Download Driver For Nvidia GeForce/Ion 196.21 WHQL

Nvidia released a new set of GeForce/Ion 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 196.21 and are provided with a whql certification. Versions are available for Windows XP, 2003 Server, Vista and 7 in both 32bit and 64bit versions. New to the 196-series drivers is support for a number of new graphics cards, the control panel now shows if PhysX is being used, and if so whether the processor or graphics processor is being used. Furthermore, Adobe Flash 10.1 beta and CUDA 3.0 can now be used from the GeForce 8 and above, where it was previously only available on the GT 240. In version 196.21, the following things have also been improved:

What’s New in Version 196.21

• This driver version adds support for NVIDIA PhysX acceleration on all GeForce 8-series, 9-series, 100-series, and 200-series GPUs with a minimum of 256MB dedicated graphics memory and a minimum of 32 processor cores.
• This driver package installs NVIDIA PhysX System Software v9.09.1112.

Fixed Windows Vista/Windows 7 32-bit Issues

Single GPU Resolved Issues

• Dual-core CPU: Risen (DirectX 9)–hitching occurs during the game. [607682]
• ION: Green corruption appears intermittently when scaling the Windows Media Player 12 video window.[626017]
• GeForce GTX 295: Bioshock–corruption/non-rendered blank patches appear after applying any value of override antialiasing from the NVIDIA Control Panel. [584872]
• GeForce 8800 GTS: Rainbow Six Vegas 2–”Driver not responding” error occurs and then the game crashes when launched. [614989]

Multi-GPU Resolved Issues

• [SLI]: Dirt 2–the game needs an SLI application profile. [590884]
• [SLI]GeForce 200/8 series: The primary Clone mode display cannot be changed, but the change is applied after rebooting the system. [598361]
• [SLI]GeForce GTX 295: Left 4 Dead – the game stutter.[626840]
• [3-way SLI]GeForce GTX 280/260: 3DMark06–the TV screen (component or S-Video) goes blank after launching the benchmark with SLI mode enabled. [491193]

Fixed Windows Vista/Windows 7 64-bit Issues

Single GPU Resolved Issues

• When setting a game to a 4:3 resolution on a widescreen monitor, the game is stretched instead. [627774]
• Shattered Horizon–the startup scene is corrupt at high resolutions and with antialiasing enabled. [615795]
• ION: Green corruption appears intermittently when scaling the Windows Media Player 12 video window.[626017]
• GeForce GTX 295: “Driver not responding” error occurs after clicking the device option in Cyberlink MediaShow Espresso. [619117]
• GeForce GTX 295: Bioshock–corruption/non-rendered blank patches appear after applying any value of override antialiasing from the NVIDIA Control Panel. [584872]
• GeForce GTX 275: Champions Online–hitching occurs during the game and there is a drop in performance. [617021]
• Geforce 9600GT: The GPU fan runs at full speed after the system goes to sleep mode. [587322]
• GeForce 8800 GTS: Allied Force Falcon–the game occasionally goes black and then crashes. [607819]
• GeForce 8400 GS: Screen size changes made from the NVIDIA Control Panel “Adjust screen size and position “page are not preserved after resuming from Hibernate/Standby. [544085]

Multi-GPU Issues

• [SLI]GeForce 200/8 series: The primary Clone mode display cannot be changed, but the change is applied after rebooting the system. [598361]
• [SLI]GeForce GTX 295: All four GPUs are not fully recognized by CUDA. [605506]
• [SLI]GeForce GTX 295: Left 4 Dead – the game stutter.[626840]
• [SLI]GeForce GTS 250: Crysis: Warhead– the game is unstable and hangs. [591588]
• [SLI]GeForce 8800 GTX: After resizing the desktop, the change is not preserved when you reboot the system. [529812]

The following downloads are available:
nVidia ForceWare 196.21 whql for Windows XP (32bit)
nVidia ForceWare 196.21 whql for Windows XP and Server 2003 (64bit)
nVidia ForceWare 196.21 whql for Windows Vista/7 (32bit)
nVidia ForceWare 196.21 whql for Windows Vista/7 (64bit)