The Nvidia GeForce Beta Drivers 185.81 for Windows 7 32-bit represent a significant update aimed at enhancing the performance and capabilities of a wide range of Nvidia GeForce desktop GPUs. These beta drivers are designed to support older generation cards, specifically the GeForce 6, 7, 8, 9, 100, and 200-series. This article provides a comprehensive overview of the features, improvements, and supported hardware associated with this driver release.
Windows Driver Display Model (WDDM) Support
The Nvidia GeForce Beta Drivers 185.81 package includes specific versions of the Windows Driver Display Model (WDDM) tailored to different GPU architectures. For GeForce 8, 9, and 200-series GPUs, which are DirectX 10-compatible, the package installs WDDM version 1.1. For the older GeForce 6 and 7-series GPUs, designed for DirectX 9, WDDM version 1.0 is installed. This ensures optimal compatibility and performance based on the capabilities of the respective hardware.
DirectX API Support
One of the key highlights of these drivers is their comprehensive support for new Windows 7 GPU-accelerated DirectX APIs. This includes DirectX Compute, Direct2D, DirectWrite, and DXVA-HD. These APIs allow applications to leverage the power of the GPU for various tasks, such as:
- DirectX Compute: Enables the use of the GPU for general-purpose computing tasks, accelerating processes beyond traditional graphics rendering.
- Direct2D: A 2D graphics API that provides hardware acceleration for drawing shapes, text, and images, leading to smoother and more responsive user interfaces.
- DirectWrite: A text rendering API that offers improved text clarity, layout, and international character support.
- DXVA-HD (DirectX Video Acceleration High Definition): Enables hardware acceleration for decoding and processing high-definition video content, reducing CPU load and improving playback quality.
New Features and Improvements in Release 185.81
The Nvidia GeForce Beta Drivers 185.81 introduce several new features and improvements:
- GeForce GTX 275 Support: This release adds official support for the newly introduced GeForce GTX 275 GPU, ensuring optimal performance and stability.
- Ambient Occlusion: The inclusion of Ambient Occlusion marks a significant enhancement to 3D gaming realism. This feature, accessible through the NVIDIA Control Panel, provides more realistic lighting and shadows by simulating the attenuation of light in crevices and occluded areas, creating a more immersive visual experience exclusively for GeForce GPUs.
- CUDA 2.2 Support: The drivers incorporate support for CUDA 2.2, NVIDIA’s parallel computing architecture. This update enhances performance in GPU Computing applications, allowing developers to harness the power of NVIDIA GPUs for a wide range of computational tasks. More details about CUDA can be found on the NVIDIA CUDA website.
- Expanded NVIDIA Video Encoding Acceleration: The NVIDIA Video Encoding library receives expanded GPU hardware acceleration, now extending to GPUs with fewer than 32 cores. This benefits applications that utilize this library, such as CyberLink PowerDirector 7, Nero Move it 1.5, Loilo SuperLoiloScope MARS, and CyberLink MediaShow Espresso, resulting in faster and more efficient video encoding.
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Performance Acceleration in 3D Applications: The release focuses on accelerating performance in various 3D applications. Benchmarks comparing Release 185 drivers against Release 181 drivers showcase significant improvements in several popular games. It is important to note that actual results may vary depending on the user’s GPU, system configuration, and in-game settings. The measured performance gains include:
- Up to 25% performance increase in The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena
- 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 30% performance increase in Half-Life 2 engine games with 3-way and 4-way SLI configurations
- Up to 45% performance increase in Mirror’s Edge with antialiasing enabled
- Automatic PhysX System Software Installation: The driver package automatically installs the new PhysX System Software version 9.09.0408. This ensures that users have the latest version of the PhysX engine, enabling realistic physics effects in supported games.
- GeForce Plus Power Pack #3 Support: The drivers support GeForce Plus Power Pack #3, offering free PhysX and CUDA applications that showcase the capabilities of NVIDIA’s technologies.
- Bug Fixes: The release incorporates numerous bug fixes, addressing various issues and improving overall stability. Detailed information about these fixes can be found in the release documentation notes.
Existing Support
In addition to the new features, the Nvidia GeForce Beta Drivers 185.81 maintain support for existing technologies:
- SLI Technology: Supports single GPU and NVIDIA SLI technology on DirectX 9, DirectX 10, and OpenGL. This includes 3-way SLI, Quad SLI, and SLI support on SLI-certified Intel X58-based motherboards, allowing users to combine multiple GPUs for increased performance.
- OpenGL 3.0 Support: Includes full support for OpenGL 3.0, providing developers with access to the latest OpenGL features and capabilities.
- NVIDIA PhysX Acceleration: Supports NVIDIA PhysX acceleration on dedicated GeForce graphics cards. Users can dedicate one card for graphics rendering and another for PhysX processing, enabling more complex and realistic physical effects in games. GPU PhysX is supported on all GeForce 8-series, 9-series, and 200-series GPUs with a minimum of 256MB of dedicated graphics memory.
- GPU Overclocking and Temperature Monitoring: Supports GPU overclocking and temperature monitoring through the installation of NVIDIA System Tools software, giving users control over their GPU’s performance and thermal characteristics.
Supported Products
The Nvidia GeForce Beta Drivers 185.81 support a broad range of Nvidia GeForce desktop GPUs, including:
- GeForce GTX 295, GTX 285, GTX 280, GTX 275, GTX 260
- GeForce GTS 250
- GeForce GT 140, GT 130, GT 120
- 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 Links
You can download the Nvidia GeForce Beta Drivers 185.81 from the following link:
Here are 5 alternative download links for the Nvidia GeForce Beta Drivers 185.81
- Softpedia: search for the file on softpedia, as direct links expire
- Guru3D: search for the file on guru3d, as direct links expire
- FileHorse: search for the file on filehorse, as direct links expire
- DriverGuide: search for the file on driverguide, as direct links expire
- MajorGeeks: search for the file on majorgeeks, as direct links expire
Note: Beta drivers are pre-release versions and may contain bugs or stability issues. It is recommended to use them with caution and report any issues to NVIDIA.