Nvidiot

Ok at work, I have a new set of NVIDIA drivers coming down nicely so will be checking those out tonight. So far I know of three releases for Windows x64, excluding the default set when you first get installed:

- 71.84: The only official set and the first display drivers to be WHQL certified – I have no idea how though as they are a poor release. They fill up the event log with errors about incompatible files and missing auxiliary power, which in turn slows the core down (to something lower than that of the GT which doesn’t need auxiliary power anyway?)

- 76.71: So much better and I was very pleased with the results, core does slow down again eventually and there are still errors, but in most cases it ran everything I threw at it on par with it’s 32bit cousin. I have been playing a lot of World of Warcraft (which I am still convinced runs in native 64bit mode). I would have loved to have tested more applications but WOW really has me sucked in, that and the fact that I still can’t play Call of Duty because of Punkbuster, a little more about that below, but World of Warcraft for the most part runs absolutely fine there are a few hitches that could be caused by the application itself, lag due to the huge amount of players in the game, soundcard issues or actually an issue with the video card drivers. I have also been running a second monitor with them and it is a little unstable, it has crashed once in World of Warcraft with dual monitors on (other just shows the progress of what I am downloading or the OSNN chat room) and sometimes even when I am uploading files in FlashFXP, so I may take that up with them as it is annoying me that a 32bit application is bringing a 64bit Operating System to it’s knees.

- 77.40: Downloading and will get them checked out tonight. It has been 6 weeks since I got the last set so I am really eager to see what NVIDIA have been up to, I am sure the 64bit driver will be making greater strides than the 32bit versions (which are also being privately beta tested at the same time)

As I mentioned before, Even Balance are still failing to properly support x64 games, there are rumours and no confirmations that it is working here and there with a few games, but from what I can tell from the associated changelog, Enemy Territory and Call of Duty will still kick you out of the game quoting a restricted OS problem. Not only that but Even Balance now have the cheek to release Punkbuster for Doom3, so that will be another game we can’t play is it? It wouldn’t surprise me if the version of Punkbuster in Farcry64 kicks WindowsXP x64 users out of the game as well. So much for their promise that all games would be playable from a month ago.

This months selection of Microsoft software arrived in the office today, as well as receiving every possible version of Windows 2003 SP1 we also received the 64bit version (which we don’t have any use for here yet as our Xeons are a little older than the 64bit changeover, I will most likely start pushing to get some of our servers on 64bit especially after that impressive SQL demonstration at WinHEC), but we also received a nice corporate version of Windows x64, something nice to fall back on – very unlikely we will ever deploy it at the office (currently pushing out WindowsXP on a combination of Dell GX270s and 280s) but it is nice to know it is finally there. I am still waiting for my commemorative edition of WindowsXP x64 to arrive from Los Angeles courtesy of Kunal who managed to get two copies, lovely.

I can’t remember, did a true corporate version of WindowsXP ever leak or were they all cracked versions of the retail version? (Oh, it has no activation and therefore must be corporate?)

On a personal note, got all my site contact notes and emails finally replied to after my holidays last night. Excellent, but no more of these personal comments this is a blog!

/runs.