a driver that is not coming form the manufacturer's page? It seems pretty obvious that Sony won't be doing an update any time soon, so I was wondering if installing the newest file from the Nvidia website is possible at all.

Also, what kinds of problem can I have when playing a game with an outdated video drive?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Sunius]

Yes, you should install the newest driver from Nvidia website (http://uk.geforce.com/drivers). Playing with old drivers may cause lag, stuttering, bad quality graphics.

 

[Fraco]

It wont let me do it with the file from that website. It says that there are no compatible graphics hardware. When I use the smart scan option to let the website tell me what to download, it tells me to go to the manufacturer's page. But like I said before, the driver listed there is 2 years old. I forgot to mention, I have a laptop, not a desktop.

 

[Sunius]

I see. I guess you have no other option - than to run 2 years old driver. If there weren't any updates for it, means it's working! If there were any issues, I doubt they would go on for 2 years, it'd get fixed . You should be fine in playing that game.

 

[Fraco]

But the game lists a Geforce 330 on the recommended settings and I suffer from lag when there are tons of effects on screen. I assumed the game was going to run smoothly because of this but it doesn't, even on the lowest of settings. Could it be other performance issues? Could the game be wrong and be recognizing an outdated file just because it was made by and for Sony?

 

[warezme]

Your expectations may be a little high unless it is a very basic game. The 330M is not an extremely fast video card. You can view direct comparison's here: http://www.notebookcheck.net/Comparison-of-Laptop-Graphics-Cards.130.0.html

 

[Sunius]

What game are you trying to play?

 

[Fraco]

It's Diablo III, not very basic at all! Maybe my expectations are high. I guess I'll have to deal with it. Hopefully the game doesn't crash at some point. I read somewhere that you can modify some files to force the instalation. I found an example here http://www.technoish.com/1137/fix-latest-nvidia-mobility-driver-to-fit-your-notebook/

Is this a safe or even legal thing to do?

 

[Sunius]

Not sure if safe, but it's not illegal. Don't play on recommended settings, they are just for laughs. It said my GTX 560 Ti should play on medium! Anyway, try lowering settings, GT 330m is a very weak card for gaming. That's the only way I think. Installing newest drivers will not help - it will not increase your card's performance more than 10%.

 

[Fraco]

10% might be what I need because it only lags when there's too many mobs and effects happening, even when playing on the lowest settings. Anybody has tried modifying the Driver Ids like on that page I posted before?