DxDiag and Nvidia GeForce Experience shows different things

[NoMoreCrashes]

Hi,

I have DELL XPS L502X with:

Intel(R) Core(TM) i7 - 2820QM CPU @ 2.30Hz
8,00 GB of RAM
Intel(R) HD Graphics Family (integrated one)
NVIDIA GeForce GT 540M
NVIDIA Virtual Audio Device (Wave Extensible) (WDM)

I need your help. My games started crashing several weeks ago. I found out this: DxDiag shows, that my drivers are from 2011.03.26, but Nvidia GeForce Experience tells me, that I have the latest drivers. I'm confused and dont know what to do.

Please help!
Thanks

 

[cliffordcooley]

I wouldn't worry about DxDiag, it specializes in DirectX and may not report the correct driver version.

BTW, what driver version does GeForce Experience report? GeForce Experience is showing the date 11-7-13 and version 331.65 for mine.

 

[LookinAround]

The driver number and date in DirectX can be misleading/confusing.

• Nvidia Geoforce is a "driver package". The "driver package" includes apps and other s/w in addition to the actual device driver software.
• Sometimes the device driver stays the same but other software in the package gets updated

Thus, you see a newer "package" listed by the manufacturer but still the same driver. (Aside from the fact that often even the driver package numbering is often different then the device driver numbering)

So as cliffordcooley points out, focus on the Nvidia package info. If you really think you need an older driver, you may have to go back several packages to find one.

 

[LookinAround]

ERRATA
The bottom line is still the same, but I recently read some more about drivers and want to correct my terminology in the above posts

Re: drivers. Strictly speaking, there are:

• Device Install Applications - these are the application level installers. They include device application software in addition to what's needed for the device driver install. An Example: AMD Catalyst Control Center is an application that's included in the "Device Install Application"
• Driver Package - The driver package is the set of files needed to install the device level driver. This includes an INF file and copies of all the driver executable files. (The INF tells Windows how to modify the registry, and the target run-time directory for each driver executable
• Installed Driver Files - these are the files in their installed locations

All that said, people and user documentation often refer to all 3 of above in terms of being "the" driver. (But I think it helps to understand the underlying distinction)