Well damn.... Nobody used Omega Drivers before?

Wow I remember using his drivers "back in the day" on some of my cards like 6 years ago.  They used to offer much better peformance than the "official" releases because he'd combine bits and pieces to get the best stability and performance.  Will have to see what he comes out with now.  Looks like it's been a couple years since he did any nvidia drivers (dated 2007 for the last ones based on 169.x series).

I keep hoping TweakForce'll get geared up again...
 
edit -
 
Oops. Link added because it looks like they are stirring again...

Stray_Bullet...Also looks like tweakforce is back into it to. I see 197.25 drivers there. I never used their drivers but I might try them!

I used their 191.07 all the way up to the recent 197.13 WHQL. It's wicked.
 
And their site used to compete driver mods with other sites, but that kinda fell by the wayside when they started having hosting problems. But their drivers garner damned good reviews...
 

Tech_Noob

So, what, are these just Modded drivers that take the best of WHQL releases and takes out the bad or what? What does this mean for warranties, etc?

Well, at least you picked the correct UserName. First intro to driver mods? (not a dig, but trying to determine the scope of a response)...

jaafaman

Tech_Noob
So, what, are these just Modded drivers that take the best of WHQL releases and takes out the bad or what? What does this mean for warranties, etc?

Well, at least you picked the correct UserName. First intro to driver mods? (not a dig, but trying to determine the scope of a response)...

It is my first into....school me....

VistaHeadIt is my first into....school me....

Wrong bait, but feel free to audit.
 
Modded drivers do require someone to sit down and change things, most often simply within the package's .inf file but certainly not limited strictly to such. A lot of what you see is just that - modded .inf's to include GPU models that weren't included, like mobile GPUs and such, or to set new monitor resolutions - that sort of thing.
 
The problem with that approach is there are reasons hardware normally gets left off, so if you look for modded drivers just so your GPU is included you take a chance on stability issues right off the bat. These types most often show up focused on BETA "leaks" - those drivers given to tech partners for internal testing as part of the evaluation process for public release. They may or may not be stable, even for included hardware, and aren't ready or considered for wide-spread dissemination because they might even be just to test a new tech that's far from release.
 
But in every industry, there's always someone willing to forego their NDA and leak one out anyway.
 
And even if they're "kosher" releases derived from an nVidia-released, there's still a drawback. Modding the .inf breaks the WHQL status of the driver.
 
There are other, much more refined ways of modding the driver package, though, and it's even endorsed in its own fashion by its releasing agent nVidia.
 
As with any solid API package, there are tools which provide the hooks directly into the driver, exposing settings and functions that are within the scope of the tool itself. Developers use one set of tools to affect the driver in line with their application's needs, while OEM partners like eVGA get tools that affect things like the installation package. It's how they provide all of their add-ons with the installation CDs and are able to develop tools like Precision and the eVGA GPU Voltage Tuner.
 
Folks outside of this "inner circle" naturally use the same tools to their own ends, like providing the modded driver packages. But these folks are also in no way officially "sanctioned", and quite literally within the same group you'd be if you were to go as far as to start reverse engineering the driver's machine code.
 
There's no warranty in the world which will cover you if you use modded drivers from a source other than nVidia or one of its NDA-covered partners. The license is shattered.
 
nVidia became the "bad guy" in the public eye about 2- to 2-1/2 years ago when it sent out "cease and desist" letters to all of these sights, stressing the fact that these were in violation of the license and that what they were doing was placing unnnecessary risk upon the customer base.
 
The immediate flood of public opinion was almost as immediate in its flushing of that stance.There are some sites whose drivers actually help solve hardware problems (laptopvideo2go springs immediately to mind) or come up with useful, well-thought out add-ons (Omega) or just simply know what they're doing and produce screaming tweaks with great IQ (the reason I recommend TweakForce).
 
nVidia backed off to turn the other cheek as long as one major condition was made very plain to the downloading public:
 
If they didn't come from nVidia or its NDA partners, then these are not nVidia drivers, will not be supported by nVidia, and you're definitely assuming responsibility yourself if you use them. Period.
 
That being said, over time there are sites that have built up a reputation based not only on their ability to properly mod a driver but to respond to feedback through a supported Forum in order to monitor the driver's success or failure. Those are the kind that you want to look for if you decide to go that route.
 
And that's why we look to threads like these in places like this - feedback on quality and reliability...
 
...Rep is everything...
 

Sorry I misconstrued your posting.
 
And you're quite welcome...
 

wiseguy127

 I use to use omega when the Ati 9800XT first came out.

Thanks for a trip down memory lane.  I used Omega drivers with my Sapphire 9800 Pro - It had an R360 core (same core in 9800XT), flashed that bad boy to 9800XT!  I remember taking the heatsink / fan off just to make sure it was an R360 core by looking at the actual GPU.  Good memories, that card rendered lots of Far Cry & CS Source....

I also used Omega drivers when I had my 6800 GT AGP.  I hope the guy can come up with a reason to use his drivers again versus the official drivers.  I think it's going to be harder now though.

Good post, thanks for all the info.

xfinrodx

TWeaKFoRCe actually has the 197.45's now.  Looks cool...  I wonder how they fold.

Been hopin' and waitin' on those. Thanks much!...
 

I used to use them with my Gainward Ti4600 back in the day. lol  It's in a box in my closet somewhere.

If i remember correctly, nvidia came down on people for modding their drivers so they gave up on it.

xfinrodx Care to share your experiences jaafaman?  I'm curious as to how they are compared to the whql's from a forumgoer's perspective.

Long story short - took a bit for me to get a chance, but I have them now. I'll work something up for you now that I have both driver sets.
 

BlastU2pcs ...If i remember correctly, nvidia came down on people for modding their drivers so they gave up on it.

Covered in post #14 above...
 

Thx for the news. I started reusing them when he had his previos come back but after 2, 3 drivers he stopped again. :D

Just Downloaded TweakForce driver 197.45, I'll give them a workout, Jaafa