NVIDIA Driver Woes with a Happy Ending

[nathanebht]

The performance tweak eljeffe is talking about is an old one.

You set your min and max virtual memory to have the same exact custom size. Say 2048 MB. You want to do this when you have a defragmented drive with plenty of free space on it. This way the new pagefile is written as one big contiguous file.

A badly fragmented pagefile would definitely not be good for performance. Windows will read and write to the pagefile quicker because its contiguous on the disk. Also Windows won't waste time resizing the pagefile.

[Cambo67]

When you create a fixed-sized pagefile, it may still be fragmented when created, depending on the existing pagefile's condition.

I use PageDefrag from www.sysinternals.com to defrag the pagefile once created. It runs at boot time, as the pagefile cannot be played with once Windoze is running.

Those of you with nVidia cards might want to try the latest NGO-optimised drivers - 81.89 - www.ngohq.com. The 81.89 was meant to be released next monday, but someone leaked them. They have the support for the new 7800 GTX ;-)

I was using 81.85, with a little bit of jerkiness. Then tried 81.87, but they were worse. Now using these NGO 81.89s, and everything seems much smoother on my FX5700LE.



Cambo

[Flip McWho]

Hmmm me too having trouble with the new drivers. May roll back too. Though I don't get any CTDs, the map just has some texture issues.

[ulyanov]

Flip - I find that the texture issues (and 4 - 5 FPS issues) are worked around by alt_tab out then alt_tab back in...

Still, I think 71.89 drivers are a must_have...

[CivNonFreak]

I've just taken my large map game from 1800's to 2030 and no CTD, nor delays in scrolling etc. Everything is turned up high as it can go, so I am pretty happy. Still stuttering sound issues and i haven't tried it yet on huge but so far, so very very good. 71.89 is working great for me.

[Cambo67]

CivNonFreak, what sound card have you got? I've got a Soundblaster Audigy, and found that switching to EAX 3 or 4 got rid of my sound stuttering.



Cambo

[pramjockey]

Hopefully there will be another fix besides rolling back drivers that far. Some other games I play really seem to need the latest versions. I'm not going to bounce drivers every time I want to play a different game.

[SkalTur]

Still with issues

Allo!

I have a nVidia FX 5200 (128MB - 128 bits bus), but my game lags A LOT. I don't know if I'm doing something wrong, but I have tried all tricks I've been reading here at Apolyton.

I have this 81.85 driver and it sucks (you know, you know). I tried switching back to 78.01 but it didn't help...

I heard you guys are using another driver (71.xx)... where can I find it??

Feel free to email me (skaltur@gmail.com)

Thanks!

Daniel Vilela.


BTW: I have a Pentium IV 2.8 GHz (with hyper-threading), 512 DDR RAM, WinXP fully update (except SP2)...

[Cambo67]

SkalTur, try using nvHardPage to lower the shaders. The FX5200 is underpowered, so if you downgrade to Pixel Shader 1.4 and Vertex Shader 1.1, you should see quite a boost.



Cambo

[SkalTur]

Thankz, Cambo! I'll try that right away! =)

[SkalTur]

Cambo,

That hint you gave me worked fine! Though my performance is not 100% (still), it works better now! Thank you! ^_^

Well, I'm still experiencing crashs to desktop... I'll try that new beta driver now and come back later with results.

See ya.

Daniel Vilela.

[Raion]

I was reading yesterday trying to find a report about the only card I can buy new, and that was a 5500 card. First of all --- Antialiasing is out (or should be set to zero) because if you do not have a newer computer with PCI x 16 or AGP 2.0 slots with newer hardware, simply the video card will not handle Antialiasing except through the Drivers.

One of the worst aspects to PCI 2.0 slot cards is that none of them will handle Antialiasing any better. The reason is that to keep the cost down, Nvidia has not made those type cards fully compatible with Direct x 9.0c versions using better hardware to be compatible. The cards still work, but Antialaising is just one of the things that really do not work all that good with those video cards.

Keep it set to '0' as it shows when the game installs. The only reason perhaps to get the newer FX5500 is because it is better at supporting the advances made using Direct X 9.0c with the better cards, but since it is a cheap video card, the same problems exist with those type of cards. Any of those cards from the FX 5200 to the FX 5950 will be that way!

If you want anything better, then one will have to buy a newer computer that really supports the advances to all the texture shading and pixel shading.

Only 4 pipelines are in those cards for that vertex shading and such, while having 16 pipelines for moving graphics performance. The newer ones have 16 pipelines for vextex shading and pixel shading, and the PCI x 16 uses 128 bit transfer data buses. Not sure if I explain it correctly, but I only found one place that even had a review for the FX5500 new card. But essentially any of those series cards will all be the same, more or less. (the FX5700 still having the best frame rate, but not the LE or others that means the Ultra cards).

They were really made for early Direct X 9, and do support it, but only up to Pixel Shading 2.0 and whatever it is for Texture stuff (which is Direct X 9 version but newer stuff will not work like Pixel Shading 3.0 version which is not used yet in games as of now). The newer computers now go up to 3.0 version and fully cover that. However the newer FX5500 will support that but again to cut costs in making the card, something has to go. It tends to end up being a bottleneck that they cleverly designed a solution around, but still those cards will be no match for the newer technology out there. So do not expect grand performance with any of those cards, since last year games may run will and all of that, but to simply handle newer games in the future -- one may just have to go out and buy a newer computer with PCI x 16 slots or whatever and definitely if my computer, a way better power supply.

The FX5500 will run with 250 watts power supply, and since 300 watts was mainly also used for better cards, then 6xxx series like the Geforce 6200 need 300 watts of power. My computer does not supply that, and hence I have to use a 250 watt video card.

That means that buying a FX5500 will not improve performance a whole lot, such as that card will still be perforamce wise --- above slightly an FX5200 but still slower than an older FX5600 or slower than a FX5700 yet. It is a general purpose cheap video card, but do not expect to play newer FPS or Action games on that card. To do that, a new computer will be needed to keep up with the new advances in technology with the new computers.

Although if one has a 300 power supply, you can buy a Geforce 6200 PCI x 16 card I think and still be compatible with the PCI 2.0 cards and it will work, but the data transfer will not be all that much faster if sticking that card in a PCI 2.0 slot.

The real way that newer cards work demand that you actually have a PCI x 16 or PCIe slot which also means a newer computer. Then you will truly get -- 128 bit transfer all at once each cycle and not reduce the pipeline into the video card.

If anyone is thinking about getting a Geforce MX4000, forget it, because it simply will not work, and was not made to work. A player will need at least a 5xxx series card on up, and expect the game not to be that fast.

They simply can not do it, and will not, even if the Drivers try and make up for it. Yes they will work, but only with reduced performance because there will be a bottleneck because of the pipelines into the video card.

A 4 pipeline unit (all the previous FX cards including the FX5500) can not keep up with a true 16 pipeline unit like the newer computers have.

That is what the review said, and even the framerate of the FX5500 could not still keep up with an older FX5700 or even a FX5600 but was slightly faster than a older FX5200 card, as it ended up right where it is marked as a video card. Only thing is being a little more capable with pixel shading perhaps and vertex shading, but I doubt if anyone will see a cheap video card anymore that will keep up with newer computers. They can not make them to keep up and -- a newer computer is needed --- unfortunately!

Last year games --- fine -- newer games -- slowdown on all that hardware stuff that came out -- new in the last year or so!

Myself no crashes yet using 78.01 drivers but then I have not been in late game yet, and when a slowdown occurs like first Diplomacy meeting, I have gone out to the Desktop with Alt-Tab and waited a couple of minutes then gone back to the game.
I am up to 950A.D. or so on a regular Island Map with no other Civs met yet, so the game has not slowed-down yet, but I imagine that it will when I meet another Civ -- been mainly all by myself in the game!

So to turn down pixel shading and texture one will have to download from:

http://downloads.guru3d.com/

Now, Forceware Coolbits 2.0 download will overclock your video card, but first I would read the review that says never to go above about 10% first to know what you are doing which means that 15% is the most, until you see white snow in the graphics and then back it down again which means mainly round 10% increase, or you will wreck everything you have.

If using Nvidia Forceware Coolbits 2.0, which I just tried and ties into your Properties pages of the Video card (right-clicking on Desktop -- Advanced Button and all of that) then using the 'Detect Optimal' frame rate will reduce your Refresh Rate usually to 60 Hz and would have overclocked my FX5200 to 277mHz instead of the normal 250mHz, and the data rate from 400mHz up to 456mHz. I decided to keep my current Refresh Rate of 75Hz, so I did try 260mH, and 430MHz, and it will work with that, but all said and done, I decided not to overclock my video card, because although it can be set to start up your computer that way, I think that it only should be used == once in a while perhaps while playing the game and then reset back to Standard Rate for the video card -- because it will probably stress the video card out too much or damage it.

Now the other Download made by someone to set the Pixel Shading and such and is usful is 'nvHardPage se' which will give Nvidia card owners info and set that stuff on the video card --- Drivers --- that is actually there but not accessible from the Drivers since Nvidia does not include that being accessible for their Drivers -- except now with -- Forceware Nvidia CoolBits 2.0 version.

I am still running my video card normally, but if I want to set Pixel Shading to 1.4 version instead of the normal Pixel Shading 2.0 version (which supports Direct X 9 specs) than nvHardPage se is the program to do that with.

All of that is set through the Nvidia Drivers theirselves but not included as an option when downloading Nvidia Drivers.

However at this time I am still 'normal' but do not wreck your video card by overclocking it too much. First look up an article on that, and really read it.
(which may also be there on that website)!
Well enough!

Whether or not Pixel Shading set to 1.4 version instead of 2.0 version to increase performance I have not tried, and as such -- may not support other games that may use Pixel Shading 2.0 version which is for Direct X 9 whatever version. If an newer Direct X version comes out and supports Pixel Shading 3.0 version -- Drivers -- from Nvidia may support that just like OpenGL 2.0 version through the Drivers for the video card, but if you truly want true hardware that will actually support that stuff through the hardware of the video card -- then one will need a new computer. That is truly what anyone will have to do if they start using those versions in game and Dirext X goes above the 9.0c version.

I learned a lot though from reading all that stuff though, and an FX 5500 although new, is note really any better than older FX cards, and will not be, since the reduced pipelines and such create that bottleneck the newer computer have to speed graphic data at a much higher rate.

[SkalTur]

Damn, Raion!!! That was quite an article!

When I made my first settler movement on Civ4, my frist thought was "yeah... need a new computer", but it's a damn shame that here, in Brazil, everything is so f*** expensive.

The price on that nVidia 6600 is R$660 (aprox. U$302). Now, my salary does not afford that in one month (though I have enough money stored on my bank) and I believe buying this card now would be a waste, since it's already the end of 2005 and January-February are good months for new releases (at least, they are here).

I think I will just have to get used to lags until like June...

[eljeffe]

Re: Still with issues

Originally posted by SkalTur I heard you guys are using another driver (71.xx)... where can I find it??

You can find 71.89 here. That's the version that many of us have had success with.

http://downloads.guru3d.com/download.php?det=1038

[SkalTur]

Re: Re: Still with issues

Originally posted by eljeffe


You can find 71.89 here. That's the version that many of us have had success with.

http://downloads.guru3d.com/download.php?det=1038

Thanks, eljeffe!

By the way, I installed 81.89 from www.ngohq.com and it became even WORSE than before . Now the game crashes every 4-5 unit moves!!!

I'll try 71.89 then.

Thanks again.

Daniel Silva Marques Vilela.