Nvidia’s 337.5 ‘Wonder Driver’ Raises Eyebrows – Numbers in the Official Slides are only Selectively

CAT-THE-FIFTH · 13 Apr 2014 at 09:34

Most of the GTX700 series are GTX600 rebrands though. I just get the impression this is more a SLI improvement driver,with some improvements targeted to specific AMD sponsored games on certain single GPU setups. We have seen drivers targeting the latter before,ie, the TR for example.

Its all fine and dandy getting improvements on high end setups with expensive CPUs but the improvements are more important for people like me,who are probably are using hardware which is more commonly used by most gamers. We are more limited by performance than anyone else.

I will try and test some other games over the week and see if there are any which show noticeable improvements.

Martini1991 · 13 Apr 2014 at 09:36

Well those Rome 2 results make me wish I'd get Nvidia, as that game is stupidly CPU limited.

CAT-THE-FIFTH · 13 Apr 2014 at 09:44

GeForce GTX 700 Series (Single GPU):

Up to 64% in Total War: Rome II
Up to 25% in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Up to 23% in Sleeping Dogs
Up to 21% in Star Swarm
Up to 15% in Batman: Arkham Origins
Up to 10% in Metro: Last Light
Up to 8% in Hitman Absolution
Up to 7% in Sniper Elite V2
Up to 6% in Tomb Raider
Up to 6% in F1 2013

This is what I got for the three games I tested:

Metro:Last Light

I used the in-game benchmark tool. All settings are on very high,with SSAO and PhysX off. I used an average of three runs.

331.82 drivers

Average=37.66FPS
Maximum=79.2FPS
Minimum=6.67FPS

337.50 drivers

Average=39.92FPS
Maximum=77.69FPS
Minimum=10.52FPS

Bioshock Infinite

DX11 Very High Settings.One run.

331.82 drivers

Average=74.22FPS
Maximum=125.99FPS
Minimum=27.83FPS

337.50 drivers

Average=77.43FPS
Maximum=134.07FPS
Minimum=20.84FPS

Tombraider

Adrenaline Ultimate preset with TressFX on. Average of three runs.

331.82 drivers

Average=42FPS
Maximum=53.6FPS
Minimum=31.5FPS

337.50 drivers

Average=42.57FPS
Maximum=56FPS
Minimum=30.6FPS

I have Skyrim,so I might test that.

OTH,its modded like anything so might not be a fair test,but I will give it a try.

I have an install code for Hitman and Thief lying around I think. OTH,the games don't interest me though.

I am actually more interested in Watch Dogs.

andybird123 · 13 Apr 2014 at 09:45

I am going to go out on a limb and say that the games and settings you tested are not cpu limited in your setup, which is quite common, as people tend not to have a pentium cpu and a 780

whyscotty · 13 Apr 2014 at 09:54

CAT-THE-FIFTH said:
I just get the impression this is more a SLI improvement driver

About time too

CAT-THE-FIFTH said:
Its all fine and dandy getting improvements on high end setups with expensive CPUs
but the improvements are more important for people like me,
who are probably are using hardware which is more commonly used by most gamers.
We are more limited by performance than anyone else.

Why is it more important for the mid range user?

Don't high end users deserve to have their performance improved too?

High end users have for a long time been over looked.

Gregster · 13 Apr 2014 at 09:55

whyscotty said:
About time too

Why is it more important for the mid range user?

Don't high end users deserve to have their performance improved too?

High end users have for a long time been over looked.

Well said.

Gaming at 4K, I will take as much improvements as possible and need every ounce of GPU power to push the pixels.

CAT-THE-FIFTH · 13 Apr 2014 at 09:59

whyscotty said:
About time too

Why is it more important for the mid range user?

Don't high end users deserve to have their performance improved too?

High end users have for a long time been over looked.

Gregster said:
Well said.

Gaming at 4K, I will take as much improvements as possible and need every ounce of GPU power to push the pixels.

Because midrange and low end users are the reasons games are made??

Hardware enthusiasts make massive amounts of noise and if you want more PC exclusives,improvements for most users are what are more important.

The midrange and low end gamers which make up 99% of all gamers,have been neglected way too long.

Things like Mantle and DX12 will improve CPU utilisation on the kinds of CPUs MOST gamers use.

Otherwise expect more people to buy consoles,and expect even more expensive cards.

Graphics cards sales are dropping year on year.

You can well said whatever you want,but if you want PC gaming to survive you better hope that PC gaming improves its efficiency.

Otherwise the only PC exclusives will be LoL,DOTA and MC clones,and the rest will be just console ports with slightly nicer textures.

If 99% of the market is limited by hardware,where do you think the focus for most PC games will be??

It just shows you enthusiasts are so focused that they don't look at the much bigger picture.

Its the same with all the people deriding the dramatic improvements in Intel and AMD IGP performance. That will have a greater impact on PC gaming than any R9 295X2 or GTX780TI in the longterm.

You want more PC games?? Improving the utilisation of lower end setups gives you a larger market to target.

whyscotty · 13 Apr 2014 at 10:10

CAT-THE-FIFTH said:
Because midrange and low end users are the reasons games are made??

Yeah OK

CAT-THE-FIFTH said:
Hardware enthusiasts make massive amounts of noise and if you want more PC exclusives,improvements for most users are what are more important.

Get off your soap box

CAT-THE-FIFTH said:
The midrange and low end gamers which make up 99% of all gamers,have been neglected way too long.

You can't be serious

CAT-THE-FIFTH said:
Things like Mantle and DX12 will improve CPU utilisation on the kinds of CPUs MOST gamers use.

You mean like you have - you are coming across as very selfish

CAT-THE-FIFTH said:
Otherwise expect more people to buy consoles,and expect even more expensive cards.

People who want to buy a console will buy one.

No **** sherlock - prices always go up, it's called inflation

Gregster · 13 Apr 2014 at 10:11

SLI/Tri/Quad gets overlooked or little gains time and time again. Single card users get fantastic performance and early optimisations even before the game is released. Any time I have run a single card, performance has been very good.

GeForce GTX 770/780/TITAN/780Ti:
Up to 19% in F1 2013
Up to 18% in Sleeping Dogs
Up to 16% in Hitman Absolution
Up to 15% in Company of Heroes 2
Up to 10% in Assassin’s Creed 3
Up to 7% in BioShock Infinite
Up to 6% in Sniper Elite V2
Up to 5% in Total War: Rome 2
SLI Technology
Assassin’s Creed Liberation HD – created profile
Assassin’s Creed: Freedom Cry – created profile
Deus Ex: Human Revolution Director’s Cut – created profile
The Crew – created profile

334.89 WHQL drivers and where are the improvements for SLI users?

That's just an example of what you are not seeing.

CAT-THE-FIFTH · 13 Apr 2014 at 10:15

CAT-THE-FIFTH said:
Because midrange and low end users are the reasons games are made??

Hardware enthusiasts make massive amounts of noise and if you want more PC exclusives,improvements for most users are what are more important.

The midrange and low end gamers which make up 99% of all gamers,have been neglected way too long.

Things like Mantle and DX12 will improve CPU utilisation on the kinds of CPUs MOST gamers use.

Otherwise expect more people to buy consoles,and expect even more expensive cards.

Graphics cards sales are dropping year on year.

You can well said whatever you want,but if you want PC gaming to survive you better hope that PC gaming improves its efficiency.

Otherwise the only PC exclusives will be LoL,DOTA and MC clones,and the rest will be just console ports with slightly nicer textures.

If 99% of the market is limited by hardware,where do you think the focus for most PC games will be??

It just shows you enthusiasts are so focused that they don't look at the much bigger picture.

Its the same with all the people deriding the dramatic improvements in Intel and AMD IGP performance. That will have a greater impact on PC gaming than any R9 295X2 or GTX780TI in the longterm.

You want more PC games?? Improving the utilisation of lower end setups gives you a larger market to target.

whyscotty said:
Yeah OK

Live in denial. Typical hardware enthusiast who cannot see the bigger picture.

whyscotty said:
Get off your soap box

Talk to the companies who make games. Ask them who buys most of their games.

whyscotty said:
You can't be serious

Unfortunately for you companies like MS don't agree with you. Ask MS why they are trying to reduce CPU overhead with DX12??

Yeah,its for all those people with Core i7s and dual GTX780TI/R9 290 setups.

whyscotty said:
You mean like you have - you are coming across as very selfish

Live in denial. Typical hardware enthusiast who cannot see the bigger picture.

whyscotty said:
People who want to buy a console will buy one.

No **** sherlock - prices always go up, it's called inflation

Again see what has been happening in the last few years. Look at the absolute sales of graphics cards in the last few years. The market is shrinking.

Also inflation is not that high.

However,it comes across as that just because I did not sing the praises of the driver,to match whatever Nvidia PR was saying,you are now quite annoyed with me.

Plus I am willing to test more games,to be proved wrong in my initial assessment.

However,we will have to agree to disagree.

Final8y · 13 Apr 2014 at 10:17

@ CAT-THE-FIFTH
Indeed.

And even though steam is not the most accurate due to many reason, low and mid end are the large majority.

CAT-THE-FIFTH · 13 Apr 2014 at 10:19

Gregster said:
SLI/Tri/Quad gets overlooked or little gains time and time again. Single card users get fantastic performance and early optimisations even before the game is released. Any time I have run a single card, performance has been very good.

334.89 WHQL drivers and where are the improvements for SLI users?

That's just an example of what you are not seeing.

Yet,this was being sold as a magic driver for the newer generation Nvidia single card and SLI setups.

If this was being sold as only the magic SLI driver,then guess what??

I agree with you.

Gregster · 13 Apr 2014 at 10:21

So high end owners should just keep quiet and be happy with what they have?

CAT-THE-FIFTH · 13 Apr 2014 at 10:24

Gregster said:
So high end owners should just keep quiet and be happy with what they have?

And should the rest of us also keep quiet about when we don't see major gains either?? Nope. Nvidia were the ones hyping this up.Not me.

So only people who see massive gains are allowed to post. Got you. Like I said I will test other games too,just to see if I missed any improvements,and I would rather be proved wrong as I like more performance.

Again this was being sold as a magic driver for both single card and dual card setups encompassing all Kepler GPUs. The GK106 is covered by it(certain GTX700 series cards are GK106 based too).

Its becoming a race of oneupmanship between AMD,Nvidia and MS now. Expect Valve to wade in with SteamOS and how much more efficient it is at this rate.

setter · 13 Apr 2014 at 10:28

Of the few games i currently play, ive seen a bit of improvement, (bf3/4, crysis 3) on a single 780. For a first beta in a new driver revision im happy enough. Hopefully we see more gains as this new driver set matures. Comparison shots on shangalang on bf4 between drivers.

334.89

337.50

Lowest graphics settings in those shots, on max its 60fps on older drivers, 80 on newest set.

Kaapstad · 13 Apr 2014 at 10:28

CAT-THE-FIFTH said:
Because midrange and low end users are the reasons games are made??

Hardware enthusiasts make massive amounts of noise and if you want more PC exclusives,improvements for most users are what are more important.

The midrange and low end gamers which make up 99% of all gamers,have been neglected way too long.

Things like Mantle and DX12 will improve CPU utilisation on the kinds of CPUs MOST gamers use.

Otherwise expect more people to buy consoles,and expect even more expensive cards.

Graphics cards sales are dropping year on year.

You can well said whatever you want,but if you want PC gaming to survive you better hope that PC gaming improves its efficiency.

Otherwise the only PC exclusives will be LoL,DOTA and MC clones,and the rest will be just console ports with slightly nicer textures.

If 99% of the market is limited by hardware,where do you think the focus for most PC games will be??

It just shows you enthusiasts are so focused that they don't look at the much bigger picture.

Its the same with all the people deriding the dramatic improvements in Intel and AMD IGP performance. That will have a greater impact on PC gaming than any R9 295X2 or GTX780TI in the longterm.

You want more PC games?? Improving the utilisation of lower end setups gives you a larger market to target.

Since when has what hardware you are using been the deciding factor in whether you are an enthusiast or not.

Gregster · 13 Apr 2014 at 10:30

I am not arguing with you over this, as I can see you are being very selfish. Sorry you didn't get the gains you was expecting but maybe they will come soon. Go and post on the nVidia forums as well that you have only got small gains, they might update you or give you some feedback.

I have some nice gains and chuffed to bits.

CAT-THE-FIFTH · 13 Apr 2014 at 10:31

Gregster said:
I am not arguing with you over this, as I can see you are being very selfish. Sorry you didn't get the gains you was expecting but maybe they will come soon. Go and post on the nVidia forums as well that you have only got small gains, they might update you or give you some feedback.

I have some nice gains and chuffed to bits.

So no one who does not get massive improvements,is allowed to say or post anything. Cool.

I will remember that from now on.

andybird123 · 13 Apr 2014 at 10:32

This driver was hyped as lowering CPU overhead for DX11, it was not actually advertised as being an all encompassing magic bullet

Try rerunning all your tests on lowest settings to remove your Gpu bottleneck and then see?

Gregster · 13 Apr 2014 at 10:33

CAT-THE-FIFTH said:
So no one who does not get massive improvements,is allowed to say or post anything. Cool.

Where on earth did I say that?