New NVIDIA GeForce 304.48 Beta Drivers Improve Performance, Fix V-Sync Issues

[btarunr]

NVIDIA released the GeForce 304.48 Beta software suite, which include game-specific performance improvements, and fixes for bugs related to recently launched hardware. To begin with, GeForce 304.48 Beta claims performance improvements as high as 18%. The improvements are tested on GeForce GTX 680 and GeForce GTX 560, and are specific to game titles such as Batman Arkham City, Dragon Age 2, Lost Planet 2, STALKER: Call of Pripyat; SLI profiles were improved for games such as Battlefield 3 and The Witcher 2. The exact performance improvement numbers claimed by NVIDIA are charted below.

In addition to performance improvements, NVIDIA released fixes for outstanding issues, such as micro-stutter noted by some GeForce GTX 600 "Kepler" users in games with v-sync enabled; under-clocking of factory-overclocked graphics cards by certain manufacturers; and a performance issue with Total War: Shogun 2, with its latest patch enabled. NVIDIA also added and improved SLI profiles for a large selection of games.



DOWNLOAD: NVIDIA GeForce 304.48 Beta

The complete change-log follows.

Performance Boost – Increases performance for GeForce 400/500/600 Series GPUs in several PC games vs. GeForce 301.42 WHQL-certified drivers. Results will vary depending on your GPU and system configuration:

• GeForce GTX 680:
  o Up to 18% in Batman: Arkham City
  o Up to 15% in Dragon Age II
  o Up to 10% in S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat
  o Up to 60% in Total War: Shogun 2 (fixes performance issue with latest game patch)
• GeForce GTX 560:
  o Up to 14% in Batman: Arkham City
  o Up to 5% in Battlefield 3 with SLI
  o Up to 4% in Dragon Age II
  o Up to 8% in The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings with SLI
  o Up to 7% in Lost Planet 2

Key Fixes

• Fixes an intermittent vsync stuttering issue with GeForce GTX 600-series GPUs.
• Fixes an issue where some manufacturer’s factory overclocked cards default to and run at lower clocks.
• Fixes a performance issue in Total War: Shogun 2 with the latest game patch.

NVIDIA SLI Technology – Adds or updates the following SLI profiles:

• Spec Ops: The Line
• PlanetSide 2
• F1 2011 – updated profile
• Final Fantasy XIV – updated profile
• Saints Row: The Third – updated profile
• Torchlight II
• Tribes: Ascend

NVIDIA 3D Vision – Adds or updates the following 3D Vision profiles:

• Alan Wake's American Nightmare – rated Poor
• Borderlands 2 – updated profile with new convergence settings
• Depth Hunter – updated rating to 3D Vision Ready
• Mass Effect 3 – updated in-game compatibility message and profile to be more compatible with community 3D mods
• Max Payne 3 – updated rating to Excellent and updated in-game compatibility message to inform users to use DirectX 11, disable MSAA and use SSA0.
• Street Fighter X Tekken – rated 3D Vision Ready
• Tiger Woods PGA 12: The Masters – rated Good
• Tribes: Ascend – rated Fair
• The Walking Dead – rating Good

Other Profile Updates:

• Added NVIDIA Control Panel antialiasing support for Diablo III
• Added NVIDIA Control Panel antialiasing support for L.A. Noire
• Added NVIDIA Control Panel antialiasing support for Rayman Origins
• Added NVIDIA Control Panel antialiasing support The Secret World
• Added NVIDIA Control Panel ambient occlusion support for Star Wars: The Old Republic
• Disabled FXAA for several Windows programs like Media Player and Movie Maker.

NVIDIA Surround: Surround settings now persisted after new driver overinstall.

NVIDIA CUDA: Includes support for applications built using CUDA 5 Preview or earlier version of the CUDA Toolkit.

Additional Details:

• Installs PhysX System Software v9.12.0604.
• Installs HD Audio v1.3.17.0.
• Supports OpenGL 4.2
• Supports DisplayPort 1.2 for GeForce GTX 600 series GPUs.
• Supports multiple languages and APIs for GPU computing: CUDA C, CUDA C++, CUDA Fortran,
• OpenCL, DirectCompute, and Microsoft C++ AMP.
• Supports single GPU and NVIDIA SLI technology on DirectX 9, DirectX 10, DirectX 11, and
• OpenGL, including 3-way SLI, Quad SLI, and SLI support on SLI-certified Intel and AMD motherboards.

[btarunr]

It even fixed my issue where after using Photoshop CS5.5 (GL drawing with V-Sync enabled), Windows Aero would begin stuttering.

[Dj-ElectriC]

AA for Diablo III

[cadaveca]

Does someone have a GTX690 I can borrow permanently? Almost 20% for Batman is pretty killer.

[TheMailMan78]

Originally Posted by btarunr

It even fixed my issue where after using Photoshop CS5.5 (GL drawing with V-Sync enabled), Windows Aero would begin stuttering.

Strange. I never had that issue.

Originally Posted by Dj-ElectriC

AA for Diablo III

FXAA was already working for it.

[btarunr]

Originally Posted by TheMailMan78

Strange. I never had that issue.

I think it has something to do with adaptive v-sync (Kepler-only).

[hardcore_gamer]

Originally Posted by TheMailMan78

Strange. I never had that issue.

It might be a Kepler issue.

[hhumas]

its not good i just sold 2 of my gtx 670/ 1x580 and 2x680 now i will test this difference on 690

[phanbuey]

Sweet... I like it that the 5xx series is still getting performance boosts from the drivers.

[NC37]

Wonder if it fixed the bug with TOR from the first 300 release. Drivers were great till I loaded TOR. Performance went from smooth to sub 5fps everywhere. Had to roll back to 296.

It isn't just 500/600 which gets boosts. The 400s do too. Same family as the 500s.

[Maelstrom]

Interesting, Planetside 2 is on the list.

[The Von Matrices]

Adaptive v-sync is available on 400 and 500 series cards as well since the 300 drivers were released, but the bug only affected the 600 series.

I hope this fixes the random BSOD's I was getting with Surround and the 301 drivers. I'm going to install it now.

[Protagonist]

On the other hand for me all the 3xx drivers have been very good brought performance gains and also fixed that random issue Display Driver Stopped Working and has Recovered which come/started when GeForce 275.33 Driver WHQL was released but I am happy to report that the issue decreased with new driver releases and finally disappeared completely with the introduction of 3xx Drivers In particular GeForce 301.34 Driver > that come with 6xx cards i used it with the modded inf and since then it has been back to smooth sailing never experienced any issue.

So i think the 3xx drivers are suited more for the Fermi arch than the current Kepler, more benefits for older 5xx/4xx this is nice, I'll definitely download this and install.

[THE_EGG]

Thank gawd, FXAA has been removed from Movie Maker. It was pissing me off so much. My movies always looked fuzzy when I was editing them.

Does anyone know whether I would benefit a lot in performance with my 580? I know it says it provides performance boosts for 400/500/600 cards but I'd like to know if anyone knows HOW MUCH better these drivers are compared to the old one. Cheers.

[NC37]

Confirmed...works fine with TOR. Just got done raiding EC hard and had no performance issues at all.

[claylomax]

No SLI profile for Gas Guzzlers Combat Carnage? I'm really struggling to run that game.

[BazookaJoe]

"Borderlands 2 – updated profile with new convergence settings"

HHHHHMMMMMmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm......

Seems a little too soon to be bothering with title specific fixes for a title scheduled for release only in SEPTEMBER doesn't it?

One might almost think there is more to those initial rumors of a ~June 30 release date?

[Live OR Die]

These drivers are bugged I've been modding supreme commander 2 for over a year and these drivers make my mouse point glitch out and invisible.