Nvidia GeForce Ion Graphics Drivers 260.89 WHQL for Windows Vista/7 32-bit

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Nvidia GeForce Ion Graphics Drivers 260.89 WHQL for Windows Vista/7 32-bit

This article provides a comprehensive overview of the Nvidia GeForce Ion Graphics Drivers 260.89 WHQL release for 32-bit versions of Windows Vista and Windows 7. This driver package, a WHQL (Windows Hardware Quality Labs) certified release from the Release 260 family, offers a range of improvements, new features, and expanded hardware support for various Nvidia graphics processing units (GPUs).

Overview of the 260.89 WHQL Drivers

The Nvidia GeForce Ion Graphics Drivers 260.89 WHQL represents a significant update for users of older Nvidia GPUs, providing performance enhancements, new feature integrations, and broader compatibility. Being a WHQL-certified driver, it has undergone rigorous testing by Microsoft to ensure stability and reliability on supported operating systems. This is particularly important for users who rely on their systems for both work and entertainment.

Supported GPUs: The driver package caters to a wide range of Nvidia GPUs, including:

  • GeForce 6 Series
  • GeForce 7 Series
  • GeForce 8 Series
  • GeForce 9 Series
  • GeForce 100 Series
  • GeForce 200 Series
  • GeForce 300 Series
  • GeForce 400 Series
  • ION Desktop GPUs

Key Features and Improvements

The Nvidia GeForce Ion Graphics Drivers 260.89 WHQL drivers bring several notable improvements and additions:

1. New GPU Support:

  • The most prominent addition is support for the newly launched GeForce GT 430 GPU. This ensures that users who have upgraded to this card can immediately benefit from optimized drivers.

2. Performance Enhancements:

  • Significant performance improvements were observed on GeForce GTX 400 Series GPUs compared to the previous v258.96 WHQL drivers. The improvements vary depending on the specific GPU and system configuration. Here’s a breakdown of the performance gains in specific games, as measured on Windows 7:

    • GeForce GTX 480:

      • Up to 10% increase in StarCraft II (2560×1600 4xAA/16xAF Ultra)
      • Up to 14% increase in S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat (1920×1200 4xAA/16xAF)
      • Up to 16% increase in S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat (SLI – 2560×1600 4xAA/16xAF)
      • Up to 6% increase in Aliens vs. Predator (SLI – 1920×1200 noAA – Tessellation on)

    • GeForce GTX 460:

      • Up to 19% increase in StarCraft II (SLI – 1920×1200 4xAA/16xAF Ultra)
      • Up to 15% increase in Battlefield Bad Company 2 (SLI – 2560×1600 4xAA/16xAF)
      • Up to 12% increase in S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat (2560×1600 noAA)
      • Up to 9% increase in Aliens vs. Predator (1680×1050 4xAA/16xAF – Tessellation on)
      • Up to 7% increase in Metro 2033 (1680×1050 noAA – Tessellation on)
      • Up to 11% increase in Dirt 2 (SLI – 2560×1600 4xAA/16xAF)
      • Up to 12% increase in Crysis: Warhead (SLI – 1920×1200 4xAA/16xAF Gamer)
      • Up to 13% increase in Far Cry 2 (2560×1600 4xAA/16xAF)
      • Up to 12% increase in H.A.W.X (SLI – 1920×1200 4xAA/16xAF SSAO Very High)
      • Up to 5% increase in Just Cause 2 (1920×1200 4xAA/16xAF)
      • Up to 22% increase in Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena (1920×1200 noAA)
      • Up to 5% increase in 3DMark Vantage (Extreme Preset)

3. Blu-ray 3D Support:

  • The drivers introduce support for playing Blu-ray 3D discs when the GPU is connected to an HDMI 1.4 3D TV. This feature requires compatible software from CyberLink, ArcSoft, Roxio, or Corel.

4. HD Audio Enhancements:

  • Adds lossless DTS-HD Master Audio and Dolby TrueHD audio bitstreaming support for compatible Blu-ray movies when using GeForce GTX 460 GPUs.
  • High-definition 24-bit, 96 and 192 KHz multi-channel audio sampling rate support is included for compatible Blu-ray movies with GeForce GTX 400 Series, GT 240, GT 220, and 210 GPUs.
  • The HD Audio driver is upgraded to version 1.1.9.0. Note: A Blu-ray movie player update may be required to enable these new features; check with your movie players software manufacturers for more details. These features are only supported on Windows 7.

5. Installation Improvements:

  • A new driver installer is introduced with an enhanced user interface, providing Express and Custom installation options.
    • Express Installation: Offers a fast and easy one-click installation process.
    • Custom Installation: Allows for customized installation, where users can:
      • Perform a clean installation, completely removing older drivers before installing the new ones.
      • Choose specific driver components (e.g., PhysX or 3D Vision) to install.
  • Improved installation time for multi-GPU PCs is also implemented.

6. NVIDIA Surround Updates:

  • The NVIDIA Surround setup wizard has been updated with several improvements:
    • The wizard allows users to jump to any setup step after the initial setup.
    • Improved display connection diagrams and tooltips provide better guidance.
    • The user interface for setting up and arranging displays has been enhanced.
    • The bezel correction setup experience is now more user-friendly.
    • A help page highlights which in-game resolution to select, especially for bezel-corrected resolutions.
    • Users can dedicate an extra GPU to PhysX or to drive an additional display.
    • The wizard now allows for portrait or landscape setup directly.
  • The 3D Vision Surround and NVIDIA Surround game support list has been updated.

7. NVIDIA 3D Vision Enhancements:

  • The installation process for 3D Vision has been modified.
  • NVIDIA 3D Vision streaming support has been added for Firefox 4 and Google Chrome web browsers.
  • Support for Sony’s 3D Sweep Panorama picture format has been added to NVIDIA 3D Photo Viewer.
  • Support for new 3D Vision Desktop LCD monitors: BenQ X2410 and NEC F23W2A.
  • Support for new 3D Vision projectors: Sanyo PDG-DWL2500 and ViewSonic PJD6251.
  • Several new 3D Vision game profiles have been added and existing profiles updated.

8. NVIDIA SLI Profile Updates:

  • New or enhanced SLI profiles have been added for several PC games, optimizing performance for systems with multiple Nvidia GPUs.

9. Other Improvements:

  • Support for OpenGL 4.1 for GeForce 400 series GPUs.
  • The PhysX System Software is upgraded to version 9.10.0514.
  • Compatibility is improved for older PC games (DirectX 7 to DirectX 9) running on Windows 7.
  • Drag-and-drop display arrangement support is added to the "Set up multiple displays" page.
  • The release includes numerous bug fixes.

Additional Information

The Nvidia GeForce Ion Graphics Drivers 260.89 WHQL also includes support for:

  • GPU-accelerated features in Adobe CS5.
  • GPU-acceleration for smoother online HD videos with Adobe Flash 10.1.
  • The new version of MotionDSP’s video enhancement software, vReveal.
  • DirectCompute with Windows 7 and GeForce 8-series and later GPUs.
  • OpenCL 1.0 (Open Computing Language) for all GeForce 8-series and later GPUs.
  • OpenGL 3.3 for GeForce 8-series and later GPUs.
  • Single GPU and NVIDIA SLI technology on DirectX 9, DirectX 10, DirectX 11, and OpenGL.
  • GPU overclocking and temperature monitoring by installing NVIDIA System Tools software.

Supported Products in Detail

To ensure compatibility, here is a detailed list of the GPU series and models supported by the Nvidia GeForce Ion Graphics Drivers 260.89 WHQL:

  • GeForce 400 Series: GTX 480, GTX 465, GT 430, GTS 450, GTX 460, GTX 470
  • GeForce 300 Series: GT 340, 315, GT 320, 310, GT 330
  • GeForce 200 Series: GTX 285, 210, GTX 275, GTX 260, GT 240, GT 220, G210, GTS 250, GTX 280, 205, GTS 240, GTX 295, GT 230
  • GeForce 100 Series: GT 120, GT 130, G 100, GT 140
  • GeForce 9 Series: 9300 GE, 9200, 9500 GS, 9800 GTX/GTX+, 9800 GX2, 9400 GT, 9800 GT, 9100, 9400, 9500 GT, 9600 GT, 9300, 9600 GSO, 9600 GS, 9300 GS
  • GeForce 8 Series: 8800 GT, 8800 GTS 512, 8800 GS, 8400, 8300 GS, 8400 GS, 8400 SE, 8600 GT, 8300, 8200, 8100 / nForce 720a, 8600 GS, 8600 GTS, 8800 GTS, 8800 GTX, 8800 Ultra, 8200 / nForce 730a, 8500 GT
  • GeForce 7 Series: 7800 SLI, 7600 LE, 7900 GS, 7650 GS, 7025 / NVIDIA nForce 630a, 7050 / NVIDIA nForce 610i, 7050 PV / NVIDIA nForce 630a, 7600 GT, 7300 LE, 7300 SE / 7200 GS, 7500 LE, 7150 / NVIDIA nForce 630i, 7550 LE, 7800 GTX, 7900 GT/GTO, 7600 GS, 7100 / NVIDIA nForce 630i, 7350 LE, 7950 GT, 7100 / NVIDIA nForce 620i, 7950 GX2, 7800 GS, 7300 GT, 7300 GS, 7900 GTX, 7100 GS, 7050 / NVIDIA nForce 630i
  • GeForce 6 Series: 6100 nForce 420, 6600 GT, 6150LE / Quadro NVS 210S, 6800 XT, 6200 A-LE, 6610 XL, 6150, 6800 LE, 6200, 6250, 6150 LE, 6600, 6200 LE, 6200SE TurboCache, 6800, 6600 VE, 6800 GS/XT, 6700 XL, 6100 nForce 400, 6100 nForce 405, 6150SE nForce 430, 6100, 6600 LE, 6800 Ultra, 6500, 6200 TurboCache, 6800 XE, 6800 GS, 6800 GT

Download Links

You can download the Nvidia GeForce Ion Graphics Drivers 260.89 WHQL for Windows Vista/7 32-bit from the following locations:

Conclusion

The Nvidia GeForce Ion Graphics Drivers 260.89 WHQL release is a valuable update for users of older Nvidia GPUs running Windows Vista or Windows 7 32-bit. With its performance enhancements, new features like Blu-ray 3D support, and improved installation process, it provides a more stable and optimized experience for gaming, multimedia, and general computing tasks. Make sure to check the supported products list to confirm compatibility before installing the drivers. The Nvidia GeForce Ion Graphics Drivers 260.89 WHQL will improve the performance of your graphic card.

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