Nvidia GeForce Beta Drivers 185.66 for Windows Vista 64-bit

Posted on

Nvidia GeForce Beta Drivers 185.66 for Windows Vista 64-bit

The Nvidia GeForce Beta Drivers 185.66 for Windows Vista 64-bit represented a significant update for users of NVIDIA GeForce 9-series, 100-series, and 200-series desktop GPUs running the Windows Vista 64-bit operating system. These drivers, while designated as beta, introduced a host of new features, performance enhancements, and bug fixes aimed at improving the overall gaming and computing experience. This article provides a detailed overview of the key features and improvements included in this driver release.

Key Highlights of Release 185.66

The Nvidia GeForce Beta Drivers 185.66 for Windows Vista 64-bit brought several noteworthy additions and improvements:

  • GeForce GTX 275 Support: A primary feature of this release was the official support for the newly launched GeForce GTX 275 GPU. This ensured that users with the latest hardware could immediately take advantage of the optimized performance and features offered by NVIDIA.

  • Ambient Occlusion: Release 185.66 introduced Ambient Occlusion as a new feature within the NVIDIA Control Panel. Ambient Occlusion is a rendering technique that enhances the realism of 3D graphics by simulating the way light interacts with surfaces. It adds depth and shading to scenes, particularly in areas where light is blocked, creating a more immersive visual experience. This feature was exclusively available for GeForce GPUs, making it a unique selling point for NVIDIA hardware. More information about Ambient Occlusion can be found at https://www.nzone.com/object/nzone_ambientocclusion_home.html.

  • CUDA 2.2 Support: The drivers also incorporated support for CUDA 2.2, NVIDIA’s parallel computing architecture. CUDA (Compute Unified Device Architecture) allows developers to harness the power of NVIDIA GPUs for general-purpose computing tasks. This release provided improved performance in GPU Computing applications, enabling faster processing and enhanced capabilities for tasks such as video editing, scientific simulations, and other computationally intensive workloads. Further details on CUDA can be found at www.nvidia.com/cuda.

  • Performance Acceleration in 3D Applications: One of the major focuses of the 185.66 drivers was to enhance performance in various 3D applications, particularly games. NVIDIA provided specific examples of performance improvements compared to the older Release 182 drivers. These improvements varied depending on the GPU, system configuration, and game settings, but demonstrated the potential gains users could expect.

    • Up to 11% performance increase in Call of Duty: World at War
    • Up to 5% performance increase in Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts
    • Up to 22% performance increase in Crysis: Warhead with antialiasing enabled
    • Up to 11% performance increase in Fallout 3 with antialiasing enabled
    • Up to 14% performance increase in Far Cry 2
    • Up to 45% performance increase in Mirror’s Edge with antialiasing enabled
  • GeForce Plus Power Pack #3: The release also included support for GeForce Plus Power Pack #3, offering free PhysX and CUDA applications. These applications were designed to showcase the capabilities of NVIDIA hardware and provide users with additional tools and utilities.

  • Bug Fixes: As with any driver update, Release 185.66 addressed numerous bugs and stability issues reported by users. These fixes aimed to improve the overall reliability and performance of NVIDIA GPUs in various applications and scenarios. Detailed information about specific bug fixes could be found in the release documentation notes accompanying the drivers.

Existing Support and Features

Beyond the new additions, the Nvidia GeForce Beta Drivers 185.66 for Windows Vista 64-bit retained support for a range of existing features and technologies:

  • SLI Technology: The drivers fully supported NVIDIA SLI (Scalable Link Interface) technology, allowing users to combine multiple NVIDIA GPUs for increased performance. This included support for 2-way SLI, 3-way SLI, Quad SLI, and SLI configurations on SLI-certified Intel X58-based motherboards. SLI technology enabled users to achieve higher frame rates and improved visual quality in demanding games and applications.

  • OpenGL 3.0 Support: The drivers provided complete support for OpenGL 3.0, a cross-language, cross-platform API for rendering 2D and 3D vector graphics. This ensured compatibility with applications and games that utilized the latest OpenGL features.

  • SLI Multi-Monitor Support: NVIDIA SLI Multi-monitor support allowed users to utilize two monitors with their GeForce graphics cards while in SLI mode. This expanded the visual workspace and provided a more immersive gaming experience.

  • NVIDIA PhysX Acceleration: The drivers continued to support NVIDIA PhysX acceleration, which enables dedicated GeForce graphics cards to handle physics processing in games. By offloading physics calculations to a separate GPU, PhysX allows for more realistic and dynamic in-game effects, such as particle systems, fluid dynamics, and destructible environments. GPU PhysX was supported on all GeForce 8-series, 9-series, and 200-series GPUs with a minimum of 256MB of dedicated graphics memory. The driver package automatically installed the new PhysX System Software version 9.09.0203.

  • GPU Overclocking and Temperature Monitoring: The drivers were compatible with NVIDIA System Tools software, which allowed users to overclock their GPUs and monitor temperatures. Overclocking can potentially increase performance, while temperature monitoring helps to ensure the stability and longevity of the hardware.

Supported Products

The Nvidia GeForce Beta Drivers 185.66 for Windows Vista 64-bit supported a wide range of NVIDIA GeForce GPUs, including:

  • GeForce GTX 295
  • GeForce GTX 285
  • GeForce GTX 280
  • GeForce GTX 275
  • GeForce GTX 260
  • GeForce GTS 250
  • GeForce GT 140
  • GeForce GT 130
  • GeForce GT 120
  • GeForce 9800 GX2
  • GeForce 9800 GTX+
  • GeForce 9800 GTX
  • GeForce 9800 GT
  • GeForce 9600 GT
  • GeForce 9600 GS
  • GeForce 9600 GSO
  • GeForce 9500 GT
  • GeForce 9500 GS
  • GeForce 9400 GT
  • GeForce 9400
  • GeForce 9300 GS
  • GeForce 9300 GE
  • GeForce 9300
  • GeForce 9200

Downloading the Drivers

Users could download the Nvidia GeForce Beta Drivers 185.66 for Windows Vista 64-bit from various sources. Here are a few options:

Note: Always exercise caution when downloading drivers from third-party websites. Ensure the source is reputable and verify the file’s integrity before installation. It’s generally recommended to obtain drivers directly from the NVIDIA website whenever possible.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *