Inno3D

Low performance after installing new graphics card

I just installed a new NVIDIA based graphics card in my PC to replace an older graphics card. I am not getting noticably better performance when playing games. How can I improve performance on my PC?

NVIDIA provides top to bottom solutions for every type of desktop PC user. For gamers, NVIDIA offers value, performance and enthusiast class GPU's (Graphics Processing Unit) which offer the latest 3d technology, the most advanced programmable video processor for DVD and HDTV playback and our award winning Forceware display drivers to meet different customer needs.

For users who enjoy playing the latest 3d games with enhanced visuals and lighting fast framerates, NVIDIA recommends stepping up to one of our performance or enthusiast class graphics cards. These cards are better suited for the onslaught of next generation games as well todays hottest selling3d titles. Designed from the ground up to deliver maximum visual quality and detail at the best possible frame rates, these cards will satisfy all gamers needs.

NVIDIA also provides GPU's for the Value PC market which feature many of the same 3d technologies found in our performance and enthusiast graphics cards. The Value PC graphics cards do not provide the same 3d processing power as the higher end models. For this reason, these cards are targeted towards the casual gamer who uses his/her PC mainly for work, watching movies, browsing the web and occasional lite 3d gaming. While most 3d games should be able to run on these graphics cards, the graphics settings may need to be turned down to the lowest quality and resolution to operate smoothly.

If you have upgraded and older graphics card on your PC to one of our Value PC line of graphics cards, you may not be getting the best performance you can get from your computer.

If you have installed a Performance or Enthusiast class graphics card and your computer's framerates have not dramatically increased, it could be caused by a number of factors. Please read the following guidelines to troubleshoot your performance issues:

Uninstall older display drivers - When replacing graphics cards, you should always first uninstall your previous cards display drivers. If they are left on a system, they may remain active and consume CPU resources which lower overall performance, especially when going from a non-NVIDIA based graphics card to an NVIDIA based graphics card. Please check that the drivers for your previous graphics cards have been completely removed from your system.
Software audio controller - Most PC's shipped today use an onboard sound controller for audio playback. These solutions use more CPU resources than a dedicated hardware sound card. Upgrading to a hardware PCI sound card can provide imrpoved performance in 3d games.
External power - If your graphics card requires an external power source, verify that the cable from your PC's power supply is running into your graphics card. When the graphics card is not receiving enough power, it reverts to lower clock speeds to prevent your PC from locking up.
Motherboard chipset drivers - When installing a new operating system, the drivers for all of your components should be installed including your motherboard chipset drivers. If Windows is using standard drivers, it will not perform at the optimal level that your graphics card is capable of.
Proper cooling - As technology advances and GPU's become more complex, they also produce more heat. Place your PC in an area where it can receive proper air circulation. If not properly cooled, your CPU or GPU can overheat forcing it to run at a lower clock speed to prevent hardware damage.
PCI Express vs. AGP vs. PCI - Before purchasing a new graphics card, inspect your system to find out what type of slots it supports for graphics cards. Many of the older PC's use an AGP slot to interface with a graphics card. Newer PC's have a PCI Express x16 slot for the graphics cards. Both of these slots are high bandwidth communications slots designed specifically for graphics cards however are not interchangable with each other. Several budget older PC's do not offer support for AGP or PCI Express x16 graphics cards. This may require you to purchase a PCI graphics card. If this is the case, then it may be limiting the speed of your graphics card. A PCI graphics card operates at around 20% lower speed than an equivalent AGP or PCI Express x16 graphics card.

Poor S-video output quality on some TVs

Poor S-video output quality on some TVs

NVIDIA drivers differentiate between S-video TV from a composite TV by searching for 75-Ohm loads on the chrominance and luminance lines. If the driver detects only one such load, it assumes that it has a composite TV and drives both chroma and luma onto that line. This approach allows both types of TV to display in color.

Unfortunately some S-video TVs do not apply the correct load to both lines, causing the driver to incorrectly detect an S-video TV as composite. The driver, in turn, sends the lower quality signal to the S-video TV. To work around this problem, use the Control Panel to override the "Auto-select" feature. This can be done following these steps:

1) In the Setting tab of the Display Properties Control Panel, click Advanced.
2) In the nView tab, click Device Settings and click Select Output Device.
3) In the Device Selection tab, click the TV option.
4) Change the "Video output format" to S-video.

When I install a GeForce 7950 GX2 graphics card, my system boots but my display is blank

When I install a GeForce 7950 GX2 graphics card, my system boots but my display is blank

The GeForce 7950 GX2 graphics card utilizes two graphics processors (GPUs) to deliver very high graphics performance. When your computer boots up, it is normal for only one of the GPUs (the primary GPU) to send an image to your computer monitor.
If your motherboard only recognizes one GPU on the GeForce 7950 GX2 graphics card, or if it incorrectly enumerates which GPU is the primary GPU and which is the secondary GPU, your computer will seem to boot-up properly but there will be no image on your monitor's screen.

NVIDIA recommends you take the following steps to address this problem:

1. Check with your PC or motherboard manufacturer to determine whether the PC or motherboard has been tested with the GeForce 7950 GX2 card. Alternatively, check www.nvidia.com/GX2 to see a list of motherboards which NVIDIA has tested.
2. Your motherboard may require a BIOS update to be compatible with GeForce 7950 GX2 graphics cards. Follow the manufacturer's instructions to update the system BIOS on your PC or motherboard to the latest revision.

My system does not boot when a GeForce 7950 GX2 graphics card is installed

My system does not boot when a GeForce 7950 GX2 graphics card is installed

The GeForce 7950 GX2 graphics card utilizes two graphics processors (GPUs) to deliver very high graphics performance. The GeForce 7950 GPUs communicate with a computer's chipset through a PCI Express Switch located on the card.

While the GeForce 7950 GX2 is fully compliant with the PCI-Express specification, it is one of the first mass-produced products to use a PCI Express Switch and can experience compatibility problems with some motherboards.

If your computer does not boot after installing a GeForce 7950 GX2 graphics card, we recommend you take the following steps:
1. Check with your PC or motherboard manufacturer to determine whether the PC or motherboard has been tested with the GeForce 7950 GX2 card. Alternatively, check www.nvidia.com/GX2 to see a list of motherboards which NVIDIA has tested.
2. Your motherboard may require a BIOS update to be compatible with GeForce 7950 GX2 graphics cards. Follow the manufacturer's instructions to update the system BIOS on your PC or motherboard to the latest revision.

GeForce 7950 GX2 Compatibility

Is my motherboard compatible with the GeForce 7950 GX2 or is the GeForce 7950 GX2 compatible with my motherboard?

The NVIDIA® GeForce® 7950 GX2 architecture allows two graphics processing units (GPUs) to be employed on a single graphics card for an ultimate gaming experience. The following motherboards have been tested and passed NVIDIA's compatibility testing requirements with the GeForce 7950 GX2 graphics card. Such test include motherboard System BIOS and electrical compatibility with the PCI-Express switch the design uses. If your motherboard is NOT listed it may not work with a GeForce 7950 based card. The "Motherboard Manufacturer" must release a System BIOS compatible with the GeForce 7950 GX2 reference design. Please contact your motherboard manufacturer for support on this matter.

http://www.nvidia.com/content/geforce_gx2_sbios/us.asp

Please note that the information in the link above is updated periodically.

Can the GeForce 6150 GPU support an Analog monitor and TV out simultaneously?

Can the GeForce 6150 support an Analog monitor and TV out simultaneously?

The GeForce 6150 GPU cannot support Analog VGA and S-video / Component output at the same time since they all share the same on chip DAC.

The GeForce 6150 GPU can support a DVI Digital Monitor and a single Analog, S-video, or Component Display simultaneously.

Preferred motherboard BIOS settings

What are the recommended BIOS settings for my motherboard to give me the best experience with my NVIDIA based graphics card?

There is no industry standard among motherboard manufacturers for BIOS options. Each motherboard manufacturer will feature different BIOS options which work best with their products. The following recommended settings are BIOS settings when used with NVIDIA based graphic cards. If these options are not present in your motherboard's BIOS, or differ in the way they are phrased, please consult with your motherboard manufacturer for further BIOS setting information:

Assign IRQ to VGA: Enable
PnP O/S Installed: Enable
VGA Pallet Snooping: Disable
PCI Bursting: Disable PCI Latency Timer: 128 Peer Concurrency: Disable
Video BIOS Shadowing: Disable
Video RAM Cacheable: Disable
USWC: Disable/UC
Pipeline Cache Write: Disable
PCI 2.1 Compliance: Enable (Only needed when using PCI graphic cards)
Passive Release: Enable
Delayed Transaction:Enable
VGA Boot Sequence:AGP (When using an AGP graphics card)
Graphics Aperture Size: 128MB (When using an AGP graphics card)
AGP Turbo Read Mode: Disable
AGP Turbo Write Mode: Disable

Geforce 7800GS AGP drivers for Windows 98/Me

My Geforce 7800GS AGP did not come with Windows 98/Me display drivers. Where can I download Windows 98/Me display drivers for my Geforce 7800GS AGP?

The Geforce 7800GS AGP is not supported under Windows 98/Me. There are no plans to release updated Windows 98/Me display drivers to support the Geforce 7800GS AGP.

The Geforce 7800GS AGP is supported under Windows 2000/XP/XPx64/MCE 2005. You may download the latest display drivers for the Geforce 7800GS AGP from our Software Downloads page at:

http://www.nvidia.com/content/drivers/drivers.asp

From the Software Downloads page, begin by clicking on Graphics Driver in the first box. On the second box, click Geforce and TNT2 and finally on the third box, choose the operating system you are using. This will bring you to the latest driver for your graphics card.

Does the NVIDIA Geforce 7800GS GPU for AGP support dual-link TMDS to support the Apple 30" Cinema Dispaly or the Dell 3007WFP in its native resolution?

Does the NVIDIA Geforce 7800GS GPU for AGP support dual-link TMDS to support the Apple 30" Cinema Dispaly or the Dell 3007WFP in its native resolution?

The NVIDIA Geforce 7800GS GPU for AGP does not include an on chip dual-link TMDS. The maximum resolution the NVIDIA Geforce 7800GS GPU will support digitally with its on chip Single Link TMDS through the DVI port is 1920x1200 with reduced blanking. For more information on the Geforce 7800 GPU product family, please visit the following URL:

http://www.nvidia.com/page/geforce_7800.html

10.

Custom Resolutions

Does the NVIDIA Geforce 7800GS GPU for AGP support dual-link TMDS to support the Apple 30" Cinema Dispaly or the Dell 3007WFP in its native resolution?

Custom resolutions allow end users the ultimate flexibility to add virtually any resolution and refresh for their display as long as the monitor is capable of supporting the resolution and the resolution falls within the supported range of the graphics card. A monitor must be a Microsoft Plug n Play compatible monitor for custom resolutions to work properly.*

If users want to use a unique resolution or refresh rate that is not available through the windows control panel, this control will let users manually add a custom resolution, refresh rate and color depth mode. The software will perform a check to make sure the end user defined resolution and refresh rate are supported by the graphics card.

The steps below will show you how to add a custom resolution:

1) Browse to the NVIDIA Display Properties by right mouse clicking on the Windows desktop and selecting NVIDIA Display -> then choose your primary monitor from the next pull out menu.

2) Select the Screen Resolutions & Refresh Rates option from the left pull out menu. If you do not see this option from the NVIDIA Display Properties, please download the coolbits.reg from the File Attachments section below. Then proceed to run the file. Once it has been added to your system, please repeat step 1) and you should now see the Screen Resolutions & Refresh Rates panel.

3) Click the Add button.

4) Read and Accept the End User License Agreement.

WARNING: If you are unsure about what your are doing, do not accept the End User License Agreement and do not proceed.

5) Type in the desired settings for a custom resolution.

6) Click OK. The software will now perform a check to ensure the mode you have added is safe. If it is the mode is safe, the user will be prompted with a notification of a successful addition of that mode. If it is not, the user will be prompted with a notification that that mode is not safe to add.

*PLEASE NOTE - THIS UTILITY MAY CAUSE SYSTEM DAMAGE AND VOID WARRANTIES. PLEASE VERIFY THAT THE CUSTOM RESOLUTION YOU CREATE IS SUPPORTED BY YOUR MONITOR BEFORE ADDING TO YOUR DISPLAY SETTINGS. NVIDIA UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHALL NVIDIA AND ITS SUBSIDIARIES BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, PUNITIVE, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES THAT RESULT FROM THE USE OF, OR INABILITY TO USE, THE UTILITY.

For more information on configuring custom resolutions on your graphics card, please consult the section Advanced Timing in the NVIDIA Display Properties User's Guide that is available for download from the driver download page.

11.

Does the NVIDIA Geforce 7800GS GPU for AGP support dual-link TMDS to support the Apple 30" Cinema Dispaly or the Dell 3007WFP in its native resolution?

Does the NVIDIA Geforce 7800GS GPU for AGP support dual-link TMDS to support the Apple 30" Cinema Dispaly or the Dell 3007WFP in its native resolution?

http://www.nvidia.com/page/geforce_7800.html

12.

SLI graphics maximum resolution

What is the maximum resolution for SLI mode?

The maximum SLI Analog resolution is 1920 x 1440 @ 72 Hz or 2048 x 1536 @ 60 Hz.

The maximum SLI single link Digital resolution is 1920 x 1200 @ 60 Hz with reduced blanking.

The maximum SLI dual link Digital resolution is 2560 x 1600 @ 60 Hz with reduced blanking.

13.

WDM VIVO Drivers Code 10 error on 4 NVIDIA WDM Devices

After installing the NVIDIA WDM VIVO drivers, I receive a "Code 10" error in my Device Manager under the Sound Video and Game Controllers list for the 4 NVIDIA WDM devices. How can I fix this?

There are two common reasons for this. The most common is that your graphics card does not support the VIVO (Video In Video Out) or VIVO + TV (Video In Video Out + TV Tuner such as the Personal Cinema family) video capture feature. While a small number of NVIDIA based graphic cards support VIVO or VIVO + TV, most do not. If your NVIDIA based graphics card does not support video capture, then if you install the NVIDIA WDM VIVO or VIVO + TV capture drivers onto a graphics card which does not support this feature, Windows Device Manager will report an error for these devices as it cannot locate them to be able to install the appropriate drivers. Please verify with the manufacturer of your graphics card to make sure that your card supports video capture. If your graphics card came as part of your PC system, contact the manufacturer of your PC for more information. While your system may have come with video capture capability, it may be provided through a different add-in card that acts as a dedicated video capture/tv tuner card. This separate video capture card would then require its own WDM drivers which are provided from the manufacturer of the card.

If you know that your NVIDIA based graphics card supports video capture, but the Installshield does not install the drivers for this component, you may need to install the drivers manually. Download the latest WDM drivers and extract the contents into a folder using a 3rd party software extraction utility such as Powerarchiver (www.powerarchiver.com) or Winzip (www.winzip.com). Then go to the Control Panel -> open Add Hardware and reinstall the NVIDIA WDM devices manually. When it asks for the device drivers, point it to the folder where you extracted the WDM VIVO or WDM VIVO + TV capture to. Windows should copy the files from this folder and install the WDM capture drivers.

14.

Why does the display blink off and then on when I click on the NVIDIA settings or go into display properties?

Why does the display blink off and then on when I click on the NVIDIA settings or go into display properties? How do I fix this?

This is not a problem and is expected behavior when clicking the NVIDIA settings icon or entering advanced display properties.

15.

Choosing the correct driver for a NVIDIA based graphics card

I can't identify my NVIDIA based card. Which graphics driver should I use?

Download the Forceware graphics driver to support the following GPUs. http://www.nvidia.com/content/drivers/drivers.asp

Product Support List Windows XP 32-bit - 84.21

Products marked with an asterisk (*) are WHQL certified.

GeForce2 MX
GeForce2 MX 100
GeForce2 MX 200
GeForce2 MX 400
GeForce3
GeForce3 Ti 200
GeForce3 Ti 500
GeForce4 MX 420
GeForce4 MX 440
GeForce4 MX 440-SE
GeForce4 MX 440 with AGP8X
GeForce4 MX440SE with AGP8X
GeForce4 MX 460
GeForce2 MX Integrated graphics
GeForce4 MX Integrated graphics
GeForce4 MX 4000
GeForce4 Ti 4200
GeForce4 TI 4200 with AGP8X
GeForce4 Ti 4400
GeForce4 Ti 4600
GeForce4 Ti 4800
GeForce4 Ti 4800 SE
GeForce FX 5100
GeForce FX 5200
GeForce FX 5200LE
GeForce FX 5200 Ultra
GeForce FX 5500
GeForce FX 5600
GeForce FX 5600 Ultra
GeForce FX 5600SE
GeForce FX 5600XT
GeForce FX 5700
GeForce FX 5700VE
GeForce FX 5700 Ultra
GeForce FX 5700LE
GeForce FX 5800
GeForce FX 5800 Ultra
GeForce FX 5900
GeForce FX 5900 Ultra
GeForce FX 5900XT
GeForce FX 5900ZT
GeForce FX 5950 Ultra
GeForce PCX 5300
GeForce PCX 5750
GeForce PCX 5900
GeForce 6100
GeForce 6150 LE
GeForce 6150
GeForce 6200*
GeForce 6200 with TurboCache
GeForce 6200SE with TurboCache
GeForce 6500
GeForce 6600*
GeForce 6600 LE*
GeForce 6600 VE*
GeForce 6600 GT*
GeForce 6610 XL*
GeForce 6800*
GeForce 6800 LE*
GeForce 6800 XE*
GeForce 6800 XT*
GeForce 6800 GS*
GeForce 6800 GT*
GeForce 6800 Ultra*
GeForce 7300 LE*
GeForce 7300 GS*
GeForce 7600 GT*
GeForce 7800 GS*
GeForce 7800 GT*
GeForce 7800 GTX*
GeForce 7800 GTX 512*
GeForce 7900 GT*
GeForce 7900 GTX*
Quadro2 MXR
Quadro DCC
Quadro4 200 NVS
Quadro4 400 NVS
Quadro4 380 XGL
Quadro4 500 XGL
Quadro4 550 XGL
Quadro4 580 XGL
Quadro4 700 XGL
Quadro4 750 XGL
Quadro4 780 XGL
Quadro4 900 XGL
Quadro4 980 XGL
Quadro FX 330

Quadro FX 350*
Quadro FX 500
Quadro FX 540*

Quadro FX 550*
Quadro FX 600
Quadro FX 700
Quadro FX 1000
Quadro FX 1100
Quadro FX 1300*
Quadro FX 1400*
Quadro FX 2000
Quadro FX 3000
Quadro FX 3000G
Quadro FX 3400*
Quadro FX 3450*
Quadro FX 4000 SDI*
Quadro FX 4400*
Quadro FX 4500*
Quadro NVS
Quadro NVS with AGP8X
Quadro NVS 200
Quadro NVS 280
Quadro NVS 400
Quadro NVS 440
Quadro NVS 280 PCI
Quadro NVS 285 PCI

The following products are not supported in the current ForceWare Release 75 driver or above. Please continue to use the previous ForceWare Release 60 drivers available here. http://www.nvidia.com/object/winxp_2k_66.93.html

TNT2
TNT2 Pro
TNT2 Ultra
TNT2 Model 64 (M64)
TNT2 Model 64 (M64) Pro
Vanta
Vanta LT
GeForce 256
GeForce DDR
GeForce2 GTS
GeForce2 Pro
GeForce2 Ti
GeForce2 Ultra
GeForce2 MX Integrated graphics
Quadro
Quadro2 Pro
Quadro2 EX

NOTE: GeForce2 Go, GeForce4 Go and GeForce FX Go mobile processors are not supported in this driver. Please contact the manufacturer of your notebook computer for the appropriate graphics driver. http://www.nvidia.com/object/support_oem

More information about the NVIDIA Unified Driver Architecture. http://www.nvidia.com/object/feature_uda.html

16.

Where can I get support for Linux drivers?

Where can I get support for Linux drivers?

First, make sure you have reviewed the read me instructions for the driver. Example for IA32 below:

ftp://download.nvidia.com/XFree86/Linux-x86/1.0-6111/README.txt

A good place to start for Linux related driver questions is NVNEWS Linux discussion forum.

http://www.nvnews.net/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=14

To download NVIDIA Linux drivers see the link below:

http://www.nvidia.com/object/linux.html

1.	Low performance after installing new graphics card
	I just installed a new NVIDIA based graphics card in my PC to replace an older graphics card. I am not getting noticably better performance when playing games. How can I improve performance on my PC?

2.	Poor S-video output quality on some TVs
	Poor S-video output quality on some TVs

3.	When I install a GeForce 7950 GX2 graphics card, my system boots but my display is blank
	When I install a GeForce 7950 GX2 graphics card, my system boots but my display is blank

4.	My system does not boot when a GeForce 7950 GX2 graphics card is installed
	My system does not boot when a GeForce 7950 GX2 graphics card is installed

5.	GeForce 7950 GX2 Compatibility
	Is my motherboard compatible with the GeForce 7950 GX2 or is the GeForce 7950 GX2 compatible with my motherboard?

6.	Can the GeForce 6150 GPU support an Analog monitor and TV out simultaneously?
	Can the GeForce 6150 support an Analog monitor and TV out simultaneously?

7.	Preferred motherboard BIOS settings
	What are the recommended BIOS settings for my motherboard to give me the best experience with my NVIDIA based graphics card?

8.	Geforce 7800GS AGP drivers for Windows 98/Me
	My Geforce 7800GS AGP did not come with Windows 98/Me display drivers. Where can I download Windows 98/Me display drivers for my Geforce 7800GS AGP?

9.	Does the NVIDIA Geforce 7800GS GPU for AGP support dual-link TMDS to support the Apple 30" Cinema Dispaly or the Dell 3007WFP in its native resolution?