NVIDIA Beta Driver for GTA IV

There has been a lot of negativity surrounding the PC version of Grand Theft Auto IV. Most notable is the incredibly poor performance on many PCs as Tom’s Hardware reported on earlier this week. NVIDIA this week quietly released ForceWare 180. 84 beta which

The 180. 84 beta drivers are having a mixed reception. Some users are reporting a mere 10 FPS increase in performance using the game’s built-in benchmark while a large number of others experienced no change beyond margin of variation between benchmark runs. Several users noted that while their framerate did not increase significantly, it was more consistent during play.

On the other side of the playing field, some users had drops in performance and others had problems to even run the game; receiving the infamous "RESC10 - Out of video memory" error which didn’t occur for them using older drivers.

The ForeceWare 180. 84 drivers unfortunately did not help in fixing texture and shadow problems that have also plagued the game, and do not allow anti-aliasing to be forced on through the driver control panel.

It appears that the driver should be avoided for now, as it's still in beta.

  • bunnyblaster
    I'm actually curious how bad the problem is for GTA 4? I remember playing GTA 3 san andres on PC and it worked great. I was thinking about getting GTA 4 on PC.
    Reply
  • dechy
    Isn't GTA4 just a port though? Don't think it was coded from the ground up as an x86/x64 game, so crappy programming could be the problem here. All I know is I'm not touching this game until patches/new drivers fix performance issues.
    Reply
  • NuclearShadow
    Well to answer your question bunnyblaster the port is a very bad one. It has loads of problems and for some they can't even play the game even though they exceed the minimum requirements. I wouldn't bet on Rockstar fixing all these problems either.

    If I wasn't a fool by rushing out and getting it and instead waited I certainly wouldn't have bought the game now. I wouldn't even accept it for free at its current state.
    Reply
  • ckthecerealkiller
    Drivers aren't going to fix the problems with this game. A complete redesign might but that isn't going to happen. The game might be stable in about a year.....
    Reply
  • truehighroller
    LOL I don't know about all that now guys. I have issues with it but not something that can not be fixed IMO. Also this is not a horrible port job. I like the way the game is setup TBH. I have actually gotten pretty far in it as well. I occasionally get locked up while playing but, they will patch this I am sure. As far as the performance goes,, we will see what happens I guess. All in all though the game is awsome and they actually added some new cars to the game and some new characters as well my brother said who has it on his PS3. I just wanted to say this so people don't see the people saying horrible port wouldn't take it for free blah blah and not get it because it really is a good game and it is playable for and this is my setup:

    P5Q Deluxe
    Q9450 @ 3.85GHZ
    4GB G-Skill DDR2 1066 @ 1156MHz
    3X WD 160GB SATAII 16MB Cache in Raid0
    4870 1GB @ 850 / 925 8.11 Drivers and CCC


    Reply
  • JonnyDough
    This might be a bit off topic but I think one reason PC gaming is dying is because people who don't know much about computers wanted to buy a game, it didn't work correctly, and they tried to return it. Due to no-return policies on PC games, they were out $50. Part of the reason PC gaming is dying is not just because of piracy, but the reaction to it. If you can't return a PC game just because you "might have copied it" then what does that do to people who are actually willing to buy PC games?
    Reply
  • fuser
    It's running fine on my system, which is on the high end with video (8800GTS) and on the lower end for the CPU (Core 2 duo @1.8Ghz). The framerates are a bit low, but I haven't tweaked any of the adjustable detail settings from the default levels.

    Hopefully Rockstar sorts things out in a patch. It's not like they're hurting for money. The console version of GTA4 made $180M in the first 3 days.
    Reply
  • dieseldre2k
    @truehighroller

    funny how u describe the game as "playable" when u have a high-end overclocked system. u should be getting 60fps+ since this game doesnt have crysis-type visuals. but hey, if u want to bend over for Rockstar thats fine. just dont tell others to bend over too. they did that for Rockstar's Bully, but this one is just unforgivable until they fix the game.

    @fuser
    the fact that they're not hurting for money is exactly what worries people. they dont have to patch this game (just look at bully) because they already made so much money. if they desperately needed cash, u bet ur ass they would have fixed it by now. instead, they rush-released it in a buggy state just in time for the holidays without worrying that it would break their bank.
    Reply
  • apache_lives
    bought the game day one, no issues what so ever!

    Q6600 @ 3.5ghz
    8gb DDR2
    8800GT
    Vista Ultimate x64 SP1

    worked even with the older drivers etc - no problems wether it be performance or crashing.
    Reply
  • Pei-chen
    apache_livesbought the game day one, no issues what so ever!Q6600 @ 3.5ghz8gb DDR28800GTVista Ultimate x64 SP1worked even with the older drivers etc - no problems wether it be performance or crashing.Hey, we have the same setup except instead of Q6600 and 8800GT, I have E6400 and 9800GT. I hope this means I can play the same without issues.
    Reply