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Nvidia has unleashed its latest GeForce beta driver with a few updates, including -- and perhaps most significantly -- performance optimizations for Skyrim players. Version 290.53 should offer GeForce owners up to 25% more frames per second. Nvidia reports a 25% boost over last month's 290.36 beta drivers while playing with cards such as the GeForce GTX 560 at 1920x1200 on Ultra quality settings.
Download GeForce 290.53 beta
Desktop: Windows XP 32-bit | Windows XP 64-bit | Windows Vista/7 32-bit | Windows Vista/7 64-bit
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That's a best case scenario, the company admits. The 25% gain was recorded indoors, while outdoor scenarios only run up to 2-3% better. Your mileage will vary depending on your specific GPU, system configuration and in-game location. Nonetheless, it's hard to complain about a double-digit increase indoors considering much of your time is spent in smaller environments, be that caves or buildings.
Skyrim players can also look forward to improved Ambient Occlusion, an Nvidia Control Panel quality setting that enables more realistic shadows. The company added Ambient Occlusion support for Skyrim with 290.36, but 290.53's effects are "faster" and should eliminate the tacky shimmering users have reported. Nvidia has also updated the 3D Vision crosshair to better match Skyrim's default 2D pointer.
There's not much else to see for folks without Bethesda's latest RPG. Build 290.53 includes SLI profiles for Afterfall: InSanity, Trine 2 and WRC 2: FIA World Rally Championship 2011 along with new or updated 3D Vision profiles for Trine 2, Orcs Must Die!, Stronghold 3 and a few lesser-known titles. The beta driver also resolves triangular artifacting in Battlefield 3 and a default panel resolution-timing bug.
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User Comments: 23
Got something to say? Post a comment-
Alpha Gamer said:
I used to have a great performance at Skyrim, than I took a 1.3 Update to the knee.
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I updated and I do see some improvements in BF3, not so much in Skyrim. Perhaps because it always ran smoothly to me. Except in Markath, for some reason it sometimes dropped to the 30s. Now it drops to the 40s. Something is something, I guess.
alpha gamer said:I used to have a great performance at Skyrim, than I took a 1.3 Update to the knee.
I was going to make fun of you, but then I realized you've just done the job for me.
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treetops said:
Im glad I didn't worry about the release day performance of bf3 and skyrim with new patches its getting smoother and smoother.
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Looks nice.
I'll wait for the official driver though.
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My GTX 470 has handled Skyrim just fine with the 285 official drivers. Beta drivers are for nubs.
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My GTX 470 has handled Skyrim just fine with the 290 Beta drivers. Official drivers are for nubs
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Alpha Gamer said:
My GTX 560 Ti has handled Skyrim just fine with no drivers at all. Drivers are for nubs.
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My GTX 260 has handled Skyrim just fine with no graphics at all. Graphics are for nubs.
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My Geforce2 MX handled graphics with no Skyrim at all. Skyrim is for nubs.
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My Commodore 64 has handled Skyrim just fine using sprites. 3D graphics are for nubs.
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Calling people nubs is for nubs... wait a minute?!
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My imagination has handled Skyrim with no computer at all. Computers are for nubs.
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@gwailo247
I used to do pen and paper RPGs as well. Then I took a D20 to the knee.
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My imagination has handled Skyrim with no computer at all. Computers are for nubs.
Return of pen and paper rpg's... yay!
Then I took a D20 to the knee.My D6 system has handled pen and paper rpg's just fine. D20 is for nubs.
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I walk into a game shop. The man comes up to me and says
"you come here all the time, here's skyrim for free"
Man this isn't skyrim, this is a Disc.
So i through it on the GROUND!
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I used to take updates to the knee but then someone stole my sweet roll....
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Ati (Amd) used to update their drivers with performance improvements but them they took an arrow to the knee.
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What the hell is going on here? LoL.
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Here's a mod for Skyrim that will give you a nice boost in performance.
http://forums.bethsoft.com/topic/1321575-rel-tesv-accelerati
n-layer/ -
It is quite apparent that school is out. I'll return to reading comments the second week of January.
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That's about right.
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lmfao! TLI ftw
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It is quite apparent that school is out. I'll return to reading comments the second week of January.
Yes, we'll be having a lively discussion on deconstructionism vis a vis patellar trauma.
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