Dell's Graphic Driver vs. Modified Nvidia Driver for 445M

I just looked at my resource DVD and the driver given to me is A01...Can you please upload ver A02 for me please? thank you in advance

 

Kronen you can actually get any of the driver's from dell's website at any time, the option is semi hidden but if you notice there's a link that you can click for past versions of the driver. Here are links for all of the Dell drivers:

Dell A01 for XPS 17(259.39)

Dell A02 for XPS 17(259.51)

Dell A03 for XPS 17(259.51)(different .inf file and registry keys)

wlfng2005- those links should also get ya what you need as well

 

Here's some more info showing the performance differences between the two drivers, again both are at the exact same settings aside from the driver(Dell A02 -vs- Modded 266.44) and the max overclock I could get without the bench mark failing due to a driver instability.

Dell A02:


Modded 266.44:

 

Thanks a lot,man.I have the older dell driver again..and Crysis is running smoother.Is the new modded driver overclocking the geforce card?Is it better for playing games as the old 5939 dell driver?

 

no, he is using the MSi Afterburner prog or something similar that allows you to overclock your Graphics card. the 266.44( what I am also running now) is the Nvidia graphics driver that DaneGRClose modded for us for this thread. It runs fantastic, smoother and snappier,with with only a slight GPU core temp increase( if you can,try reading the whole thread, I know it's 20+pages, but it will explain alot about whats going on with the graphics drivers were using). DaneGRClose is our resident expert that's been helping us who have 445M card, even though he has a different setup than ours, he has been going out of his way to help us.
Just thought you should know....
Rooster

 

Ì'm currently using EVGA precision, I prefer MSI Afterburner but it won't let me overclock as high as EVGA will. I'm currently running 760/1520/960 clocks and the max on MSI is 715/1430/930 for some reason. MSI Afterburner has a more user friendly interface so I'd recommend it for most users. The one thing I have noticed is the 266.44 gives me a temp a few degrees higher at idle but no higher at max load. I've said it before, but we have new blood in here, so I'll say it again. 1-Don't think that you can run the same clocks as someone else, start at stock and slowly work your way up. 2-Monitor temps at all times and stress test every time you try a new overclock to make sure it's stable.

 

What he said and If you are new to computers, learn the ins and outs of your system first before you try any "tweaking".
Just some friendly advice to go along with the expert advice.

Rooster

p.s. Dane, same thing here, idle, I run between 47C and 50C but when "loaded" Max temp usually doesn't go over 78C, so no worries here. and I took your advice and reverted to my original overclock settings and will play with it from there.

 

yeah if you want to overclock and you havent ever done so before i suggest you use msi afterburner, its very user-friendly and simple to use.
i hadnt overclocked before, but afterburner made it very simple

the modded drivers give great improvement from the dell ones, have been running them for a few days while overclocked, and has been very stable with great temperatures

 

guys, i have reinstalled the 5939 driver. It actually from A01 not A02 LOL. Anyways, I still have the same error while attempting to change graphics' settings (please see attachment)

 

OK,
lets start fresh. other than GTAIV, have you notice any, and I mean the most Minuit problem with your screen with any other Games?By that, I mean have you notice the screen lagging or stalling, skipping , freezing up or just going black? have you ran a 3DMark6 test just to see if it will complete the test? I will tell you my train of thought on this problem. If we can eliminate all possible issues, and the with exception of GTAIV, your Graphics card performs well with everything else, we can then narrow it down to it possibly being a problem with your install of GTAIV or that particular game may itself have a faulty command string or something along that line. Would you be open to this idea?

Rooster

 

What game or application is that in wlfng2005? A lot of games will tell you that you don't have enough power and a lot will be wrong, just test it with fraps running and if it's playable don't worry about it. You have to realize that the 445m is a capable card but it's still an upper-mid level card.

 

I ran Red Alert 3 on high settings with no problem whatsoever. However, the only problem I now have is that I am not able to change settings in graphics when I play GTA4. I also know that my GT445M is capable enough to run this game...the question is: why doesn't GTA4 say that my card is not capable to run higher?

the game is Grand Theft Auto 4. How do we convince the game to shut up and run the graphic the way we want it? hahaha. I agree with you about 445M is a capable card, only the game doesn't agree with us.

@all: I am not able to open up link by clicking it with both left and right pads at once, does anybody know why? The synaptic driver has been installed and updated but I am not able to do that.

 

I believe he said it was GTAIV. And from what I know about the game,which I have scene but never played,is that it's been touted to have a heavy graphic load.

Rooster

 

I don't play GTAIV but I visited Nvidia's forum and I think you might be able to find your answer there, because I just typed in the name of the game and it lighted up like a christmas tree.
I am going to sign in and see if I can root out and narrow it down, but I looks like GTAIV has had problems with Nvidia cards...
will post anything I find relavent.

Rooster

 

Well it's weird but it's all I got....
Since you have changed the driver back to Dell's ~.5939, the information I gleamed from the Nvidia Forums troubleshooting section is to un-install GTAIV and re install it. this should, they say, re initialize the game and match it up to the driver that you now have installed. Pain in the u-no-wat but that's all I could find for now.
Hopes this fixes your problem...
Rooster

 

yeah i'd also suggest reinstalling the game, this particular game "might" have become a bit corrupt since you have used different drivers after you installed it.

 

The msi afterburner?your right..i´m a newbie in overclocking.
I have exact the same system like yours.How much power did you get with overcklocking your geforce 445M?Can you play crysis and other games on higher settings after it?
What do you think about the tuning tool from nvidea..nTune is the name?
I have seen,that its not for windows 7...and last version is from 2007.
Must I use other moded graphic drivers,too for overclocking?
Sorry for all the questions.

 

Thanks for the info.So is the 266.44 a driver for better gpu heat?
Sorry,but whats the difference between cpu and gpu?The cpu is the i7?right?but the gpu?
Sorry..newbie..haha.;-)

 

Kroenen04- the cpu is the i7, the gpu is the GT 445m. The 266.44 may cause your gpu to run a few degrees warmer but has shown to provide better performance than any of the other drivers that are available right now. There are 3 programs I recommend for overclocking the gpu:

MSI Afterburner- easier to use, better graphic interface, overclock and monitor everything with one program. But it does have a maximum amount you can overclock, if your card will handle higher than that you may need something else, above all don't jump to the maximum overclock just test and if you find you can stabily run higher then do.

EVGA Precision-pretty much the same as MSI Afterburner with a slightly different interface and usually allows higher overclocks than MSI Afterburner will. The menu's and some features may be a bit harder for some users to find/use.

Nvidia System Tools- This basically just adds additional options to your Nvidia Control Panel, it enables overclocking, saves different levels of overclock, etc. It isn't a very effective monitor for temps, fps, etc.

I posted some recommendations for overclocking for NOOB's so follow them and you should be just fine. If you have any more questions ask away

 

Is nTune the one called NVidia System Tools now? If so, that one wasn't working for me. I would change the clock, click apply, and then it would just set them back to default. I really like Afterburner. I really only looked at some benchmarks. I will have to check some FPS with and without OC tonight. Doesn't matter which drivers you use to OC. I know the Dell's give cooler temps, but the nvidia.com ones give better benchmarks.

 

Just for simplicity, I would suggest using MSI Afterburner to start your overclocking adventure. If you spend a little time looking over it, it will pay out in long run.
Once you are comfortable with your "overclocking" program, you should notice an improvement in performance with any and all games that you play. The GeForce GT 445M is a robust component to begin with, but the addition of a credible "overclocking" program is the "icing" on the cake, so to speak....
No, modded drivers are not required to "overclock" your Graphics card. you can use Dell's graphic driver as well. But if you think about it, it's a "modded" driver as well, with dell techs including commands that they think will help prolong, improve and/or restrict as they see fit.

Just think of the Graphics card as a seperate computer in your computer that is dedicated to only working with the graphic commands.
Dane pretty much gave the best suggestions go with and I updated the intro post to include his instructions about using a "overclocking" program.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/del...-modified-nvidia-driver-445m.html#post7012658

Rooster

 

on a side note
can anyone remind me how to "rename" links?
for the life of me I can't remember....

Rooster

 

Found this on wiki answers. Hope it helps

some ways to do it

you can use the "link" function in word, or if you know html you use href=the target website.

 

The way to rename links is this:

1-click edit on the post you want to edit, or if it's just a new post start with step 2

2-type whatever you want to name the link such as "Dell Drivers"

3-highlight the words you want the link named, such as ^^^ "Dell Drivers"

4-click the button that looks like a world with a sideways 8 below it

5-in the box that pops up paste the link to whatever your sending the link to

6-click save or post

I have been in charge of running the M15x benchmark thread so it takes a bit of learning

 

Dane beat me, but yea the format should be the following:

(left bracket)URL="http://forum.notebookreview.com/dell-xps-studio-xps/"]Dell XPS and Studio XPS Threads[/URL]

where the first piece is the URL and the second piece is the text that will show.

i.e.

Dell XPS and Studio XPS Threads

I didn't know about the typing the text then highlighting and using the button though.

 

+1 thank you...

and Thank you!
I am out of rep today(wish they would increase the limit) but will def hit you up in 24 hrs.
Rooster

 

Thanks for the help.
You too, shall be touched by the "rep wand" tomarrow (dang limits, ya know... )
Rooster
P.S Congrats on your 400th post!!!!!!

 

the guys here have already explained all of this, but here is some comparisons before overclocking and after overclocking using 3Dmark06.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/del...odified-nvidia-driver-445m-9.html#post7024585
as you can see, using the modded 266.44 driver while overclocked gives a good improvement of what is already a great card
i havent got any games at the moment, but ive seen videos and posts here saying its more than capable of playing most games on high settings

 

Thanks a lot for this infos and updating the first post for noobs like me.
Is the msi afterburner a free programm?And is it possible to install it without any problems on the XPS?I asked that,because when I wanna load drivers direct from the nvidea site,comes a warning,that I can install drivers only from the dell site.So my second question:Is it the same problem with the modded 266.44 driver?
A guy from a german board told me,when I wanna overclocking my card,he would use notebookcooler from revoltec like this one:

http://www.revoltec.net/revoltec.net/index.php?StoryID=7&ArticleID=259&WorldID=5&websiteLang=de

or this..

http://www.amazon.de/Revoltec-57809...1_1?ie=UTF8&s=computers&qid=1294607475&sr=8-1

 

It would be great,if you had CRYSIS,too
So you could tell me on what settings you can play.
Is the 266.44 overclocking the card automatic to run on the higher settings seen in the comparsion?
Or I need to overclock with afterburner after installing the 266.44 driver?

 

It is indeed a free program.
the install went without any problems
the warning from Nvidia if from an agreement between Nvida and Dell, so you can use Nvidia drivers. but in most cases you need to use a "modded" driver from Nvidia.
"modded" just means the driver has been "fixed" to be able to load on you computer. It does not mean that it will overclock your video card.
you need a program like Afterburner to overclock your video card.
I would suggest downloading the driver 266.44 that Dane (DaneGRClose) "fixed" for us, so we could test the performance for this thread. 266.44
do this before even using a overclocking program.
it can be confusing and I suggest reading up on installing the driver with the site I recommended on the first page of this thread.
take your time and before anything. CREAT A RESTORE POINT in case you do run into problems, you can "go back" to before anything was done.
as to an aftermarket cooler, you don't need one but they are nice to have.

you can use the overclock program after installing the modded driver 266.44

Hoped this helped and never be afraid to ask questions, there are no stupid questions on this thread.
Rooster

 

Wow,thanks for the very fast answer,Rooster.

When I make a restore point,before I installed the 266.44 and the afterburner,is it all back in the same options like NOW,if I use the "restore button"?Also without the 266.44 and without the afterburner on my XPS?Windows 7 goes back to the dell 5939 driver and all settings are like before the restore?

And were I can make this restore point option in Win7 and were I can find the backup,when I need it?

I´m new in Win7...before I had Vista..but never needs this option.

Hope you understand my all of my teribble german schoolenglish.

 

Start>>Control Panel>>System>>Advanced Settings>>System Restore Tab

You can create a restore point and restore from a previously created restore point from that window.

 

Well just to add more on the "restore points", when you update a driver (which is a significant change in the system) Windows will create a restore point automatically for you, every time.

Here some FAQs

Windows 7 System Restore frequently asked questions

So even when you forget to set one manually, you can always go back.

 

No problem, English is my only language, and I barely know it

compwiz0620 is on point and correct.

Thanks Xymox, you are indeed correct and good to see you sir!

<!-- / message -->I will expand with how I do it, but everyone is different...
creating a restore point should similar in Vista and XP, which the last OS I had before this laptop. I know what yer thinkin... XP? yeah XP. I have issues...
anyway, click on the start button and in the "search programs and files", type " creat restore point" clk on what's brought up and you should see this window...



Clk on create and follow the instructions. When you label your restore point, make sure to include something like "before install of driver 266.44 on Jan102011" or something simliar but make it something you will remember.
To restore your computer to a previous date or event, repeat the same steps as before, but replace "create restore point" with "restore" and clk on "System restore" and you should see a window like this...



Make sure you choose the event or date that is before whatever caused you to do a restore point, ie a bad install of driver or program.

I know this is a little overkill on presentation, but I never have known someone to make a mistake on a computer because they knew too much...

Rooster

 

heres a video of crysis but with 1280x720 resolution
YouTube - Crysis DX10 on Very High Settings on Dell XPS 17 L701x (2011) Gaming Laptop
check out his channel, he has videos of a few games

 

Thanks for the exact insruction,Rooster.You know,what a noob like me really need.

I made a manual restore point.Ok,when I have the msi afterburner,what´s to do first?All parameters a little bit up?fansystem up,too?

And whats the best way to control the power?Is it so,that I need a special programm for this?And were can I see the new power of my 445M card?

Is it possible to download the nvidea drivers direct from nvideas site,when I remove all dell components from my computer(with the dell recovery disc??)?Or I need all the time modded drivers or the ones direct from dell?

Another question to all with the xps...my fan is making a bleeping in low driving speed.It sounds like a high frequency bleeping.Have other xps users this problem,too?Is it any way out to controll the problem?

 

Thanks..I´ve seen it..I can play crysis in higher settings(1600x900)but not smooth.That´s,why I need to overclock the 445 a little bit.Some more fps,shadows and shaders and I hope it´s running fine.

 

the fan speed is automatic. on msi afterburner, the settings you can change are the core, shader and memory clock.
what i did was start with with core clock 712, shader clock 1425, memory clock 912, these settings have proved very stable for all the users in this thread who have overclocked.
you can increase them from this point forward, but like Dane said, you should do it in very small increments, and always test if its stable with a program like "Furmark". http://downloads.guru3d.com/FurMark-1.8.2-download-2523.html#download

Once you install a modded nvidia driver, you can then install any other drivers from nvidia's site.
but if you havent installed a modded driver, you will only be able to install drivers from dell.

as for the beeping fan noise, i havent experienced this :S maybe its there but i havent noticed. i will pay attention from now and see if i can hear it

 

i'll redirect you to this post again http://forum.notebookreview.com/del...odified-nvidia-driver-445m-9.html#post7024585
you can see an increase between 5-8 FPS after overclocking, which is pretty decent
crysis IS known to be very heavy on graphics, but perhaps you could get decent results after overclocking on 1600x900, or you could always lower the resolution a little

 

Ah ok,and whats the best modded driver out now for overclocking?

When I overclocked a component with afterburner,I must start furmark and show?But what is danger and what is good?

I took the physiX option in the nvidea system on "cpu"..good or better on "Geforce 445m" or "automatic"?

 

As long as you run Furmark for a while and the screen doesn't go black and the graphics don't look weird, then it should be ok. Make sure to monitor temps while running 3d apps and games to make sure the temp doesn't get into high 80s or higher. I don't know much about the PhysX except that Dell drivers don't enable it, but the nvidia.com ones do.

 

I think it's time for me to do some serious benchmarking for different OC. It's always simple for me to get the max OC for GPU and VRAM separately, but then it's a pain to find the perfect balance. Is there any ratio of GPU/VRAM where each one will give the same performance boost. People say GPU gives more, but how much more. 750/800 was stable and GPU default at like VRAM 960 was stable, but I can't even run 750/900 stable. Will lowering GPU to 740 let me raise VRAM a bunch and give me more performance than leaving GPU at 750 and finding the stable VRAM? Such tweaking dilemmas

 

Core/GPU will always give a higher increase in performance per mhz than Vram unless you have ridiculously slow vram. The cards now a days benefit much more from an increase on core than vram.

 

Thanks...but whats the best driver?
In this thread I´ve seen a lot of version

265.66
265.90
266.44

Whats the best for me?

Nobody an idea with physX settings on the card?

 

the best driver, performance wise is the 266.44, however some users have been getting slightly higher idle temperatures with this driver compared to the dell one. but its not really anything to worry about

quote from nvidia site: "NVIDIA® PhysX® technology adds an element of realism never before seen in gaming. With an NVIDIA® GeForce® GPU in your PC, experience dynamic PhysX® effects like blazing explosions, reactive debris, realistic water, and lifelike characters."
i'd just leave it on "auto-select"

 

But if you're doing an "official" benchmark technically the PhysX has to be turned to the cpu or it will majorly skew the results. When doing benchmarks ATi doesn't have gpu physics capability so it give the Nvidia card a major edge when in daily use it doesn't have one. For daily use leave it on Auto-Select, for benchmarks set it to CPU.

 

Did you adjust any other componente in your Nvidea system controll?

 

Thanks...and what´s with graph complex titles like Crysis or Far Cry 2?Auto-Select,too?

And what´s the differnence between the 266.44 and the 260.99 from the nvidea driver site?

 

There won't be a huge in-game FPS difference but the smoothness is a pretty substantial difference. The 260.99 was kind of choppy for me in some games whereas the 266.44 is very smooth. Also the 266.44 will hold a decent amount higher overclock than the 260.99 will as it optimizes the use of the hardware a bit better.