Nvidia ForceWare WHQL Drivers 182.06 for Windows XP

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Nvidia ForceWare WHQL Drivers 182.06 for Windows XP

The Nvidia ForceWare WHQL Drivers 182.06 represent a significant update for users of older Nvidia GeForce graphics cards running the Windows XP operating system. This release, certified by Microsoft’s Windows Hardware Quality Labs (WHQL), ensures a stable and reliable experience. These drivers specifically target the GeForce 6, 7, 8, 9, and 200-series desktop GPUs, breathing new life into these legacy cards.

Key Improvements and Features in Release 182.06

This driver update brings a range of enhancements, primarily focusing on improved gaming performance and expanded feature support. Here’s a detailed breakdown:

  • Optimized for F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin: The Nvidia ForceWare WHQL Drivers 182.06 are explicitly recommended for the best possible gaming experience in F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin. This suggests that Nvidia has specifically tweaked the drivers to address any performance bottlenecks or compatibility issues in this particular title.
  • Performance Boost in 3D Applications: A primary focus of this release is to deliver tangible performance gains across a variety of 3D applications, particularly in gaming. Nvidia provided specific examples comparing the 182.06 WHQL drivers against the previous 181.22 WHQL drivers. These gains, however, are subject to variance based on individual system configurations, the specific GPU in use, and the game settings applied.
    • Fallout 3: Users could experience up to an 8% performance increase in Fallout 3 when running the game at high resolutions with anti-aliasing (AA) enabled.
    • F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin: A more significant performance boost of up to 10% was observed in F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin.
    • Half-Life 2: Half-Life 2, a classic title, also benefited from the update, with performance improvements reaching up to 9% at high resolutions with AA.
    • Left 4 Dead: This popular cooperative zombie shooter saw the most substantial gains, with performance increases of up to 11% at high resolutions with AA.
    • Race Driver: GRID: Racing enthusiasts could expect up to a 10% performance increase in Race Driver: GRID when using high resolutions and AA.
  • OpenGL 3.0 Support: The Nvidia ForceWare WHQL Drivers 182.06 introduced full support for OpenGL 3.0 on GeForce 8-series, 9-series, and 200-series GPUs. OpenGL is a cross-language, cross-platform API for rendering 2D and 3D vector graphics. This expanded support allows these older cards to leverage newer OpenGL features, potentially improving performance and visual fidelity in applications and games that utilize this API.
  • PhysX System Software Update: The driver package automatically installs the new PhysX System Software version 9.09.0203. PhysX is Nvidia’s physics engine, used to create realistic environmental interactions within games. Updating to the latest PhysX software ensures compatibility with games that utilize PhysX effects and can also improve overall physics processing performance.
  • Bug Fixes and Improvements: As with any driver release, the Nvidia ForceWare WHQL Drivers 182.06 included a number of bug fixes and smaller improvements. Detailed information on these specific fixes can be found in the official release notes.

Existing Supported Features

Beyond the new features and improvements, the 182.06 drivers also maintained support for a range of existing Nvidia technologies:

  • Single GPU and NVIDIA SLI Technology: The drivers supported both single GPU configurations and NVIDIA’s Scalable Link Interface (SLI) technology. SLI allows multiple Nvidia graphics cards to be linked together to increase rendering power. This included support for 3-way SLI, Quad SLI, and SLI on SLI-certified Intel X58-based motherboards. Support covered DirectX 9, DirectX 10, and OpenGL APIs.
  • NVIDIA SLI Multi-monitor Support: Users could leverage two monitors with their GeForce graphics cards while in SLI mode.
  • NVIDIA PhysX Acceleration: The drivers supported dedicating a separate GeForce graphics card solely for PhysX processing. This allowed users to offload physics calculations from the primary GPU, potentially improving overall gaming performance and visual fidelity, especially in games with heavy PhysX effects. GPU PhysX was supported on all GeForce 8-series, 9-series, and 200-series GPUs with a minimum of 256MB of dedicated graphics memory.
  • GeForce Plus Power Pack #2: Support for GeForce Plus Power Pack #2, which included free PhysX and CUDA applications.
  • CUDA Support: Support for Compute Unified Device Architecture (CUDA), Nvidia’s parallel computing platform and programming model that enables GPUs to be used for general-purpose processing.
  • GPU Overclocking and Temperature Monitoring: Users could overclock their GPUs and monitor their temperatures by installing NVIDIA System Tools software.

Supported GeForce GPUs

The Nvidia ForceWare WHQL Drivers 182.06 supported a wide range of GeForce desktop GPUs, spanning several generations. The complete list includes:

  • GeForce GTX 295, GTX 285, GTX 280, GTX 260
  • GeForce 9800 GX2, 9800 GTX+, 9800 GTX, 9800 GT, 9600 GT, 9600 GS, 9600 GSO, 9500 GT, 9500 GS, 9400 GT, 9400, 9300 GS, 9300 GE, 9300, 9200
  • GeForce 8800 Ultra, 8800 GTX, 8800 GTS 512, 8800 GTS, 8800 GT, 8800 GS, 8600 GTS, 8600 GT, 8600 GS, 8500 GT, 8400 SE, 8400 GS, 8400, 8300 GS, 8300, 8200, 8100 / nForce 720a
  • GeForce 7950 GX2, 7950 GT, 7900 GTX, 7900 GT/GTO, 7900 GS, 7800 SLI, 7800 GTX, 7800 GT, 7800 GS, 7650 GS, 7600 GT, 7600 GS, 7600 LE, 7500 LE, 7350 LE, 7300 SE, 7300 LE, 7300 GT, 7300 GS, 7200 GS, 7100 GS, 7150 / NVIDIA nForce 630i, 7100 / NVIDIA nForce 630i, 7100 / NVIDIA nForce 620i, 7050 / NVIDIA nForce 630i, 7050 / NVIDIA nForce 610i, 7050 PV / NVIDIA nForce 630a, 7025 / NVIDIA nForce 630a
  • GeForce 6800 XT, 6800 XE, 6800 Ultra, 6800 Series GPU, 6800 LE, 6800 GT, 6800 GS/XT, 6800 GS, 6800, 6700 XL, 6610 XL, 6600 VE, 6600 LE, 6600 GT, 6600, 6500, 6250, 6200SE TurboCache, 6200 TurboCache, 6200 LE, 6200 A-LE, 6200, 6150SE nForce 430, 6150 LE, 6150, 6100 nForce 420, 6100 nForce 405, 6100 nForce 400, 6100

Download Locations

You can download the Nvidia ForceWare WHQL Drivers 182.06 for Windows XP from the following locations:

It’s crucial to select the correct driver version for your specific operating system (Windows XP) and architecture (32-bit or 64-bit, if applicable). Always refer to the official release notes and follow the installation instructions provided by Nvidia. Remember that results can vary depending on your GPU, system configuration, and game settings.

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