First NVidia card - now what?

[Pauli]

Ok, I got a new Asus V7700 Ti and put it into my new P4 1.6A Northwood system. Installed the Asus drivers from the CD and everything works great.

Should I go now with the latest detonator drivers? If so, do I need to perform an uninstall of the Asus ones, or can I just overwrite them?

How about overclocking? What should I use to do it and what can I get it up to?

 

[merlocka]

Installed the Asus drivers from the CD and everything works great.

If everything works great do you need to change anything?

How about overclocking? What should I use to do it and what can I get it up to?

nVmax, powerstrip, or coolbits are some ways. Each card is different, so start with small increases until you see artifacts, then back down a bit.

 

[Mem]

<< Should I go now with the latest detonator drivers? If so, do I need to perform an uninstall of the Asus ones, or can I just overwrite them? >>




If you are happy with the Asus drivers then I would agree leave them installed,however if you do fancy trying the Nvidia drivers in the future then yes do uninstall the Asus drivers first to avoid problems.

 

[jonmcc33]

Get the GeForce Tweak Utility to tweak your video card.

 

[Pauli]

Thanks for the tips guys.

merlocka, mem - I guess what I'm asking is will I gain much performance with the detonator drivers (or any other tangible benefit for that matter). I am happy with the performance, I suppose, but if I could be getting better performance, then I would like to.

jonmcc33 - thanks for the link, I'll check it out.

 

[Mem]

<< I guess what I'm asking is will I gain much performance with the detonator drivers (or any other tangible benefit for that matter). I am happy with the performance, I suppose, but if I could be getting better performance, then I would like to. >>



Pauli I don`t think there will be much difference,the main advantage of Nvidia reference drivers is the choice available since you have official and all those leaked drivers to choose from plus you don`t wait long for the next driver to be leaked etc,if you are curious you can always do what some members here do and try out all those different Nvidia drivers & see which ones perform best for you.


I should also say be carefull using leaked drivers since they are not official and may cause problems,I always stick with official Nvidia or Microsoft Windows Hardware Quality Labs (WHQL) drivers like my current 23.12 drivers from Microsoft site using Windows Update.

 

[BFG10K]

Riva Tuner is an excellent tool for tweaking nVidia cards.

 

[AnitaPeterson]

Check out the CDs that came with your card.

The ASUS cards come with a lot of extra software which allows for overclocking and monitoring. There should be a program called SmartDoctor somewhere on you discs, as well as something called ASUS Tweak.

My advice is to try these before any third-party software.

 

[gregor7777]

The ASUS cards come with a lot of extra software which allows for overclocking and monitoring. There should be a program called SmartDoctor somewhere on you discs, as well as something called ASUS Tweak.

My advice is to try these before any third-party software.



Granted, with Asus's drivers in the mix I would also use Asus's tweaker, but I should say that he can't go wrong with Nvidia's drivers. And if you don't wan't to use 3rd party software, just use the nvidia drivers to o/c via coolbits.

He's obviously interested in performance, or he wouldn't be asking. In which case, go detonator.

 

[Pauli]

Thanks everyone. I don't think I'll mess around with the detonators yet. The Asus drivers seem to be very stable and I just want to enjoy my new 1.6A setup. I tried the ASUS Tweaker but was only able to bump the memory from 400 to 415 - disappointing. I'm getting the itch for a faster video card, maybe I'll pick up a Radeon 8500 now that they're pretty cheap. This is only Geforce2 Ti - it doesn't even support Environmental Bump Mapping or DX8.

 

[gregor7777]

I tried the ASUS Tweaker but was only able to bump the memory from 400 to 415 - disappointing

This MAY be due to Asus drivers. I should think that the latest (23.12) nvidia official drivers should be perfectly stable with your setup. Hell, they are nvidia's drivers!

 

[AnitaPeterson]

My mistake - I don't mean to say nVidia drivers aren't good

I have two 7700 Deluxe (VIVO) cards - and I had the impression yours is one, too. The 3D glasses and VIVO functions are affected (disabled) by generic nVidia drivers... I suppose if yours is not a VIVO with 3D, you have nothing to lose.

Cheers!

 

[Pauli]

Thanks, AnitaPeterson, I indeed have no VIVO functionality on my card.

I think maybe I'll check out the detonators tonight. BTW, what is "coolbits" and where can I get it?