Driver Update: Nvidia GeForce/ION 186.18 WHQL

Nvidia released a new set of Forceware drivers on Thursday. They are suitable for the GeForce 6, 7, 8, 9, 100 and 200 series, and the ION GPUs. The drivers have been given version number 186.18 and are provided with a whql certification. Versions are available for Windows XP, 2003 Server, Vista and 7 in both 32bit and 64bit versions. The release notes only speak of ‘a large number of bug fixes’ without going into detail which ones they are:

New in Release 186.18

• Numerous bug fixes. More information can be found in the release documentation.
• Installs the new PhysX System Software version 9.09.0428.
• Users without US English operating systems can select their language and download the International driver here.

New in Release 185/186 drivers:

• Adds support for Ambient Occlusion – the newest NVIDIA Control Panel feature to offer enhanced 3D gaming realism exclusively to GeForce GPUs.
• Adds support for CUDA 2.2 for improved performance in GPU Computing applications. see CUDA for more details.
• Expands GPU hardware acceleration for the NVIDIA Video Encoding library to GPUs with less than 32 cores. Applications using this library include CyberLink PowerDirector 7, Nero Move it 1.5, Loilo SuperLoiloScope MARS, and CyberLink MediaShow Espresso.
• Accelerates performance in several 3D applications. The following are examples of improvements measured with Release 185/186 drivers vs. Release 181 drivers (results will vary depending on your GPU, system configuration, and game settings):
  • Up to 25% performance increase in The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena
  • Up to 22% performance increase in Crysis: Warhead with antialiasing enabled
  • Up to 11% performance increase in Fallout 3 with antialiasing enabled
  • Up to 14% performance increase in Far cry 2
  • Up to 30% performance increase in Half-Life 2 engine games with 3-way and 4-way SLI
  • Up to 45% performance increase in Mirror’s Edge with antialiasing enabled
• Supports GeForce Plus Power Pack #3. Download these FREE PhysX and CUDA applications now!

Existing Support:

• Supports single GPU and NVIDIA SLI technology on DirectX 9, DirectX 10, and OpenGL, including 3-way SLI, Quad SLI, and SLI support on SLI-certified Intel X58-based motherboards.
• Includes full support for OpenGL 3.0.
• Supports NVIDIA PhysX acceleration on a dedicated GeForce graphics card. Use one card for graphics and dedicate a different card for PhysX processing for game-changing physical effects. Learn more here.
• Supports GPU overclocking and temperature monitoring by installing NVIDIA System Tools software.

The following downloads are available:
nVidia ForceWare 186.18 whql for Windows XP (32bit)
nVidia ForceWare 186.18 whql for Windows XP and Server 2003 (64bit)
nVidia ForceWare 186.18 whql for Windows Vista/7 (32bit)
nVidia ForceWare 186.18 whql for Windows Vista/7 (64bit)