This article provides comprehensive information about the Nvidia GeForce Ion Graphics Drivers 197.13 Beta, designed for 64-bit versions of Windows 7 and Vista. These drivers are a WHQL (Windows Hardware Quality Labs) candidate, indicating they are undergoing testing for stability and compatibility before receiving official certification. This release is specifically targeted towards users with older Nvidia graphics cards, including GeForce 6, 7, 8, 9, 100, 200, and 300-series desktop GPUs, as well as ION desktop GPUs.
Purpose and Importance of Driver Updates
Graphics drivers are essential software components that enable the operating system and applications to communicate effectively with the graphics card. Regular driver updates are crucial for several reasons:
- Bug Fixes: Addressing software glitches and errors that can cause instability, crashes, or visual artifacts. The Nvidia GeForce Ion Graphics Drivers 197.13 Beta specifically resolves fan speed issues reported in the previous 196.75 driver version. Users experiencing these problems were advised by Nvidia to either revert to the 196.21 WHQL drivers or upgrade to this 197.13 beta.
- Performance Improvements: Optimizing the driver code to enhance the performance of the graphics card in various applications, particularly games.
- New Feature Support: Introducing support for new graphics technologies, APIs (Application Programming Interfaces), and hardware features.
- Compatibility: Ensuring compatibility with the latest operating systems, games, and applications.
What’s New in the 197.13 Beta Drivers?
The Nvidia GeForce Ion Graphics Drivers 197.13 Beta introduces several key improvements and new features:
- Next Generation ION Support: This release adds support for the "Next Generation ION" platform, enhancing its capabilities.
- GeForce GT 320, GT 330, and GT 340 Support: The drivers provide support for these specific GeForce GT 300 series graphics cards.
- PhysX System Software Upgrade: The PhysX System Software is upgraded to version 9.10.0129. PhysX is Nvidia’s physics engine, used to create realistic physical effects in games. This update likely includes bug fixes and performance enhancements for PhysX-enabled titles.
- HD Audio Driver Upgrade: The HD Audio driver is upgraded to version 1.0.9.1 for supported GPUs. This ensures proper audio output through the graphics card’s HDMI or DisplayPort connection.
-
Performance Increases in Games: Compared to the 196.21 WHQL drivers, the 197.13 Beta offers performance improvements in several PC games. Nvidia provided specific examples:
- Up to 13% performance increase in Crysis: Warhead with a single GPU.
- Up to 30% performance increase in Crysis: Warhead with SLI technology.
- Up to 13% performance increase in H.A.W.X with a single GPU.
- Up to 15% performance increase in H.A.W.X with SLI technology.
- Up to 30% performance increase in Left 4 Dead with a single GPU.
- Up to 28% performance increase in Left 4 Dead with SLI technology.
It’s important to note that these performance improvements are examples, and actual results will vary depending on the specific GPU and system configuration.
-
SLI and Multi-GPU Support: Added support for SLI (Scalable Link Interface) and multi-GPU configurations for popular new gaming titles, including:
- Assassin’s Creed II
- Battlefield: Bad Company 2
- Command and Conquer 4: Tiberium Twilight
- Grand Theft Auto IV: Episodes from Liberty City
- Mass Effect 2
- Napoleon: Total War
- Zombie Driver
-
Enhanced SLI Support: Improved SLI support for existing games and benchmarks, including:
- Metro 2033
- Supreme Commander 2
- Unigine
- World of Warcraft
-
Ambient Occlusion Support: Ambient Occlusion (AO) is a rendering technique that adds depth and realism to scenes by simulating the shadowing that occurs in crevices and corners. The drivers add AO support for:
- Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood
- Need for Speed: Shift
- Resident Evil 5
- RUSE
- Street Fighter IV
- Override Anti-Aliasing Support: Added the ability to override anti-aliasing settings in Mass Effect 2, allowing users to force higher levels of anti-aliasing for improved image quality.
- Bug Fixes: The release includes numerous bug fixes to improve stability and address known issues. Users should refer to the release notes for a detailed list of these fixes.
- International Driver Availability: Users with non-US English operating systems can download the appropriate language version of the driver.
Existing Support
The Nvidia GeForce Ion Graphics Drivers 197.13 Beta also includes existing support for various technologies:
- GPU-Acceleration for Adobe Flash 10.1 Beta: Supports GPU acceleration for smoother online HD video playback with the Adobe Flash 10.1 beta.
- DirectCompute Support: Supports DirectCompute with Windows 7 and GeForce 8-series and later GPUs. DirectCompute is a Microsoft API that allows GPUs to be used for general-purpose computing tasks.
- OpenCL 1.0 Support: Supports OpenCL 1.0 (Open Computing Language) for all GeForce 8-series and later GPUs. OpenCL is an open standard for parallel programming of heterogeneous systems.
- OpenGL 3.2 Support: Supports OpenGL 3.2 for GeForce 8-series and later GPUs. OpenGL is a cross-language, cross-platform API for rendering 2D and 3D vector graphics.
- CUDA Toolkit 3.0 Support: Supports CUDA Toolkit 3.0 features and performance enhancements. CUDA is Nvidia’s parallel computing platform and programming model.
- Single GPU and NVIDIA SLI Technology Support: Supports single GPU and NVIDIA SLI technology on DirectX 9, DirectX 10, and OpenGL, including 3-way SLI, Quad SLI, and SLI support on SLI-certified Intel X58-based motherboards.
- NVIDIA PhysX Acceleration Support: Supports NVIDIA PhysX acceleration on a dedicated GeForce graphics card, allowing users to dedicate one card for graphics and another for PhysX processing.
- NVIDIA System Tools Software Support: Supports GPU overclocking and temperature monitoring by installing NVIDIA System Tools software.
Supported Products
The Nvidia GeForce Ion Graphics Drivers 197.13 Beta support a wide range of Nvidia graphics cards:
- GeForce 300 Series: GT 340, GT 330, GT 320
- GeForce 200 Series: GTX 275, 205, GT 230, GTX 295, 210, GTX 280, GT 240, GT 220, GTX 260, GTS 240, G210, GTS 250, GTX 285
- GeForce 100 Series: G 100, GT 140, GT 120, GT 130
- GeForce 9 Series: 9800 GTX/GTX+, 9400 GT, 9200, 9300, 9600 GSO, 9400, 9500 GT, 9800 GT, 9800 GX2, 9300 GE, 9300 GS, 9600 GS, 9600 GT, 9500 GS
- GeForce 8 Series: 8200, 8300 GS, 8800 GS, 8600 GS, 8400 SE, 8300, 8400, 8800 GTX, 8600 GT, 8800 Ultra, 8800 GTS 512, 8500 GT, 8400 GS, 8100 / nForce 720a, 8600 GTS, 8800 GT, 8800 GTS
- GeForce 7 Series: 7300 SE / 7200 GS, 7025 / NVIDIA nForce 630a, 7300 GS, 7600 GS, 7350 LE, 7950 GX2, 7600 GT, 7050 PV / NVIDIA nForce 630a, 7950 GT, 7900 GS, 7100 GS, 7050 / NVIDIA nForce 610i, 7300 LE, 7050 / NVIDIA nForce 630i, 7650 GS, 7800 SLI, 7100 / NVIDIA nForce 620i, 7800 GTX, 7500 LE, 7150 / NVIDIA nForce 630i, 7100 / NVIDIA nForce 630i, 7900 GT/GTO, 7550 LE, 7800 GS, 7300 GT, 7600 LE, 7900 GTX
- GeForce 6 Series: 6200 LE, 6700 XL, 6800 GS, 6200 TurboCache, 6610 XL, 6800 XT, 6100 nForce 420, 6100 nForce 400, 6800 LE, 6500, 6800 GT, 6800, 6150 LE, 6150, 6200, 6600 VE, 6800 XE, 6800 GS/XT, 6150SE nForce 430, 6600 LE, 6250, 6600, 6600 GT, 6100, 6200 A-LE, 6150LE / Quadro NVS 210S, 6200SE TurboCache, 6800 Ultra, 6100 nForce 405
- ION Series: ION, ION LE
Download Links
You can download the Nvidia GeForce Ion Graphics Drivers 197.13 Beta for Windows 7/Vista 64-bit from the following sources:
- TechSpot: https://www.techspot.com/drivers/driver/file/information/13342/
- Softpedia: (Please search "Nvidia GeForce Ion Graphics Drivers 197.13 Beta Softpedia" on Google to find a direct link, as direct linking to Softpedia is discouraged.)
- Guru3D: (Please search "Nvidia GeForce Ion Graphics Drivers 197.13 Beta Guru3D" on Google to find a direct link, as direct linking to Guru3D is discouraged.)
- Nvidia Official Website (Archive): While finding the specific beta driver on the official site may be difficult, browsing the driver archives might lead you to it.
- DriverGuide: (Please search "Nvidia GeForce Ion Graphics Drivers 197.13 Beta DriverGuide" on Google to find a direct link, as direct linking to DriverGuide is discouraged.)
Note: As these are older drivers, availability from official sources might be limited. Always exercise caution when downloading drivers from third-party websites, ensuring the source is reputable and the file is scanned for malware before installation. When installing the Nvidia GeForce Ion Graphics Drivers 197.13 Beta, be sure to follow the provided instructions and back up your existing drivers if possible.