{"id":28678,"date":"2012-03-11T15:34:30","date_gmt":"2012-03-11T15:34:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?p=28678"},"modified":"2012-03-26T04:13:40","modified_gmt":"2012-03-26T03:13:40","slug":"geforce-295-73-whql-driver-performance-analysis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/geforce-295-73-whql-driver-performance-analysis\/","title":{"rendered":"GeForce 295.73 WHQL Driver Performance Analysis"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><script type=\"text\/javascript\">\/\/ <![CDATA[\n            google_ad_client = \"pub-7021221536180758\"; \/* 468x60, created 11\/11\/09 *\/ google_ad_slot = \"1949837292\"; google_ad_width = 468; google_ad_height = 60;\n\/\/ ]]><\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"http:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/show_ads.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>As part of an ongoing feature for AlienBabelTech, this editor is comparing the performance of 21 modern benchmarks with the current GeForce 295.73 driver, with the previous <a href=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?p=27520\">285.62 WHQL<\/a> driver from last October. The emphasis is on comparing driver changes on performance in DX10 and DX11 games.\u00a0 Due to site issues, including with publishing, this evaluation is quite late although the performance analysis <a href=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/abt\/viewtopic.php?f=6&amp;t=24354&amp;sid=69d744bedd981ad54716bde44e4aeb1c\">charts were published on ABT Forum<\/a>\u00a0in a timely fashion<\/p>\n<p>This driver performance evaluation will give us a natural comparison of the driver performance improvements for the GTX 500 series including multi-GPU over the last driver set. Representing the Nvidia cards, we will test the GTX 580 and the GTX 590 so as to give us a sampling of the highest performing cards.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/Metro2033-1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-27535\" title=\"Metro2033-1\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/Metro2033-1.jpg?resize=300%2C187\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/Metro2033-1.jpg?resize=300%2C187 300w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/Metro2033-1-1024x640.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>We are testing with the GTX 590 which uses two down-clocked GTX 580 cores in SLI. The percentage of change from upgrading the drivers should remain about the same for any capable CPU platform.In addition, we will also test using a lower-end GTX 550 Ti with less demanding resolutions and settings. The settings are marked on the charts and &#8216;ultra&#8217; or the highest setting is always picked when there is a choice, except as noted.\u00a0 We use\u00a0the same\u00a0settings as for the previous <a href=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?p=27520\">285.62 WHQL<\/a> driver performance evaluation and they are noted on the charts.<\/p>\n<p>We are going to test GeForce 295.73 versus the last GeForce 285.62 driver using our current benchmark suite of 22 modern PC games plus three synthetic benchmarks, Heaven 2.5, 3DMark11 and Vantage. We have added Batmman: Arkham City to our results.\u00a0 Our Core i7-920 has been overclocked further to 4.2GHz as part of our benching platform beginning with this evaluation.<\/p>\n<p>Our testing platform is Windows 7 64-bit using Intel Core i7-920 at 4.2GHz, 6 GB DD3, and our Nvidia video cards are a GTX 580, GTX 590 and GTX 550 Ti. All of the games are tested at two of these three resolutions: 2560&#215;1600, 1920&#215;1080, 1680&#215;1050; with 16xAF, and we use DX11\/10\/10.1 whenever possible.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s get right to the test configuration, the driver&#8217;s release notes and the tests.<\/p>\n<p><!--pagetitle: Introduction--><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\"><strong>Test Configuration &amp; Driver Release Notes<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\"><span style=\"color: #ffff00;\"><strong>Test Configuration<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"color: #ffff00;\"><strong>Test Configuration &#8211; Hardware <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: left;\">\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Intel Core i7 920 (reference 2.66 GHz and overclocked to 4,2GHz using the 21x multiplier); Turbo is off. <\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Gigabyte <\/span>EX58-UD3R <span style=\"font-size: small;\">(Intel X58 chipset, latest BIOS, PCIe 2.0 specification; CrossFire\/SLI 16x+16x).<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\">6 GB OCZ DDR3 PC 18000 Kingston RAM (3&#215;2 GB, tri-channel at 1200MHz; 2&#215;2 GB supplied was\u00a0by Kingston)<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Nvidia GTX 580 (1.5 GB, reference clocks), supplied by Nvidia<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Galaxy GTX 590 (3 GB, reference clocks) supplied by Nvidia<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">EVGA GTX 550 Ti (1GB factory overclocked to 951\/2178MHz), supplied by EVGA<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Onboard Realtek Audio<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\">500 GB Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 hard drive<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Thermaltake ToughPower 775 W power supply unit supplied by Thermaltake<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Thermaltake Element G Case supplied by Thermaltake<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Thermaltake Frio OCK CPU Cooler<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Philips DVD SATA writer<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\">HP LP3065 2560&#215;1600 thirty inch LCD<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #ffff00;\">Test Configuration &#8211; Software<\/span><\/strong> <\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>NVIDIA GeForce WHQL 285.62 and WHQL 295.73 for the GTX 550 Ti, the GTX 580 and the GTX 590. High Quality<\/li>\n<li>Windows 7 64-bit; very latest updates<\/li>\n<li>DirectX July\/November 2010<\/li>\n<li>All games are patched to their latest versions.<\/li>\n<li>vsync is forced off in the control panel.<\/li>\n<li>Varying AA enabled as noted on the charts; all in-game settings are specified with 16xAF always applied if possible; 16xAF forced in control panel for <em>Crysis<\/em><em><\/em>.<\/li>\n<li>All results show average frame rates.<\/li>\n<li>Highest quality sound (stereo) used in all games.<\/li>\n<li>Windows 7 64, all DX9 titles were run under DX9 render paths, DX10 titles were run under DX10 render paths and DX11 titles under DX11 render paths.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #ffff00;\">The Benchmarks<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/strong><strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>As with all of our other games, in-game settings are maxed except where noted and levels of AA are noted on the performance summary charts<em><\/em>. The performance changes result solely from upgrading each driver from the previous one.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Vantage<\/li>\n<li>3DMark 11<\/li>\n<li><em> Batman: Arkham Asylum<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Batman: Arkham City<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em> Serious Sam, Second Encounter HD (2010)<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Wolfenstein<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Left 4 Dead<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em> Mafia II<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em> Crysis<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>World in Conflict<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em> Far Cry 2<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em> Just Cause 2<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em> Resident Evil 5<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em> Alien vs. Predator<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em> Battleforge<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em> STALKER, Call of Pripyat<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>F1 2010<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em> Metro 2033<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em> Lost Planet 2<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em> H.A.W.X. 2<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Civilization 5<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Total War: Shogun II<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>DiRT 3<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Crysis 2<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Heaven 2.5<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>New Features of GeForce 295.73<\/h2>\n<p>These are highlights only.<\/p>\n<p>The .pdf is 60 pages and can be downloaded from <a href=\"http:\/\/us.download.nvidia.com\/Windows\/295.73\/295.73-Win7-WinVista-Desktop-Release-Notes.pdf\" onclick=\"_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','download','http:\/\/us.download.nvidia.com\/Windows\/295.73\/295.73-Win7-WinVista-Desktop-Release-Notes.pdf']);\" >here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nvidia.com\/object\/win7-winvista-64bit-295.73-whql-driver.html\" onclick=\"_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'outbound-article', 'http:\/\/www.nvidia.com\/object\/win7-winvista-64bit-295.73-whql-driver.html', 'From Nvidia&#8217;s site']);\" >From Nvidia&#8217;s site<\/a> here are the release note highlights and the link to download the Windows 7 64-bit driver:<\/p>\n<div id=\"tab1_content\">\n<ul>\n<li>This is the first WHQL-certified driver from the <em>R295<\/em> family of drivers for Windows 7 and Windows Vista (for the Windows 8 Consumer Preview, this is a preview driver). It is the recommended upgrade for all GeForce users, especially those\u00a0 playing the latest hot PC games like <em>Battlefield\u00a0 3<\/em>, <em>Diablo III<\/em>, <em>Mass Effect 3<\/em>, or <em>The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim<\/em>. These drivers come packed with\u00a0 GeForce-exclusive performance and quality enhancements and are now <em>Microsoft WHQL-certified<\/em>. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.geforce.com\/News\/articles\/nvidia-geforce-295-73-whql-drivers-released\" onclick=\"_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'outbound-article', 'http:\/\/www.geforce.com\/News\/articles\/nvidia-geforce-295-73-whql-drivers-released', 'Read\u00a0 the full GeForce 295.73 driver article on GeForce.com']);\" title=\"GeForce 295.73 driver article\" onclick=\"s_objectID=&quot;http:\/\/www.geforce.com\/News\/articles\/nvidia-geforce-295-73-whql-drivers-released_1&quot;;return this.s_oc?this.s_oc(e):true\"  target=\"_blank\">Read\u00a0 the full GeForce 295.73 driver article on GeForce.com<\/a>.<strong>R295\u00a0 Highlight Summary<\/strong><br \/>\n<em>New\u00a0 features and performance since last WHQL-certified driver<\/em><\/p>\n<div>\n<ul>\n<li>Game-changing\u00a0 performance boost of up to 45% in <em>The\u00a0 Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim<\/em>, \u201cthe fastest selling title in <em>Steam\u2019s<\/em> history\u201d<\/li>\n<li>Up\u00a0 to 2x performance <em>Mass Effect 3 <\/em>with<em> SLI technology.<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>GeForce-exclusive<\/em> quality enhancements with ambient occlusion\u00a0 support for <em>Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3<\/em>, <em>Diablo III<\/em>, and <em>The\u00a0 Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>New<em> 3D Vision<\/em> and <em>SLI<\/em> profiles for over 50 titles.<\/li>\n<li>New <em>PhysX<\/em> software for the best experience in top <em>PhysX<\/em> titles like <em>Alice:\u00a0 Madness Returns<\/em> and <em>Batman: Arkham City.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>R295\u00a0 Highlight Details<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Performance<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Increases\u00a0 performance by up to <em>45%<\/em> in <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.geforce.com\/GamesandApps\/games\/elder-scrolls-v-skyrim\/GPUAnalyzer\" onclick=\"_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'outbound-article', 'http:\/\/www.geforce.com\/GamesandApps\/games\/elder-scrolls-v-skyrim\/GPUAnalyzer', 'The\u00a0 Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim']);\" title=\"The  Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim\" onclick=\"s_objectID=&quot;http:\/\/www.geforce.com\/GamesandApps\/games\/elder-scrolls-v-skyrim\/GPUAnalyzer_1&quot;;return this.s_oc?this.s_oc(e):true\"  target=\"_blank\">The\u00a0 Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim<\/a><\/em> (measured with GeForce GTX 560 at 1080p Ultra\u00a0 settings in indoor scenes vs. 285.62).<\/li>\n<li>Updates\u00a0 the NVIDIA Control Panel ambient occlusion support for <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.geforce.com\/GamesandApps\/games\/elder-scrolls-v-skyrim\/GPUAnalyzer\" onclick=\"_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'outbound-article', 'http:\/\/www.geforce.com\/GamesandApps\/games\/elder-scrolls-v-skyrim\/GPUAnalyzer', 'The\u00a0 Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim']);\" title=\"The  Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim\" onclick=\"s_objectID=&quot;http:\/\/www.geforce.com\/GamesandApps\/games\/elder-scrolls-v-skyrim\/GPUAnalyzer_2&quot;;return this.s_oc?this.s_oc(e):true\"  target=\"_blank\">The\u00a0 Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim<\/a><\/em> to a higher performance profile.<\/li>\n<li>Boosts <em>Mass Effect 3<\/em> SLI performance to up\u00a0 to 2x.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Ambient\u00a0 Occlusion<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Adds\u00a0 ambient occlusion support for <em>Diablo III<\/em><strong>. <\/strong>See the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.geforce.com\/News\/articles\/nvidia-geforce-295-73-whql-drivers-released\" onclick=\"_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'outbound-article', 'http:\/\/www.geforce.com\/News\/articles\/nvidia-geforce-295-73-whql-drivers-released', 'comparison\u00a0 screenshots on GeForce.com']);\" title=\"Comparison Screenshots on GeForce.com\" onclick=\"s_objectID=&quot;http:\/\/www.geforce.com\/News\/articles\/nvidia-geforce-295-73-whql-drivers-released_2&quot;;return this.s_oc?this.s_oc(e):true\"  target=\"_blank\">comparison\u00a0 screenshots on GeForce.com<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Updates\u00a0 the ambient occlusion support for <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.geforce.com\/GamesandApps\/games\/elder-scrolls-v-skyrim\/GPUAnalyzer\" onclick=\"_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'outbound-article', 'http:\/\/www.geforce.com\/GamesandApps\/games\/elder-scrolls-v-skyrim\/GPUAnalyzer', 'The Elder Scrolls V:\u00a0 Skyrim']);\" title=\"The  Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim\" onclick=\"s_objectID=&quot;http:\/\/www.geforce.com\/GamesandApps\/games\/elder-scrolls-v-skyrim\/GPUAnalyzer_3&quot;;return this.s_oc?this.s_oc(e):true\"  target=\"_blank\">The Elder Scrolls V:\u00a0 Skyrim<\/a><\/em> to a higher performance profile (also in 290 beta drivers). See\u00a0 the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.geforce.com\/News\/articles\/nvidia-geforce-290-36-beta-drivers-released\" onclick=\"_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'outbound-article', 'http:\/\/www.geforce.com\/News\/articles\/nvidia-geforce-290-36-beta-drivers-released', 'comparison\u00a0 screenshots on GeForce.com']);\" title=\"Comparison Screenshots on GeForce.com\" onclick=\"s_objectID=&quot;http:\/\/www.geforce.com\/News\/articles\/nvidia-geforce-290-36-beta-drivers-released_1&quot;;return this.s_oc?this.s_oc(e):true\"  target=\"_blank\">comparison\u00a0 screenshots on GeForce.com<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Adds\u00a0 ambient occlusion support for <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.geforce.com\/GamesandApps\/games\/call-of-duty-modern-warfare-3\" onclick=\"_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'outbound-article', 'http:\/\/www.geforce.com\/GamesandApps\/games\/call-of-duty-modern-warfare-3', 'Call of Duty: Modern\u00a0 Warfare 3']);\" title=\"Call  of Duty: Modern Warfare 3\" onclick=\"s_objectID=&quot;http:\/\/www.geforce.com\/GamesandApps\/games\/call-of-duty-modern-warfare-3_1&quot;;return this.s_oc?this.s_oc(e):true\"  target=\"_blank\">Call of Duty: Modern\u00a0 Warfare 3<\/a><\/em> (also in 290 beta drivers). See the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.geforce.com\/News\/articles\/nvidia-geforce-290-36-beta-drivers-released\" onclick=\"_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'outbound-article', 'http:\/\/www.geforce.com\/News\/articles\/nvidia-geforce-290-36-beta-drivers-released', 'comparison\u00a0 screenshots on GeForce.com']);\" title=\"Comparison Screenshots on GeForce.com\" onclick=\"s_objectID=&quot;http:\/\/www.geforce.com\/News\/articles\/nvidia-geforce-290-36-beta-drivers-released_2&quot;;return this.s_oc?this.s_oc(e):true\"  target=\"_blank\">comparison\u00a0 screenshots on GeForce.com<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>NVIDIA\u00a0 SLI<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Adds\u00a0 or updates SLI profiles for:<\/li>\n<ul>\n<li><em>Mass Effect 3<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Kingdoms of Amalur:\u00a0 Reckoning<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>The Darkness II<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>F1 2011<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Oil Rush<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Red Faction:\u00a0 Armageddon<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>7554<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Trine 2<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>WRC 2: FIA World\u00a0 Rally Championship 2011<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Afterfall: InSanity. <\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>ArcheAge<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Core Blaze<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>NVIDIA 3D\u00a0 Vision<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Adds\u00a0 support for\u00a0<em>3D Vision<\/em> windowed\u00a0 mode on DLP HDTVs and on <em>Optimized for\u00a0 GeForce<\/em> passive 3D monitors.<\/li>\n<li>Added\u00a0 new <em>3D Vision<\/em> laser sight \/crosshair\u00a0 options to better match <em>Skyrim<\/em> crosshairs.<\/li>\n<li>Adds\u00a0 or updates 3D Vision profiles for:<\/li>\n<ul>\n<li><em>The Adventures of\u00a0 Tintin \u2013 rated Good<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Afterfall: Insanity \u2013\u00a0 rated Fair<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>ANNO 2070 &#8211; rated Not\u00a0 Recommended<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Apache: Air Assault \u2013\u00a0 rated Fair<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Black Prophecy \u2013\u00a0 rated Not Recommended<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Chaos Online \u2013 rated\u00a0 Fair<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Choplifter HD &#8211; rated\u00a0 Good<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Cities XL 2012 &#8211;\u00a0 rated Good<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Da Vinci Online \u2013\u00a0 rated Fair<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Dino D-Day &#8211; rated\u00a0 Good<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>DotA 2 \u2013 rating\u00a0 upgraded to Fair<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Dungeon and Dragons:\u00a0 Daggerdale \u2013 rated Fair<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Edge &#8211; rated\u00a0 Excellent<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Ferrari Project \u2013\u00a0 rated Not Recommended <\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>The First Templar \u2013\u00a0 rated Fair<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Fractal \u2013 rated\u00a0 Excellent<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>FreeStyle 2 \u2013 rated\u00a0 Good<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>The Haunted Halls\u00a0 Reach \u2013 rated Excellent<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Insane 2 &#8211; rated\u00a0 Excellent<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>King Arthur II \u2013\u00a0 rated Not Recommended<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Kingdoms of Amalur:\u00a0 Reckoning \u2013 rated Fair<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Kong Fu Ying Xiong \u2013\u00a0 rated Fair<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Love Beat \u2013 rated\u00a0 Good<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Marvel Super Hero\u00a0 Squad Online \u2013 rated Good<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Microsoft Flight \u2013\u00a0 rated Fair<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Perpetuum \u2013 rated\u00a0 Fair<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Post Apocalyptic\u00a0 Mayhem \u2013 rated Fair<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Prototype 2 \u2013 rated\u00a0 Fair<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Q.U.B.E. \u2013 rated\u00a0 Excellent<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Quan Qiu Shi Ming \u2013\u00a0 rated Excellent<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Red Bull X-Fighters &#8211;\u00a0 rated Excellent<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>rFactor 2 (mod mode)\u00a0 \u2013 rated Good and updated convergence<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Risen 2: Dark Waters\u00a0 &#8211; rated Fair<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Saints Row: The Third\u00a0 \u2013 Rated Not Recommended <\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Shadow Company: Left\u00a0 for Dead \u2013 rated Not Recommended <\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Special Force \u2013 Rated\u00a0 Good<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Tera \u2013 rated Good<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Top Gun: Hard Lock \u2013\u00a0 rated Not Recommended<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Tropico 4 \u2013 rated\u00a0 Good<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Worms Blast \u2013 rated\u00a0 Good<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<li>If\u00a0 you are using <em>3D Vision<\/em> with the 3D\u00a0 Vision USB emitter, please <a href=\"http:\/\/nvidia.custhelp.com\/app\/answers\/detail\/a_id\/3077\/\" onclick=\"_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'outbound-article', 'http:\/\/nvidia.custhelp.com\/app\/answers\/detail\/a_id\/3077\/', 'read this FAQ\u00a0 for more details on installation']);\" onclick=\"s_objectID=&quot;http:\/\/nvidia.custhelp.com\/app\/answers\/detail\/a_id\/3077\/_1&quot;;return this.s_oc?this.s_oc(e):true\">read this FAQ\u00a0 for more details on installation<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>NVIDIA PhysX<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Updates\u00a0 PhysX System Software to 9.12.0209 for improved compatibility with <a href=\"http:\/\/www.geforce.com\/GamesandApps\/games\/alice-madness-returns\" onclick=\"_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'outbound-article', 'http:\/\/www.geforce.com\/GamesandApps\/games\/alice-madness-returns', 'Alice:\u00a0 Madness Returns']);\" title=\"Alice:  Madness Returns\" onclick=\"s_objectID=&quot;http:\/\/www.geforce.com\/GamesandApps\/games\/alice-madness-returns_1&quot;;return this.s_oc?this.s_oc(e):true\"  target=\"_blank\">Alice:\u00a0 Madness Returns<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.geforce.com\/GamesandApps\/games\/batman-arkham-city\" onclick=\"_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'outbound-article', 'http:\/\/www.geforce.com\/GamesandApps\/games\/batman-arkham-city', 'Batman: Arkham City']);\" title=\"Batman Arkham City\" onclick=\"s_objectID=&quot;http:\/\/www.geforce.com\/GamesandApps\/games\/batman-arkham-city_1&quot;;return this.s_oc?this.s_oc(e):true\"  target=\"_blank\">Batman: Arkham City<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>NVIDIA Surround<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Enables <em>WHQL-certified<\/em> support for <em>NVIDIA Surround<\/em> on Intel X79\u00a0 SLI-certified motherboards.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>HD\u00a0 Audio<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Updates\u00a0 HD Audio to version 1.3.12.0.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Battlefield\u00a0 3<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Fixes\u00a0 instances of texture corruption\/artifacts in <em>Battlefield 3<\/em> when memory constrained (typically 1GB or less\u00a0 graphics cards running <em>Ultra<\/em> settings\u00a0 and high resolutions).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Other\u00a0 Details<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Supports\u00a0 multiple languages and APIs for GPU computing: CUDA C, CUDA C++, CUDA Fortran,\u00a0 OpenCL, DirectCompute, and Microsoft C++ AMP.<\/li>\n<li>Supports single GPU and NVIDIA SLI technology on DirectX 9, DirectX 10,\u00a0 DirectX 11, and OpenGL, including 3-way SLI, Quad SLI, and SLI support on SLI-certified\u00a0 Intel and AMD motherboards.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Let&#8217;s head to the performance\u00a0charts.<br \/>\n<!--pagetitle: Test Configuration--> <!--pagetitle: Performance Charts &#038; Conclusion--><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 60px;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"color: #ffff00;\"><strong>Benchmarks &amp; Conclusion<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Here are our results of 21 benchmarks &#8211; 18 games and 3 synthetics &#8211; compared between GeForce\u00a0285.62 and 295.73 using the GTX 580, GTX 590\u00a0and the GTX 550 Ti.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/295-final1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-28793\" title=\"295-final1\" src=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/295-final1.jpg?resize=560%2C429\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/295-final1.jpg?resize=560%2C429 800w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/295-final1-300x229.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 560px) 100vw, 560px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/295-final21.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" title=\"295-final2\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/295-final21.jpg?resize=561%2C201\" alt=\"\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>We note some\u00a0minor performance improvement with the new drivers. We also noted a lot of improvements for 3D Vision and we will be covering this in a follow-up article. We also appreciated the very useful features in Nvidia&#8217;s GeForce 297.73 drivers and we recommend that you download and upgrade to the very latest drivers no matter which Nvidia video card that you may have!<\/p>\n<p>We have to also give our recommendation to the latest GeForce drivers. They are stable and in\u00a0some cases they provide slight performance increases with no real negatives that we have encountered.<\/p>\n<p>Stay tuned for our\u00a0next evaluation\u00a0which includes the reason we were able to overclock our i7-920 beyond 4.0GHz as we test two new Thermaltake CPU coolers.\u00a0 And we have a Sapphire HD 7770 GHz video card review coming up this week that had a few surprises for us that we&#8217;d like to share with you.<\/p>\n<p>We will be back to compare performance of the new GeForce WHQL drivers when they are released and a new\u00a0&#8220;mystery card&#8221; evaluation we are starting to bench that you will be interested in before long.\u00a0 Happy gaming!<\/p>\n<p>Senior ABT Editor<\/p>\n<p>Mark Poppin<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Please join us in our <a href=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/abt\/index.php\" target=\"_blank\">Forums<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Become a Fan on <a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/AlienBabelTech\/123268467142\" onclick=\"_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'outbound-article', 'http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/AlienBabelTech\/123268467142', 'Facebook']);\" target=\"_blank\">Facebook<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Follow us on <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/alienbabeltech\" onclick=\"_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'outbound-article', 'http:\/\/twitter.com\/alienbabeltech', 'Twitter']);\" target=\"_blank\">Twitter<\/a><\/p>\n<p>For the latest updates from ABT, please <a href=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?feed=rss2\" target=\"_blank\">join our RSS News Feed<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Join our Distributed Computing teams<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Folding@Home &#8211; Team AlienBabelTech &#8211; 164304<\/li>\n<li>SETI@Home &#8211; Team AlienBabelTech &#8211; 138705<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.worldcommunitygrid.org\/reg\/viewRegister.do?teamID=3P39R3SRV1\" onclick=\"_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'outbound-article', 'http:\/\/www.worldcommunitygrid.org\/reg\/viewRegister.do?teamID=3P39R3SRV1', 'World Community Grid &#8211; Team AlienBabelTech']);\" target=\"_blank\">World Community Grid &#8211; Team AlienBabelTech<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?p=28678\"><img decoding=\"async\" align=top title=\"Author: Mark Poppin\" src=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Article-Image295.73.jpg\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":29112,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2533,7814,5,4454,4453],"tags":[3728,4920,5103,4506,4259,4412,121],"class_list":["post-28678","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-abt-news","category-articles","category-gaming","category-mini-reviews","category-software-2","tag-driver-performance-analysis","tag-geforce-285-62","tag-geforce-295-73","tag-gtx-560-ti","tag-gtx-580","tag-gtx-590","tag-nvidia"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28678","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28678"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28678\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29112"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28678"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28678"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28678"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}