XPS m1530: Vista says there is an update for Dell's nVidia 8600M GT

I have an XPS M1530 that is still running the default Dell's 8600M GT video driver (Driver date 09/12/2007; Version 7.15.11.5663).

When I ran Vista Update, it says that there is a newer version of the video driver card, dated 10/2007. NO driver version was shown nor link to the new driver.

Should I trust this driver, which apparently comes from Microsoft directly (not Dell or NVidia) and (presumably) passed Windows WHQL?

BTW, I tried running driver from LaptopVideo2Go and it always crashes Vista at one point or another, so I stopped using it. Plus, without Overclock, I achieve the same or less 3DMark06 benchmar.

 

Try a different LV2G driver. 169.09 is very stable, some of the newer ones allow overclocking.

 

You could also just download updated driver support directly from Dell.com

 

I did at http://support.dell.com/support/dow...-1&impid=-1&formatcnt=1&libid=6&fileid=227505.

However, although the driver release date is 11/28/2007 (newer than the driver date in my system), the version is the same which is: v.7.15.11.5663, A00.

 

I did, but I get tearing with HalfLife 2/Team Fortress 2. But the most troublesome is that when I start TF2, the screen goes back and forth between the game and Vista desktop when the game is just starting. I had to press Ctrl-alt-del to bring Task Manager and select TF2. But once in a while, Vista just hangs. Don't have this problem with Dell original driver, though.