"Where are my G80 Vista drivers??"

[thilanliyan]

http://enthusiast.hardocp.com/article.html?art=MTI3NCwxLCxoZW50aHVzaWFzdA==

 

[josh6079]

Vista is here and NVIDIA does not have a WHQL driver for their high-end GPUs. So when exactly should we expect to see a WHQL driver? According to what NVIDIA told us yesterday and verified today, 8800 owners could be waiting a good while for DX10 support for single 8800 GPU configurations.

NVIDIA is working very closely with Microsoft to finalize the WHQL certified DirectX 10 driver. Both companies are working together to ensure that the driver is certified and delivered to customers as soon as possible. The current estimate is near the end of Feb for G80 WHQL.

When digging a bit deeper and asking for dates as to when we should see 8800 SLI WHQL drivers for Vista, which I think should have been a minimum requirement for Vista?s launch, this is what NVIDIA had to say:

The driver we are working on for end of Feb for G80 WHQL will support DirectX 9 and OpenGL SLI.

So from what we are being told NVIDIA will not even hint to DX10 8800 SLI GPU support even being on a time horizon they are willing to estimate.

NVIDIA did close our email conversation with this statement.

NVIDIA has placed a top priority on supporting our customers. NVIDIA will continue to work diligently on optimizing its Windows Vista drivers to ensure maximum performance on 3D applications through continuous driver updates. Our reputation for world-class support speaks for itself.

I fully appreciate and respect NVIDIA?s driver program as it has revolutionized the industry, but make no mistake about it, NVIDIA is not living up to its own standards at this time. The above ?end of February? timeline and ?To Be Determined? answers are unacceptable at best.

The Bottom Line

Windows Vista was not sprung on an unsuspecting NVIDIA last weekend. NVIDIA has known for a great while that WHQL Vista driver support is expected of them. They also know damn well that their enthusiast customer base will not find their current feeble attempts acceptable and that their self-stated ?world-class support? is worth very little right now in terms of Windows Vista. We saw a Beta DX9 SLI driver released today for Vista that equates to putting a Band-Aid on a compound fracture. NVIDIA does not want to have their feet held to the fire for the slap in the face given to its 8800 SLI owners so they are trying their best to deflect that negative attention. There are surely many 7800 and 7900 SLI owners out there that feel slighted by NVIDIA as well. NVIDIA has enjoyed a strong reputation in the past year, much of that tied directly to SLI. NVIDIA not being ready for DX10, Vista, and SLI is a low blow to enthusiasts and gamers that spend the big bucks, and they will remember that for a while.

Talking to NVIDIA about this today, they explain they are very well aware that the enthusiast community is not happy with the state of the Vista drivers and they told HardOCP that they are working hard to fix the issues.

I wish we had better news for you than the nebulous dates and ?TBD? answers we have shared with you above, but it seems that at the moment, that?s as good as it is going to get. Rest assured, I certainly think that the hardware enthusiasts and gamers that pay for these extremely expensive GeForce series video cards deserve much better support. ?World-class support? should be a minimum expectation, not just a marketing tag line.

They give themselves a "world-class" compliment without showing it in their flagship products?

 

[schneiderguy]

What??? People are complaining about them not having a DX10 driver? There are no DX10 games available :roll:

 

[Gamingphreek]

Originally posted by: schneiderguy
What??? People are complaining about them not having a DX10 driver? There are no DX10 games available :roll:

Its the point behind it. While IMHO I believe M$ rushed Vista a lot, NV/ATI should have fully functional DX and OGL drivers (And in NV's case DX10 by now).

-Kevin

 

[schneiderguy]

Originally posted by: Gamingphreek

Originally posted by: schneiderguy
What??? People are complaining about them not having a DX10 driver? There are no DX10 games available :roll:

Its the point behind it. While IMHO I believe M$ rushed Vista a lot, NV/ATI should have fully functional DX and OGL drivers (And in NV's case DX10 by now).

-Kevin

What is the point of having a DX10 driver if there are no DX10 apps? Nvidia and ATI both have functional DX9/openGL drivers for vista right now, that is all they should be "required" to have because all games available today either use Directx9 or below or OpenGL

 

[DeathReborn]

WHQL to me is just 1 less click in a driver install (big whoop). They have drivers that work (currently running 8800GTS SLI on Vista Ultimate OEM) with software on the market today.

IMO demanding a DX10 driver with no DX10 software to use it with is pointless.

 

[tuteja1986]

I am just wondering why hasn't nvidia released stable 8800 DX9 Nvidia WHQL driver like ATI has.

 

[josh6079]

I am just wondering why hasn't nvidia released stable 8800 DX9 Nvidia WHQL driver like ATI has.

ATi has released a stable 8800 DX9 WHQL driver?

j/k. I know what you meant.

 

[hemmy]

i would def not call the latest ATI vista drivers good by any means

 

[DeathReborn]

Originally posted by: tuteja1986
I am just wondering why hasn't nvidia released stable 8800 DX9 Nvidia WHQL driver like ATI has.

ATI says that 7.1 supports R600 but apart from the string in the drivers there's no other proof that it does.

100.59 has been very stable for me the last 24 hours (ish) in which i've run several games & had not 1 crash, little bugs like the fog in HL2 was there but nothing major. As for WHQl, I couldn't care if they've got MS's stamp of approval, as long as they work (which they do).

ps: Windows 98 was a good OS in it's day, I still bring it up to play old games on every now and then.

 

[Googer]

Originally posted by: Gamingphreek

Originally posted by: schneiderguy
What??? People are complaining about them not having a DX10 driver? There are no DX10 games available :roll:

Its the point behind it. While IMHO I believe M$ rushed Vista a lot, NV/ATI should have fully functional DX and OGL drivers (And in NV's case DX10 by now).

-Kevin

It's the year 2001 all over again: New XP OS, No Drivers.

 

[almach1]

i can't get Media Center live TV to work in windowed mode unless I turn off vista Aero theme. Other wise i get very choppy video. switch to full video mode and it runs fine. That HAS to be a driver issue.

 

[Keysplayr]

Originally posted by: Googer

Originally posted by: Gamingphreek

Originally posted by: schneiderguy
What??? People are complaining about them not having a DX10 driver? There are no DX10 games available :roll:

Its the point behind it. While IMHO I believe M$ rushed Vista a lot, NV/ATI should have fully functional DX and OGL drivers (And in NV's case DX10 by now).

-Kevin

It's the year 2001 all over again: New XP OS, No Drivers.

Yup. Either these folks are too young to remember, or early alzheimers has taken hold.
Everybody seems to have their own version of "real" in here.

On paper: Nvidia should have had complete DX9/DX10/OGL/SLI WHQL driver support as of January 30th 2007 for Windows Vista.

Real World: DX9/OGL/SLI beta works (with some bugs as all drivers have) for now. No need for DX10/SLI when there are ZERO games that are DX10 right now.

/shrugs

 

[ronnn]

I don't remember xp not working? Windows 2000 drivers worked ok for me. At least thats how I remember it. Anyways vista sucks so who cares?

 

[Painman]

Originally posted by: ronnn
Anyways vista sucks so who cares?

Video card partisans care. It's just like P&N, but vastly more insular.

 

[Wreckage]

Vista is just a beta to me, wake me when it hits SP1. What worries me more is the number of HP printers that will not be supported at all.....sigh at least XP had 2000 to pave the way. Now everyone gets to beta test Vista.

 

[thilanliyan]

Originally posted by: schneiderguy
What is the point of having a DX10 driver if there are no DX10 apps? Nvidia and ATI both have functional DX9/openGL drivers for vista right now, that is all they should be "required" to have because all games available today either use Directx9 or below or OpenGL

Is there even such a thing as a "DX9 Vista driver" as opposed to a "DX10 Vista driver"??

I didn't know they were separate?? If you are running Vista right now it is DX10 correct (ie. when you check DXdiag)?? So that means both ATI and NVidia have a DX10 driver out already right??

It's just that the DX10 features haven't been implemented in any games to be tested out.

 

[Gamingphreek]

Originally posted by: thilan29

Originally posted by: schneiderguy
What is the point of having a DX10 driver if there are no DX10 apps? Nvidia and ATI both have functional DX9/openGL drivers for vista right now, that is all they should be "required" to have because all games available today either use Directx9 or below or OpenGL

Is there even such a thing as a "DX9 Vista driver" as opposed to a "DX10 Vista driver"??

I didn't know they were separate?? If you are running Vista right now it is DX10 correct (ie. when you check DXdiag)?? So that means both ATI and NVidia have a DX10 driver out already right??

It's just that the DX10 features haven't been implemented in any games to be tested out.

Its coded in the DX 10 path however does not posess the ability to "drive" the card to render DX 10 features.

-Kevin

 

[thilanliyan]

Originally posted by: Gamingphreek
Its coded in the DX 10 path however does not posess the ability to "drive" the card to render DX 10 features.

-Kevin

So using the current driver, a DX10 capable card such as a 8800 won't be able to run DX10 games?? Are you absolutely sure about that? So we're gonna need another driver when a DX10 game comes out?

 

[schneiderguy]

Originally posted by: thilan29

Originally posted by: Gamingphreek
Its coded in the DX 10 path however does not posess the ability to "drive" the card to render DX 10 features.

-Kevin

So using the current driver, a DX10 capable card such as a 8800 won't be able to run DX10 games??

correct

 

[Vinnybcfc]

Who the hell cares about having signed drivers, loads of hardware on the market doesnt have signed drivers and tell you in the instructions/user guide to click 'Continue Anyway'

 

[fierydemise]

Originally posted by: Vinnybcfc
Who the hell cares about having signed drivers, loads of hardware on the market doesnt have signed drivers and tell you in the instructions/user guide to click 'Continue Anyway'

It isn't that easy in 64 bit Vista, it requires signed drivers.

 

[josh6079]

It isn't that easy in 64 bit Vista, it requires signed drivers.

Then why is nVidia suggesting we use a driver that isn't signed?

Click

 

[Kango2020]

Originally posted by: schneiderguy
What??? People are complaining about them not having a DX10 driver? There are no DX10 games available :roll:

And there will never be a DX10 game or other programs that use it until DX10 drivers are available. Your thinking is pretty narrow. You have to develop programs in order for them to be available for use by consumers. And you can't develop new software without the drivers to support the development effort.

So yes, I am complaining about there not being any DX10 drivers available. Without these drivers then there will not be any DX10 games for me to play. Consider software development, broaden your thinking, and you may be able to understand why others are a bit angry about the whole DX10 driver issue.

 

[Raider1284]

People are pissed cause Nvidia lied/false advertised that their new cards were vista ready, when they obviously aren't. If nvidia had made it clear from the start to its buyers that the drivers weren't rdy yet, but that they were working on it, then i think the nvidia community would be alright with it. I would be pissed right now if I had an 8800 with vista. You spend ~$600 on a new card and you cant run it properly!?