This article provides a comprehensive overview of the Nvidia GeForce Ion Graphics Drivers 266.35 Beta, specifically designed for the Windows XP 64-bit operating system. This driver package, the initial release from the Release 265 family (versions 265.xx to 269.xx), aims to enhance the performance and capabilities of a wide range of Nvidia graphics cards. For a deeper dive into the Release 265 driver family, users can visit GeForce.com.
Compatibility and Supported GPUs
The Nvidia GeForce Ion Graphics Drivers 266.35 Beta boasts broad compatibility, supporting a diverse array of desktop GPUs. These include the GeForce 6, 7, 8, 9, 100, 200, 300, 400, and 500 series, as well as ION desktop GPUs. This extensive support ensures that a significant number of users can benefit from the improvements and features offered by this driver package. A detailed list of supported products is provided below:
- GeForce 500 Series: GTX 580, GTX 570
- GeForce 400 Series: GTX 460 SE, GTX 465, GTX 480, GTX 470, GTS 450, GT 430, GTX 460
- GeForce 200 Series: GT 220, GTX 260, GTX 280, GTX 285, 205, GTS 250, GTX 275, GT 230, G210, GTS 240, 210, GT 240, GTX 295
- GeForce 100 Series: GT 130, GT 140, GT 120, G 100
- GeForce 9 Series: 9100, 9300, 9300 GS, 9500 GT, 9400, 9800 GTX/GTX+, 9600 GS, 9600 GT, 9400 GT, 9800 GT, 9200, 9600 GSO, 9300 GE, 9800 GX2, 9500 GS
- GeForce 8 Series: 8300, 8400 GS, 8600 GS, 8200, 8500 GT, 8400, 8400 SE, 8300 GS, 8200 / nForce 730a, 8800 GT, 8800 GTS, 8600 GTS, 8600 GT, 8800 GTX, 8800 GS, 8800 Ultra, 8100 / nForce 720a, 8800 GTS 512
- GeForce 7 Series: 7500 LE, 7600 GT, 7350 LE, 7900 GTX, 7100 GS, 7300 GS, 7650 GS, 7050 / NVIDIA nForce 610i, 7600 GS, 7950 GT, 7550 LE, 7800 GTX, 7800 SLI, 7050 / NVIDIA nForce 630i, 7025 / NVIDIA nForce 630a, 7900 GT/GTO, 7100 / NVIDIA nForce 630i, 7050 PV / NVIDIA nForce 630a, 7300 LE, 7950 GX2, 7100 / NVIDIA nForce 620i, 7900 GS, 7600 LE, 7300 SE / 7200 GS, 7800 GS, 7300 GT, 7150 / NVIDIA nForce 630i
- GeForce 6 Series: 6600 LE, 6100, 6600 GT, 6200 LE, 6100 nForce 405, 6700 XL, 6150LE / Quadro NVS 210S, 6800, 6100 nForce 420, 6800 XT, 6150, 6500, 6800 GS, 6800 Ultra, 6600 VE, 6200SE TurboCache, 6800 XE, 6200 A-LE, 6200 TurboCache, 6800 GS/XT, 6100 nForce 400, 6250, 6610 XL, 6800 LE, 6150 LE, 6150SE nForce 430, 6200, 6600, 6800 GT
- ION Series: ION, ION LE
Key Improvements and New Features
The Nvidia GeForce Ion Graphics Drivers 266.35 Beta introduces several key improvements and new features designed to enhance the user experience. These enhancements span across GPU support, performance optimizations, visual quality improvements, and 3D Vision enhancements.
GPU Support
The most notable addition is the support for the newly released GeForce GTX 580 and GeForce GTX 570 GPUs. This ensures that users with these cutting-edge graphics cards can leverage the latest driver technology for optimal performance.
Performance Enhancements
This driver package delivers significant performance gains for GeForce 400 Series and 500 Series GPUs in various PC games compared to the Release 260 drivers. The extent of these improvements may vary depending on the specific GPU and system configuration. Examples of performance increases measured on Windows 7 include:
- GeForce GTX 580:
- Up to 7% in Battlefield Bad Company 2 (1920×1200 4xAA/16xAF)
- Up to 12% in Battleforge (SLI 1920×1200 4xAA/16xAF Very High)
- Up to 11% in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (SLI 1920×1200 4xAA/16xAF)
- Up to 7% in Dirt 2 (SLI 1920×1200 4xAA/16xAF)
- Up to 7% in Far Cry 2 (1920×1200 4xAA/16xAF)
- Up to 5% in Just Cause 2 (1920×1200 4xAA/16xAF Dark Tower)
- Up to 5% in S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat (SLI – 1920×1200 4xAA/16xAF)
- Up to 9% in Stone Giant (SLI 1920×1200, DOF on)
- Up to 8% in Unigine Heaven v2.1 (SLI 1920×1200 4xAA/16xAF)
Furthermore, the Nvidia GeForce Ion Graphics Drivers 266.35 Beta improves performance in Final Fantasy XI specifically for GeForce 400 Series and 500 Series GPUs.
Visual Quality Improvements
A notable visual enhancement is the addition of ambient occlusion support for Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty. Ambient occlusion is a rendering technique that improves the quality of lighting, shadows, and depth perception, thereby enhancing the overall visual fidelity of the game.
NVIDIA 3D Vision Enhancements
The installation process for 3D Vision has been updated in Release 260 and 265 drivers. Users are encouraged to consult the provided knowledgebase article for detailed information on these changes. Key additions to 3D Vision include:
- Support for 3DVisionLive.com Beta 2, which includes 3D photo sharing and viewing, new 3D video clips, and bug fixes.
- 3D Vision Window Mode support for numerous games and applications, including Aion, Crazy Racing Kart Rider, Crossfire, Dragon Nest, EverQuest 2, Guild Wars 2, NED, PopKart, QQ Dance QQ, QQ Xian Xia, Tian Long Ba Bu, World of Warcraft – Burning Crusade, World of Warcraft – Wrath of the Lich King, Xun Xian, Zhu Xian 2, and Google Earth.
- Support for new 3D Vision Desktop LCD monitors, projectors, and DLP HDTVs from various manufacturers.
- New and updated 3D Vision game profiles for a variety of titles, optimizing the 3D experience.
NVIDIA Surround and SLI Technology
The Nvidia GeForce Ion Graphics Drivers 266.35 Beta also focuses on enhancing multi-GPU configurations.
- Improved performance for 3-way and 4-way SLI configurations.
- Updated 3D Vision Surround and NVIDIA Surround game support list.
- Addition of SLI profiles for several PC games, including Alien vs. Triangles Demo, Endless City Demo, Lionheart: Kings Crusade, Moscow Racer: Legends of USSR, Rift: Planes of Telara, and Shaun White Skateboarding.
- Enhanced SLI profiles for existing PC games such as Age of Conan, Arcania: Gothic 4, Civilization V – DX11, Lost Planet 2, and World Of Warcraft.
Other Notable Features
Beyond the core improvements, the Nvidia GeForce Ion Graphics Drivers 266.35 Beta incorporates several other features:
- Installs HD Audio driver version 1.1.13.1.
- Installs PhysX System Software to version 9.10.0514.
- Supports Blu-ray 3D disc playback when connecting to an HDMI 1.4 3D TV, requiring compatible software from CyberLink, ArcSoft, Roxio, or Corel.
- Supports lossless DTS-HD Master Audio and Dolby TrueHD audio bitstreaming for compatible Blu-ray movies.
- Supports high definition 24-bit, 96 and 192 KHz multi-channel audio sampling rate support for compatible Blu-ray movies.
- Supports GPU-accelerated features in Adobe CS5 and smoother online HD videos with Adobe Flash 10.1.
- Supports the new version of MotionDSP’s video enhancement software, vReveal.
- Supports DirectCompute with Windows 7 and GeForce 8-series and later GPUs.
- Supports OpenCL 1.0 for all GeForce 8-series and later GPUs.
- Supports OpenGL 3.3 for GeForce 8-series and later GPUs, and OpenGL 4.1 on GeForce 400 series and later GPUs.
- 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 X58-based motherboards.
- Supports GPU overclocking and temperature monitoring by installing NVIDIA System Tools software.
Download Links
To download the Nvidia GeForce Ion Graphics Drivers 266.35 Beta for Windows XP 64-bit, you can use the following links:
- TechSpot: https://www.techspot.com/drivers/driver/file/information/14807/
- Alternative Download Link 1: (Driver Archive – example link, replace with actual link)
- Alternative Download Link 2: (Softpedia – example link, replace with actual link)
- Alternative Download Link 3: (Guru3D – example link, replace with actual link)
- Alternative Download Link 4: (FileHippo – example link, replace with actual link)
- Alternative Download Link 5: (MajorGeeks – example link, replace with actual link)
Conclusion
The Nvidia GeForce Ion Graphics Drivers 266.35 Beta for Windows XP 64-bit represents a significant update for users of Nvidia graphics cards. With its wide range of supported GPUs, performance enhancements, visual quality improvements, and 3D Vision additions, this driver package offers a compelling upgrade for gamers and enthusiasts alike. By addressing various issues and introducing new features, Nvidia continues to demonstrate its commitment to providing users with the best possible gaming and multimedia experience. Users are encouraged to download and install the Nvidia GeForce Ion Graphics Drivers 266.35 Beta to take full advantage of these enhancements.