m17x 280m SLI current best drivers in vista?

Hey all,

What are the best drivers for the SLI 280m running in Vista 64 bit right now? Where can i get them and the modified INF?

Cheers.

 

The drivers in my sig as long as your OK with disabling the 9400M. I haven't found any good ones w/ hybrid mode on.

 

mandrake- if i want to keep my 9400 on (i do sadly travel with this thing...) i should just keep the stock drivers?

 

I don't think there are any other options right now. I haven't seen a performance difference between the Dell drivers and the l2go drivers. I'm sure something better is being developed right now so we just wait until then.

 

ok sounds good.

 

You mention you have not seen any performance difference in between the Dell drivers and the l2go ones. Which version does the l2go one use?

How about just installing the ones given from the nvidia website?

If there is no performance improvement in between Dell drivers and the Nvidia ones in 3DMark and the games you play then just keep the stock ones.

 

ur sig currently reads:

i have no issue disabling the 9400M until a workaround is found. no issue at all! so far, i've played GTA IV and SLI is not active. the primary card (on the left when using the comp?) is getting super hot, to the point i can't touch the back of it for more than 2-3 seconds. i used the "show sli visual indicators" and can't see anything in gta. fyi, i "tested" minesweeper and purble place and they both show the horizontal green line.

 

tried this. disabled hybrid and re-ran the 186.03 and 180.04 drivers - just to see if setup would run. both complained that the devices were not found.

 

This is because those drivers are for desktop GPU's, in order to use them you have DL a Modified INF file and copy it over the one provided by the driver itself.

That will get the driver to install, can't tell you if it will work or not as i'm still using stock drivers by dell for my benchmarks at stock, after that is when i will overclock and try out different drivers

 

we need new drivers asap!!! they should push out some new ones that offer better performance w/ hybrid enabled...

 

no, i downloaded the drivers for laptops. the one i tried for desktops (186.18), i used the modified INF and that one didn't go well: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?p=5012072#post5012072

i'm back on the stock drivers now. waiting for any newer driver that will work. i don't care if the integrated graphics needs to be disabled

 

They will, they are working on them right now lol... Dell isn't risking sales becuase they can't get drivers worked out... Also new drivers for Windows 7 should be out very shortly

 

in the meanwhile, i managed to get SLI working in GTA IV using Dox 182.46 drivers: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?p=5013750#post5013750 onwards.

 

I'm installing the Dox 185.85 drivers right now. They claim hybrid support but I still have my 9400M off.

Edit: Yikes don't bother.

 

What happened?

 

@Mandrake: yeah, what happened?

Dox 185.85 drivers also being discussed on NBR: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=382162

there's also 185.86, but not modded - http://www.laptopvideo2go.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=24384

what i don't get is why the nvidia drivers would fail to see our GPUs. what in the Dell/AW chipset is preventing the nvidia drivers from detecting them? at least as far as installation is concerned. since the dox drivers perform better anyway, i'd go with those.

 

Colors get distorted. I tried the two newest Dox drivers and they both did the same thing.

 

As far as the Dox drivers are concerned only the latest version supports hybrid but won't work in our system.

 

i would've been okay with that if it gave a performance for SLI but if it doesn't work at all, then no point.

btw, if the M17x is started on battery power, it automatically re-enables the integrated graphics. if you go into bios, u can enable integrated graphics and disable hybrid. not that this is of any use but just a heads-up. coz using SLI after that will require a restart anyway.

oh...and making the screen brigther or dimmer isn't working with the Dox 182.46 drivers :-/

 

Has anyone tried 186.03 in Windows 7? or in Vista 64 bit

 

i've tried the stock driver from nvidia. it doesn't detect the cards. tried with a modified INF file, didn't work out. using vista 64 bit.

 

Hello everyone....I got my Alienware finally delivered to me in Iraq. I love it!!

I seem to notice this problem too, the driver seems to fail to recognize both SLI, though my device manager sees them both.

But, when I disable both hybrid and integrated in the BIOS, the nvidia control panel still states I am in SLI mode. However, the graphics mem on the advanced display also shows only one card, and only onboard 1GB RAM

 

your total mem with two 1 GB cards in SLI mode will be 1 GB. it doesn't "add" the two. the video memory is 'mirrored' between the two cards.

integrated refers to your on-board graphics and hybrid is the ability to use both (switch between), i think. has nothing to do with sli mode, though some custom drivers like the one i mentioned need integrated & hybrid to be disabled in order to work properly.

 

What is Hybrid mode?

 

There is no Hybrid "mode". What they are calling Hybrid-SLI is the ability to switch between the integrated 9400M graphics (for power savings) or the discreet graphics (260M or 280M's) on the fly. Its "Hybrid-SLI" because both cards are supposed to be "active" in device manager so you can dynamically switch between. The drivers, however havn't worked out all the kinks yet to get this working right. The Dox drivers seem to work best for most but you have to disable the integrated 9400M in bios for them to work in SLI correctly.

 

Well said Marvie... Indeed I still need to switch over to the Dox 186.24 drivers.. I'm just reluctant to lose the ability to switch to my 9400m

 

reboot .....

 

Ok then do you want to link me the 186.24 drivers?

 

google.com ......

 

Just Dox 186.24 there isn't a specific one no variances ok... anyway so in order to install I boot and in the bios disable the 9400m then install correct?
Also is anyone using windows 7 on their M17x without losing access to features?

 

the Dox 182.x drivers wouldn't let me change the screen brightness with the keyboard Fn+F4/F5 keys. the dell beta 186.x do let me change brightness that way. haven't tried the Dox 186.x yet, will try them today.

 

*facepalm*

reinstall Dox then reinstall the OSD application in my driver thread

 

Wait Aneroid on your system you are using the Dox 186.24? and are you overclocking for your GTAIV benchmark... becuase I am getting 25fps avg at lower settings than yours

 

no, i'm not yet using Dox 186.24, downloading it now. currently on Dell's 186.12 beta drivers (dell doesn't have 186.24 drivers, that was typo). but I am overclocked to 2.93 GHz. i still think your SLI is not enabled. switch on the SLI indicators to confirm.

@Moo: I've never done a re-install of OSD. will try with and without to see how that goes. except GTA IV takes so long to start

results on monday coz i have no connectivity over the weekend.

 

My SLI is enabled according to the Nvidia control panel

 

the parallel posting across two threads is going to be hard to follow later. last post on the wrong thread: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?p=5122486&posted=1#post5122486

we continue here.

when u start GTA IV, do you see a vertical bar on the left with a green expanding/contracting strip in it?

 

Whats your benchmark score in GTA 4 Biscuits.

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=109941

 

he already posted it in the owners lounge ......

 

Cross posting and all that Jazz

as you said Aneroid I have switched over so look there

 

Lol i should have known better then to think this conversation was only in one thread .

 

i was actually answering someone else's question and then the other topic came over here. as it should, since the owner's lounge is cluttered enough as it is :-/ now it's gone back there