This article provides information about the Nvidia GeForce Ion Graphics Drivers 266.58 WHQL, designed specifically for 32-bit versions of Windows XP. These drivers are part of the Release 265 family (versions 265.xx to 269.xx) and offer various improvements, optimizations, and new features for compatible Nvidia graphics cards.
Driver Family Overview
The Release 265 driver family represents a significant update from Nvidia, bringing enhancements across performance, visual quality, and support for new technologies. These drivers are intended to provide a more stable and optimized experience for users of older and newer Nvidia GPUs. You can find more information about the entire GeForce driver family on the official GeForce website.
Supported Graphics Cards
The Nvidia GeForce Ion Graphics Drivers 266.58 WHQL package supports a wide range of desktop GPUs, including:
- GeForce 6 Series: 6600, 6500, 6150LE / Quadro NVS 210S, 6100, 6200 A-LE, 6800 GT, 6800 GS/XT, 6200SE TurboCache, 6800 Ultra, 6100 nForce 405, 6800 XT, 6250, 6800 LE, 6200, 6150, 6150SE nForce 430, 6700 XL, 6600 LE, 6100 nForce 400, 6200 TurboCache, 6800 XE, 6800 GS, 6600 VE, 6600 GT, 6200 LE, 6150 LE, 6610 XL, 6100 nForce 420, 6800.
- GeForce 7 Series: 7900 GS, 7300 LE, 7500 LE, 7600 GT, 7800 GS, 7100 / NVIDIA nForce 630i, 7300 GS, 7800 SLI, 7950 GX2, 7350 LE, 7600 GS, 7100 / NVIDIA nForce 620i, 7650 GS, 7950 GT, 7800 GTX, 7600 LE, 7900 GTX, 7150 / NVIDIA nForce 630i, 7300 SE / 7200 GS, 7100 GS, 7025 / NVIDIA nForce 630a, 7300 GT, 7050 / NVIDIA nForce 630i, 7050 / NVIDIA nForce 610i, 7900 GT/GTO, 7050 PV / NVIDIA nForce 630a, 7550 LE.
- GeForce 8 Series: 8800 GT, 8400, 8600 GT, 8300, 8500 GT, 8800 GTS 512, 8800 GTS, 8800 GS, 8200 / nForce 730a, 8600 GTS, 8100 / nForce 720a, 8800 Ultra, 8400 SE, 8200, 8600 GS, 8300 GS, 8800 GTX, 8400 GS.
- GeForce 9 Series: 9300 GE, 9400, 9600 GT, 9800 GX2, 9500 GS, 9300, 9500 GT, 9800 GT, 9600 GSO, 9400 GT, 9200, 9800 GTX/GTX+, 9300 GS, 9600 GS, 9100.
- GeForce 100 Series: GT 120, GT 130, G 100, GT 140.
- GeForce 200 Series: GT 240, GTX 260, GTX 285, G210, GTX 280, 205, GTS 250, GTS 240, GT 230, GTX 275, GT 220, GTX 295, 210.
- GeForce 400 Series: GT 430, GTX 480, GTX 460 SE, GTX 460, GTX 470, GTX 465, GTS 450.
- GeForce 500 Series: GTX 570, GTX 580.
- ION Series: ION, ION LE.
Key Improvements and New Features
The Nvidia GeForce Ion Graphics Drivers 266.58 WHQL introduces several notable enhancements:
GPU Support
- Newly Released GPUs: This driver package provides support for the newly launched GeForce GTX 580 and GeForce GTX 570 GPUs, ensuring optimal performance and compatibility.
Performance Enhancements
- Gaming Performance Boost: Significant performance improvements are observed in various PC games for GeForce 400 and 500 Series GPUs compared to the Release 260 drivers. These improvements vary based on the GPU and system configuration but can be substantial. For example, the GeForce GTX 580 sees gains of up to 7% in Battlefield Bad Company 2 and up to 12% in Battleforge (SLI configuration). Other notable improvements include Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Dirt 2, Far Cry 2, Just Cause 2, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat, Stone Giant, and Unigine Heaven v2.1.
- Final Fantasy XI Optimization: Improved performance in Final Fantasy XI for GeForce 400 and 500 Series GPUs, offering a smoother gaming experience.
Visual Quality Improvements
- Ambient Occlusion in Starcraft II: Adds ambient occlusion support for Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty. Ambient occlusion enhances lighting, shadows, and depth perception, significantly improving the game’s visual fidelity.
NVIDIA 3D Vision
- Installation Process Changes: The installation process for 3D Vision has been updated. Users are advised to consult the provided knowledgebase article for detailed information on these changes.
- 3DVisionLive.com Beta 2 Support: Support for 3D photo sharing and viewing, along with new 3D video clips on the website. Improved scaling quality for video streaming content from 3DVisionLive.com.
- 3D Vision Window Mode Support: Adds 3D Vision Window Mode support for a range of games and applications, including Aion, Crazy Racing Kart Rider, Crossfire, Dragon Nest, EverQuest 2, Guild Wars 2, NED, PopKart, QQ Dance QQ, QQ Xian Xia, Tian Long Ba Bu, World of Warcraft (Burning Crusade and Wrath of the Lich King), Xun Xian, and Zhu Xian 2, as well as Google Earth.
- New 3D Vision Display Support: Support for new 3D Vision Desktop LCD monitors from Acer, Hannstar, I-O Data, Lenovo, and Planar, as well as new 3D Vision projectors from Acer and Sanyo, and an All-in-One PC from ASUS. Support for new DLP HDTVs from Mitsubishi.
- Updated 3D Vision Game Profiles: Addition of new 3D Vision game profiles and updates to existing profiles for games like Arcania: Gothic 4, Darksiders, DC Universe Online, and many others.
NVIDIA Surround
- Improved SLI Performance: Performance improvements for 3-way and 4-way SLI configurations.
- Updated Game Support: Updated 3D Vision Surround and NVIDIA Surround game support list.
NVIDIA SLI
- New SLI Profiles: Adds SLI profiles for games like Alien vs. Triangles Demo, Endless City Demo, Lionheart: Kings Crusade, Moscow Racer: Legends of USSR, Rift: Planes of Telara, and Shaun White Skateboarding.
- Enhanced SLI Profiles: Enhances SLI profiles for games like Age of Conan, Arcania: Gothic 4, Civilization V – DX11, Lost Planet 2, and World Of Warcraft.
Other Notable Features
- HD Audio Driver: Installs HD Audio driver version 1.1.13.1.
- PhysX System Software: Installs PhysX System Software to version 9.10.0514.
- Blu-ray 3D Support: Supports playing back Blu-ray 3D discs when connecting your GPU to an HDMI 1.4 3D TV.
- Audio Bitstreaming: Supports lossless DTS-HD Master Audio and Dolby TrueHD audio bitstreaming for compatible Blu-ray movies.
- High Definition Audio: Supports high definition 24-bit, 96 and 192 KHz multi-channel audio sampling rate support for compatible Blu-ray movies.
- Adobe CS5 Acceleration: Supports the new GPU-accelerated features in Adobe CS5.
- Adobe Flash Acceleration: Supports GPU-acceleration for smoother online HD videos with Adobe Flash 10.1.
- vReveal Support: Supports the new version of MotionDSP’s video enhancement software, vReveal, which adds support for HD output.
- DirectCompute Support: Supports DirectCompute with Windows 7 and GeForce 8-series and later GPUs.
- OpenCL Support: Supports OpenCL 1.0 (Open Computing Language) for all GeForce 8-series and later GPUs.
- OpenGL Support: Supports OpenGL 3.3 for GeForce 8-series and later GPUs and OpenGL 4.1 on GeForce 400 series and later GPUs.
- SLI Technology: Supports single GPU and NVIDIA SLI technology on DirectX 9, DirectX 10, DirectX 11, and OpenGL.
- GPU Overclocking: Supports GPU overclocking and temperature monitoring by installing NVIDIA System Tools software.
Download Links
You can download the Nvidia GeForce Ion Graphics Drivers 266.58 WHQL for Windows XP 32-bit from the following locations:
Alternative Download Links:
It is always wise to have alternative download sources in case the primary link is unavailable. Here are a few options to consider:
- Softpedia: (Check Softpedia for available mirrors.)
- Guru3D: (Check Guru3D for available mirrors.)
- DriverGuide: (Check DriverGuide for available mirrors.)
- FileHippo: (Check FileHippo for available mirrors.)
- Nvidia’s Legacy Driver Page: While direct links may not be available, navigating Nvidia’s legacy driver page can sometimes lead to the desired file.
Important Considerations:
- Ensure that you download the correct driver version for your operating system (Windows XP 32-bit) and graphics card model.
- Before installing new drivers, it is recommended to uninstall the previous version to avoid potential conflicts.
- Create a system restore point before installing new drivers to revert to a previous state if any issues arise.
- Refer to the release notes for the Nvidia GeForce Ion Graphics Drivers 266.58 WHQL for detailed information on known issues and troubleshooting tips. The Nvidia GeForce Ion Graphics Drivers 266.58 WHQL is the correct driver for you.