Nvidia Begins Regular Windows 8 Driver Updates
Nvidia has officially started its driver rollout for Windows 8 with the release of version 296.17.
With Windows 8 Consumer Preview still hot and fresh from the Microsoft bakery, Nvidia has already released its first driver update for GeForce and Quadro GPUs. These drivers, version 296.17, are available for both GeForce and Quadro GPU-based desktops and notebooks on Nvidia.com and on Microsoft’s Windows Update. They also mark the start of regular Nvidia driver updates for the new Windows platform.
"Windows 7 and Windows XP users aren’t left out. An equivalent driver, version 296.10 (WHQL-certified), can be downloaded on GeForce.com today," Nvidia said on Tuesday. "These drivers are a quick refresh from the recent version GeForce 295.73 drivers and are a must-have for gamers looking for the best experience in upcoming games like Blacklight: Retribution."
The new Windows 8 drivers supports all the features of the new Windows Display Driver Model (WDDM) v1.2 while also supporting Nvidia 3D Vision and 3DTV Play products. This means Windows 8 users will be able to play more than 600 games, watch Blu-ray movies and view photos in 3D. And with Windows 8’s new built-in stereoscopic 3D support in DirectX 11, 3D Vision is poised to provide users the best platform for games and applications, the company said.
Nvidia also pointed out that the new drivers contain the same enhancements for Skyrim, Diablo 3, Modern Warfare 3 and Mass Effect 3 that were implemented into the GeForce 295.73 WHQL drivers. These include Ambient Occlusion support which deepens the shadows for greater visual depth without nuking the framerate, and support for SLI setups running BioWare's new Mass Effect 3. The drivers also brought additions to the SLI and 3D Vision profiles.
For more information on 3D Vision and 3DTV Play support in Windows 8, check out Nvidia's Windows 8 FAQs. For more information on the Microsoft Windows 8 Consumer Preview, visit Microsoft's dedicated Windows 8 Consumer Preview page.
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Kevin Parrish has over a decade of experience as a writer, editor, and product tester. His work focused on computer hardware, networking equipment, smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, and other internet-connected devices. His work has appeared in Tom's Hardware, Tom's Guide, Maximum PC, Digital Trends, Android Authority, How-To Geek, Lifewire, and others.
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memadmax Not surprising since Win8 seems like Win7 under the hood....Reply
The UI is different story however >_> -
dimar Let's ask nVidia and AMD to go on win8 driver strike until microsoft brings back the start button :-)Reply -
dalauder dimarLet's ask nVidia and AMD to go on win8 driver strike until microsoft brings back the start button :-)Don't get too hung up on the Start Button. Most your programs can be accessed from a "frequently used" list, just like Chrome's New Tab Page. The rest can be accessed through a simple search command. Personally, I don't think Windows 95 divinely had the best layout, so I welcome an attempt at improving it.Reply
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JamesSneed Reply9352612 said:So when the hell is AMD going to start?
They already have you must not have noticed.
http://support.amd.com/us/kbarticles/Pages/Windows8ConsumerPreviewDrivers.aspx -
hdawood ReplySo when the hell is AMD going to start?
AMD drivers are available here. In fact the leaked builds have been available for sometime now. Guru3D link
Let's ask nVidia and AMD to go on win8 driver strike until microsoft brings back the start button :-)
I use classic shell (WinXP style start menu) in Windows 7. I am sure it would work in Win8 as well. -
dimar hdawoodAMD drivers are available here. In fact the leaked builds have been available for sometime now. Guru3D linkI use classic shell (WinXP style start menu) in Windows 7. I am sure it would work in Win8 as well.Reply
This is all cool. But MS is taking the choices away. -
agnickolov memadmaxNot surprising since Win8 seems like Win7 under the hood...Correct - its internal version is 6.2. For comparison, Vista is 6.0 and Windows 7 is 6.1. Going further back, Windows XP is 5.1 and Windows 2000 is 5.0.Reply