the 'tweaked' drivers

are they worth it? I never hear anyone using them. are they actually any better then the WHQL ones?

I'm talking about the Z-Tweaked and NGU

I'm using XG 160.02 on my GTO and it raises my 3dmark06 score by about 150-200 points compared to WHQL drivers. Also, the Image quality is MUCH better with tweaked drivers, at no cost of performance. Performance is usually better on tweaked drivers, depending on your rig. I'd give them a shot and see if you think it's worth it.

XG drivers are found on http://tweaksrus.com/

Raptord said:

I'm using XG 160.02 on my GTO and it raises my 3dmark06 score by about 150-200 points compared to WHQL drivers. Also, the Image quality is MUCH better with tweaked drivers, at no cost of performance. Performance is usually better on tweaked drivers, depending on your rig. I'd give them a shot and see if you think it's worth it.

XG drivers are found on http://tweaksrus.com/

Click to expand...

image quality better... you have screen shots of this better image quality?

alright I'll give 162.01 a try, see what happens

There is a Preview of the better image Quality with the Omega drivers at their Homepage:
http://www.omegadrivers.net/nvidia.php

They are VERY old, though, but expect similar results with the other tweaked drivers..

I am using NGO's, and am quite happy with them, though I didn't exactly notice the Image quality, it pushed Black & White 2, Stronghold 2 and Operation Flashpoint over the edge from a little laggy to perfectly smooth.

Would be nice to see a competitive comparison between all the tweaked drivers.

Rinne said:

There is a Preview of the better image Quality with the Omega drivers at their Homepage:
http://www.omegadrivers.net/nvidia.php

They are VERY old, though, but expect similar results with the other tweaked drivers..

I am using NGO's, and am quite happy with them, though I didn't exactly notice the Image quality, it pushed Black & White 2, Stronghold 2 and Operation Flashpoint over the edge from a little laggy to perfectly smooth.

Would be nice to see a competitive comparison between all the tweaked drivers.

Click to expand...

Call me blind, but I don't see any difference in those pics...

I can't even find the pics...

thideras said:

Call me blind, but I don't see any difference in those pics...

Click to expand...

You have to zoom in to the original size and then look at points farther away..

The picture is even more crisp there than the original drivers display with 8x anisotropic filtering, while maintaining the speed of the standard drivers without aniso..

Raptord said:

I can't even find the pics...

Click to expand...

They are linked on the lower part of the page

Rinne said:

You have to zoom in to the original size and then look at points farther away..

The picture is even more crisp there than the original drivers display with 8x anisotropic filtering, while maintaining the speed of the standard drivers without aniso..

Click to expand...

I had two windows open, 1 per monitor and I can't tell the difference fully zoomed in...

I mean, if there is a gain in performance, I'd be in, but if not, I see absolutely no difference in the pics. And since I do benchmarking, I need certified drivers etc...it would be a pain for a little performance gain that I'd have to switch back to when benching

You won't notice the difference directly when you put the pictures beside each other..

Best is to open three tabs with the different pictures and then scroll to the same point (eg. at the max payne pictures the upper right corner is quite good) and then switch between the tabs. You will then notice the difference, it isn't huge, as the view distance isn't huge, either, but it is clearly visible.

The effect is very clearly seen in the max payne, revolt and unreal tournament screenshots, while in quake 3 it is only a slight difference.

Here is another Thread with the Quality difference of NVIDIA basic and NGO drivers, though I partly doubt that the UT2k4 screenshots are unmanipulated:

http://www.ngohq.com/ngo-nvidia-opt...ers-image-quality-comparision-you-decide.html

And Raptord: I didn't notice the link sends you back to the omegadrivers main page.
You will first have to click on NVIDIA GF on the upper link bar..

"Tweaked" Drivers have been around for quite sometime, since the 9800Pro and GF4 Ti4600 days. Back in those days there was a huge improvement in image quality and a raise in 3Dmarks. Now there's very little to no difference b/c of the new gpu cores and the new drivers.


thideras has made a valid point in benchmarking and official drivers. These "tweaked" drivers are a waste imho.