This is the first driver release from the Release 256 family of drivers (versions 256.xx to 259.xx). This driver package supports GeForce 6, 7, 8, 9, 100, 200, 300, and 400-series desktop GPUs as well as ION desktop GPUs. Learn more about Release 256 drivers here .

New in Version 257.15

•Upgrades PhysX System Software to version 9.10.0222.
•Adds support for OpenGL 4.0 for GeForce GTX 400 Series GPUs.
•Adds support for CUDA Toolkit 3.1 which includes significant performance increases for double precision math operations. See CUDA Zone for more details.
•Adds a new NVIDIA Control Panel setup page for SLI and PhysX for ultimate control over multi-gpu configurations.
•Adds a new NVIDIA Control Panel feature for ultimate control over CUDA GPUs, allowing the user to effectively choose which GPU will power each CUDA application.
•Includes numerous bug fixes. Refer to the release notes on the documentation tab for information about the key bug fixes in this release.
•Users without US English operating systems can select their language and download the International driver here.
Additional Information:

•Installs HD Audio driver version 1.0.9.1 (for supported GPUs).
•Supports the new GPU-accelerated features in Adobe CS5 .
•Supports GPU-acceleration for smoother online HD videos with Adobe Flash 10.1. Learn more here.
•Supports the new version of MotionDSP's video enhancement software, vReveal, which adds support for HD output. NVIDIA customers can download a free version of vReveal that supports up to SD output here.
•Supports OpenCL 1.0 (Open Computing Language) for all GeForce 8-series and later GPUs.
•Supports OpenGL 3.2 for GeForce 8-series and later GPUs.
•Supports single GPU and NVIDIA SLI technology * on DirectX 9 and OpenGL.
•Supports GPU overclocking and temperature monitoring by installing NVIDIA System Tools software.
*Note: The following SLI features are only supported on Windows Vista and Windows 7: Quad SLI technology using GeForce 9800 GX2 or GeForce GTX 295, 3-way SLI technology, Hybrid SLI, and SLI multi-monitor support.

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Yes but have you tried it?

I don't believe its especially for Fermi as it supports the older cards too. I think its to add the cuda 3.1 support, that the Fermi's will get the most benefit from.

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BOINC blog

At least on Linux, with the 256.25 version, boinc becomes highly unstable and locks up my system.

Yes but have you tried it?

I've just completed my first unit with it successfully on my q9300

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Radio Caroline

Works on Fermi and possibly slightly faster; though I would want to see several WUs completed and other people reporting faster performance before being definitive but perhaps these work units are already being compiled on Cuda 3.1 and hence the slight speed bump.

19/02/2010 16:15:57 NVIDIA GPU 0: GeForce GTX 470 (driver version 25715, CUDA version 3010, compute capability 2.0, 1280MB, 1089 GFLOPS peak)

Using Win XP

I will be updating to this driver on both my Win7 and XP dual boot with 2 480s. I'll post back if I see any improvements in work order time completion.

I still dont know if they are faster or not. I'm getting different work unit types than before, so I cant call it. Hopefully you will pick up similar tasks and be able to tell us.

Yes but have you tried it?

I've just completed my first unit with it successfully on my q9300

I see it says you have 474Mb on the graphics card. That looks a bit suspect. I assume the card is a 512Mb one (the 197.45 drivers also report less than the card actually has).

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BOINC blog

Yes but have you tried it?

I've just completed my first unit with it successfully on my q9300

I see it says you have 474Mb on the graphics card. That looks a bit suspect. I assume the card is a 512Mb one (the 197.45 drivers also report less than the card actually has).

Yes they all report less memory than they have (-38MB) and I don't know why. GPUZ reports correctly. However, they all work :)

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Works good for me so far: http://www.gpugrid.net/results.php?hostid=60998 ONLY WU's from 26th May & after use this new Beta Driver on: http://www.gpugrid.net/show_host_detail.php?hostid=60998

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The problem is the poor Win7/Vista drivers!

I'm still guessing that a portion of the GPU RAM is being left aside for Aero (by the driver).

I had a GTX260 in a Win7 x64 system.
When we moved to 6.05 and 6.72 WU's it failed every task in about 9sec.
A GT240 also failed all tasks on the same system. I tried every driver I could.

Put the GTX260 in a different system, XP x86, and it works fine again with the 257.15 driver.
The GT240 also works fine on XP x86 with the 257.15 driver, and other drivers.

Went back to 197.45 because the beta ones don't let my PVR (television) work properley while I'm crinching GPUGRID.

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Radio Caroline, the world's most famous offshore pirate radio station.
Great music since April 1964. Support Radio Caroline Team -
Radio Caroline