UPDATED: My Tests are In! The new 81.26 drivers DO use both cores! More than 70% 2x core usage.

[formulav8]

I made a basic app that monitors the cpu's usage. I installed each of the 77.72, 78.01 and 81.26 drivers and played BF2 for a few minutes each. The 77.72 and 78.01 drivers shows very little total usage above 50%.

Edit: I also wanted to say that the monitor was set to every 1.5 seconds and to not report 0% usages either.

My system is a 3800+ X2 @ 2600mhz, PNY 6800 NU @ 16x/6x pipes using stock speeds. Resolution was 1024x768 and 1GB dual channel BH5 memory @ 172mhz or so.

But when I installed 81.26 drivers and played BF2 the Dual Core usage was more than 70%! So, without a doubt the new drivers DO play with both of the cpu's cores.

This should somewhat prove that the performance increases with the drivers does have something to do with the using of both cpu cores and not just driver optimizations in general.

Hopefully this info helps put some insight into the matter You can download the monitor program and the cpu usage logs below. Post your results if you use the app if you want too

Here is the download link for the 3x BF2 cpu logs.

And here is the link to the CPU Load Monitor application I made. The app was made with Visual Studio.NET 2003 so, you will need the 1.1 version of the DotNet framework installed. It will most likely not run properly if you do NOT have 2x cpu's. So single cpu's do not use


Jason

 

[imported_Kensai]

How about the 81. drivers?

 

[coomar]

i think age of empires looks a bit better with 81.26

 

[formulav8]

Hi, I did use the 81.26 drivers and compared them to the 77.72 and 78.01 drivers. The 81.26 are the ones that I was testing to see if they actually use both cpu cores as nVidia said they would and if the speed improvements that sites have reports was do to general optimizations or if the drivers really did use both cores.


Jason

Originally posted by: Kensai
How about the 81. drivers?

 

[Sentential]

Very nice. It is about time that somone take advantage of dual-cores.

 

[Duvie]

The thing must be you have to find the conditions your gpu is limited...what were all the setting you were using???

i may want to use it and run NFS4 with full settings set with AA and all...

 

[formulav8]

I've been updating the thread in the video section more-so than this section do to more interest over there. But below are the latest updates. I added some benches to the mix.

*
Duvie, on my setting for BF2 the res is:

1024x768, Everything on high except for 1 or 2 parameters. Not sure if this helps you very much
*
------------------------------

OK, I ran a couple benches. I used versions: 77.72, 78.01, and 81.26 drivers. Below are my results.

*************************

*81.26 Driver Results*

3DMark2001: 22,191

Aquamark: 63,645

------------------------

*78.01 Driver Results*

3DMark2001: 21,346

Aquamark: 60,734

------------------------

*77.72 Driver Results*

3DMark2001: 21,215

Aquamark: 60,845

*************************

So, although the results are not huge, there ARE almost a 5% performance increase in the use of the 81.26 drivers which uses some of the 2nd cpu core.

So, a free performance boost for Dual Cpu/Core users is not to shabby at all



Jason