ChatMaster
(Jul 23, 2003 4:04:32 PM)
EVGA.com would like to welcome Steve Sims & Brian Burke from NVIDIA
Guest (Jul
23, 2003 4:05:39 PM)
I want to when they will update the Stereo-3D drivers! ;-)
nvidia_brian
(Jul 23, 2003 4:05:40 PM)
Software dates are hard to pin down. They are something that we are working
on now, look for an up soon.
evga_joe
(Jul 23, 2003 4:08:21 PM)
We are currently getting the questions that we have queued over to the NVIDIA
guys.
BMoore
(Jul 23, 2003 4:09:20 PM)
Why is it when you pause the beta test version of 3DMark03 and move about the
environment at will, you can see massive clipping errors caused by unrendered
content? (drivers 44.03)
nvidia_brian
(Jul 23, 2003 4:09:20 PM)
The issues in ExtremeTech's article were a combination of the two. Some of the
visual anomalies turned out to be bugs; others were aggressive optimizations.
We make no secret of the fact that we are doing optimizations for 3DMark 2003.
We have always maintained we would, but we feel it is an unfortunate waste of
time as it doesn't benefit games. We would certainly prefer to spend all of
our energy optimizing games people play, as it ultimately benefits the users.
Unfortunately, I think it is safe to say all GPU manufacturers tune for benchmarks.
evga_joe
(Jul 23, 2003 4:09:25 PM)
Please go ahead and send over your questions, we will be answering them in order
that we receive
BMoore
(Jul 23, 2003 4:10:37 PM)
It is said, nVidia automatically disabled FSAA even if you turned it on in the
Control Panel for the game Splinter Cell. Although changing the name of the
executable to something else other than SplinterCell.exe would get you FSAA
working, you will notice a lot of artifacts and texture corruptions. Is this
true? Why?
nvidia_brian
(Jul 23, 2003 4:10:37 PM)
We specifically disable AA at the request of the developer. The developer uses
a glow methodology that is incompatible with AA. ATI does allow AA to be forced
on, but ATI then suffers from a "glow through the walls" artifact. This is why
we disable AA for Splinter Cell. The publisher suggests disabling AA on GeForce
and Radeon video cards for this same reason on their support Web site here:
http://ubisoft.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/ubisoft.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?...
nvidia_steve
(Jul 23, 2003 4:11:16 PM)
That is not exactly true. Our Multi-sampling works fine.
JBaker
(Jul 23, 2003 4:11:29 PM)
When are the Det 50's coming out?
nvidia_brian
(Jul 23, 2003 4:11:29 PM)
We can not comment on unannounced products, sorry.
Ageorgis
(Jul 23, 2003 4:12:20 PM)
Is nVidia working with Valve to create a solution to the Half Life 2 anti aliasing
problems? If so, what is nVidia doing to remedy these problems? The most obvious
thing I can think of is enabling super sampling in the drivers, but by using a tuner to force 4x Super Sampling in programs, the performance of that simply
is not up to par.
nvidia_brian
(Jul 23, 2003 4:12:20 PM)
As HL2 is not yet shipping, nothing is set in stone. Our engineers continue
to work closely with the HL2 development team and the reason we do this, not
just with Valve but with many leading developers, is to ensure that any issues
discovered in the coding process can be rectified, ensuring the final product
looks great and plays great on our hardware.
Ageorgis
(Jul 23, 2003 4:15:06 PM)
As I understand, a representative of nVidia has confirmed Pixel Shader 2.0 problems
in the latest drivers. If these are problems with the drivers, will they be
"fixed" in future drivers so that the increase is across the board or only in
certain programs? If they are truly "fixed", will I be able to zoom in to a
screenshot and notice the exact same pixel quality as reference DX9 screenshots
and those of ATI cards (which are the same as DX9 reference shots)?
nvidia_steve
(Jul 23, 2003 4:15:06 PM)
No one has confirmed any PS 2.0 problem on our hardware. Given that we have
a different GPU Architecture from ATI we do not create the exact same image
pixel
jhinkley
(Jul 23, 2003 4:15:38 PM)
can we expect any new features with upcoming drivers?
nvidia_brian
(Jul 23, 2003 4:15:38 PM)
We are always looking to add new features to our Detonator software package. I think you will be pleased when you see our future software releases.
jhutchinson
(Jul 23, 2003 4:18:36 PM)
NVDVD 2.0 Rocks! Uh, that's a statement........
JBaker
(Jul 23, 2003 4:19:19 PM)
Does the 5900 Ultra perform better at higher resolutions than lower one. B/c I get FPS slowdowns on relatively old games but the max res. I can play at is
1024*768
nvidia_steve
(Jul 23, 2003 4:19:19 PM)
The performance delta is larger at higher resolutions, although it should perform
just fine at lower resolutions
jhutchinson
(Jul 23, 2003 4:19:20 PM)
What's up with all the leaked drives and why hasn't nvidia posted even a beta
driver in months?
nvidia_brian
(Jul 23, 2003 4:19:20 PM)
We are working on a new software release. Expect one very, very soon. On leaked
drivers, we do driver drops several times a day for a lot of different reasons.
We send one-off drivers to developers, OEMs, AIC makers and other third party's.
The leaked drivers may come from a third party.
evga_joe
(Jul 23, 2003 4:22:32 PM)
As far as PCI Express goes, all I can give you is a theoretical answer: The
PCI Express architecture for video right now should dramatically increase the
bandwidth as compared to AGP 8X. However, because the performance gains from
AGP 4X to AGP 8X were really pretty small, its pretty obvious that the bandwidth
there is not the bottleneck - so I wouldn't expect a lot of gain just from PCI
Express. It should make things a lot more compatible though!
Ageorgis
(Jul 23, 2003 4:22:38 PM)
As to the statement of not being able to produce the exact same pixel as ATI ,
if ATI can produce the same exact image pixel quality as the Direct X 9 reference,
then if the GeForce FX 5900 Ultra follows Direct X 9 specs, it should therefore
be able to provide the same pixel image as the Direct X 9 reference image, and
in turn, the ATI Card, correct?
nvidia_brian
(Jul 23, 2003 4:22:38 PM)
Key word is "if". A diff image will show you that neither ATI nor NVIDIA images
match RefRast images pixel for pixel.
ddrake
(Jul 23, 2003 4:22:46 PM)
would you ask if they have any idea about the flicker problem that some of use
are having
nvidia_steve
(Jul 23, 2003 4:22:46 PM)
The EVGA guys have filed a bug with us and we are looking into it now. These
type of things take time to track down since everyone's configuration is different
in the retail space. We will let the EVGA guys know as soon as we find something.
JBaker
(Jul 23, 2003 4:25:51 PM)
will the NV40 use PCI Express and will there be any significant performance
gain over the current AGP standard
nvidia_steve
(Jul 23, 2003 4:25:51 PM)
Can't comment on NV40. PCI express could help in a number of ways due to being
able to transfer data in both directions as well as being scalable to higher
transfer rates.
jhutchinson
(Jul 23, 2003 4:25:51 PM)
Would you like to comment on the BIOS problems we have been having? What was
the actual problem? Is it safe for us to run the 5900U at 500 / 900 speeds?
evga_joe
(Jul 23, 2003 4:25:51 PM)
The original performance bios that we shipped on the 5900U did have a glitch
that affected some of our users. That is what prompted us to release the pure
reference bios to those customers. Since then, we have corrected the problem
with the bios and made the updated performance bios available on our message
board for download.
TScott
(Jul 23, 2003 4:26:18 PM)
Hi Steve..
TScott
(Jul 23, 2003 4:26:21 PM)
Tim Scott here...
JBaker
(Jul 23, 2003 4:27:28 PM)
Can you comment on Any plans nVidia has for the AMD64 or is this Strictly Graphics
cards? (BTW I have an nForce 2 and I love it)
nvidia_brian
(Jul 23, 2003 4:27:28 PM)
Thanks much for the support and kind words. It goes without saying that we are
working closely with AMD on their upcoming technologies.
CPermatteo
(Jul 23, 2003 4:31:55 PM)
What is the "normal" temperature at which the 5900 Ultra 256 should idle at?
And what would be the highest temperature the card can withstand?
nvidia_steve
(Jul 23, 2003 4:31:55 PM)
Your card should fine just running idle (i.e. desktop).
jhinkley
(Jul 23, 2003 4:32:03 PM)
what is nvidia's future stance on optimization in drivers? Some websites reported
that the 44.90 driver doesn't anymore have application specific optimizations...
Is it true and if not, will future optimizations change image quality or just
enhance performance?
nvidia_brian
(Jul 23, 2003 4:32:03 PM)
Optimizations must produce the correct image, and must accelerate the normal
running of the application, not just the benchmark mode. In our view, if an
optimization produces the correct picture it is beneficial to the end user and
is legitimate. If a change in the driver does not produce the correct picture,
or functions only in the benchmark it is either a bug and must be fixed, or
a cheat. We met with Futuremark and discussed the optimizations they questioned.
Some of the optimizations (such as intelligent color clears and clip planes)
they viewed as too aggressive, so we have removed them from our drivers. We
also have new, stricter guidelines in place to insure that questionable optimizations
do not get introduced in future driver builds. All future optimizations must
pass the following checkpoints before it can before checked in to the driver:
An optimization must produce the correct image An optimization must accelerate
more than just a benchmark An optimization must not contain pre-computed state
JBaker
(Jul 23, 2003 4:33:49 PM)
It has been rumored that Futuremark might create a demo for a future Nvidia
Card is this true?
nvidia_brian
(Jul 23, 2003 4:33:50 PM)
haven't heard that rumor before.
JBaker
(Jul 23, 2003 4:34:30 PM)
Are any of the NV guys avid gamers, If so what are the favorite games around
there and do these preferences influence any work on developing cards or driver
optimizations?
nvidia_steve
(Jul 23, 2003 4:34:30 PM)
Yes we are gamers. No it doesn't affect what we work on in terms of working
with developers. I am a big on Warcraft III (and Frozen throne), and Splinter
Cell right now.
jhutchinson
(Jul 23, 2003 4:35:00 PM)
My VisionTek Ti4600 was a great card. What happened with Nvidia and VisionTek? I love EVGA but I 'm curious at to why Nvidia lost a partner.
nvidia_brian
(Jul 23, 2003 4:35:00 PM)
That is a better question for Visiontek than for NVIDIA.
jhinkley
(Jul 23, 2003 4:38:24 PM)
In current drivers the TV-Out controls are pretty hard to handle. In fact I never succeeded in using the TV-Out option without the help of 3rd party programs.
Are there any improvements planned?
nvidia_brian
(Jul 23, 2003 4:38:24 PM)
send me an email with your feedback. I would love to have it so I can pass it
on to the product manager. bburke@nvidia.com.
rcartagena
(Jul 23, 2003 4:39:09 PM)
Do you know when Nvidia will release the 50 detonator drivers?
evga_joe
(Jul 23, 2003 4:39:09 PM)
Neither we nor NVIDIA can comment on unannounced products - sorry.
Ageorgis
(Jul 23, 2003 4:41:51 PM)
How will nVidia respond to the upcoming R360 chipset offered by ATI ?
evga_joe
(Jul 23, 2003 4:41:51 PM)
I imagine that NVIDIA has its own plans for development that don't necessarily
revolve around responding to other companies.
JBaker
(Jul 23, 2003 4:41:54 PM)
O yea, Is there such a thing as a Built by nVidia card like ATI has?
nvidia_brian
(Jul 23, 2003 4:41:54 PM)
We do not boards direct to endusers.
BMoore
(Jul 23, 2003 4:43:59 PM)
I know all systems are different, but what settings do you prefer to use with
the 5900 ultra?
evga_joe
(Jul 23, 2003 4:43:59 PM)
That's a pretty involved question. You might want check out our message board
for some hard details - or, go there and post your system specs and we will
try and give you some direction.
jhutchinson
(Jul 23, 2003 4:44:41 PM)
Is there a hack that will allow us to see Dawn or Dusk naked?
nvidia_brian
(Jul 23, 2003 4:44:41 PM)
That is the rumor, my wife will not let me confirm it : (
JBaker
(Jul 23, 2003 4:44:49 PM)
Is the whole "The Way its Meant to be Played" campaign anything more than a marketing
ploy?
nvidia_steve
(Jul 23, 2003 4:44:49 PM)
The Way It’s Meant to Be Played is all about compatibility. Each game
that features the seal is developed and tested on NVIDIA hardware. While the
program is supported by marketing, NVIDIA does not pay developers to use our
hardware. Developers and publishers always have a choice. As part of TWIMTB
program, developers are given access to early hardware and driver drops, in
addition to hands-on support from NVIDIA engineers, who work closely with developers
all over the world to ensure compatibility of their game on NVIDIA hardware
and ensure their games perform the way the want them to. We also help them use
the hardware to get their creative visions out of their heads and on to the
screen. A great example of this collaboration is the glow effect featured in
Tron 2.0, which is a direct result of NVIDIA and Monolith working together
TScott
(Jul 23, 2003 4:46:33 PM)
Brian or Steve.....nVidia has been taking it on the chin in some of the hardcore
3D card forums. In fact, many of the forums are intolerant of any comment that
is "Pro-nVidia" or supports nVidia in any way. I have made numerous attempts
to reason with people who make outrageous claims about the company, but the
responses are not suitable for public discussion. How do you guys feel about
the hardcore communities and do you have any plans to have any sort of representation
or dialogue within such communities?
nvidia_steve
(Jul 23, 2003 4:46:33 PM)
We are trying to. That's why we are participating in a discussion like this.
JBaker
(Jul 23, 2003 4:47:09 PM)
Has nVidia ever put any thought into making a standalone sound card? The sound
on my A7N8X Deluxe is great, it easily competes with my brothers Audigy 2
nvidia_brian
(Jul 23, 2003 4:47:10 PM)
We love to leverage out technology in new markets. But it has to make good business.
that is a tough market to make money in.
DBrown
(Jul 23, 2003 4:47:51 PM)
What are your thoughts on the new Power Mac G5 and its use of the GeForce FX
5200 Ultra? Is Apple an important partner with NVIDIA?
nvidia_steve
(Jul 23, 2003 4:47:51 PM)
Yes. We have specific resources dedicated just for apple.
rcartagena
(Jul 23, 2003 4:48:04 PM)
Brian or Steve, I like to know if you know any info on the flickering some users
are having with their card? Is it a driver or hardware issue if so have you
found a fix for it?
evga_joe
(Jul 23, 2003 4:48:04 PM)
Regarding this, NVIDIA has already stated that they are working on this and
will announce their answers as soon as they have it. We are working on the problem
here as well.
TScott
(Jul 23, 2003 4:48:14 PM)
Thank you for the explanation about TWIMTB, Steve....that helps me when people
ask why EA/nVidia have their partnership
CPermatteo
(Jul 23, 2003 4:48:25 PM)
My 5900 Ultra will reach temperatures @ 70-80'c during 3d gameplay with all
of the eyecandy maxed. Is that a normal operating range during gameplay?
nvidia_steve
(Jul 23, 2003 4:48:25 PM)
How are you measuring ?
JBaker
(Jul 23, 2003 4:49:53 PM)
Will the game STALKER implement any of the FX's builtin features such as Ultrashadow?
And will this be on by default or will this be a setting?
nvidia_brian
(Jul 23, 2003 4:49:53 PM)
Stalker is a TWIMTBP title. We have been working closely with them ever sense
we say them in a little booth at E3. The graphics look better every time I see
it. They will take advantage of a lot of NVIDIA features. Not sure about the
settings in the game and how they plan to expose the NVIDIA goodness.
STrane
(Jul 23, 2003 4:50:03 PM)
Will Nvidia be updating it's Stereo-3D drivers anytime soon?
evga_joe
(Jul 23, 2003 4:50:03 PM)
AS NVIDIA stated before, they are currently working on them and will release
them as soon as they are ready.
jhinkley
(Jul 23, 2003 4:50:34 PM)
3rd party programs like RivaTuner enable special AA and AF modes which are not
available through the nvidia driver panel like a 16xAA mode for OpenGL. Are
these features just driver hacks or why are they not available for everyone?
nvidia_brian
(Jul 23, 2003 4:50:34 PM)
I have not looked at the RIVATUNER code, so I really can not comment on it.
JBaker
(Jul 23, 2003 4:53:54 PM)
Why are some features of drivers such as Coolbits Disabled to the end user?
nvidia_brian
(Jul 23, 2003 4:53:54 PM)
Some of the advanced settings are a little confusing for the mainstream user.
My mom does not know about overclocking or LOD settings, and she would just
break things if she played with them. Enthusiasts love this stuff--the more knobs
the better. They also know about Coolbits.
jhutchinson
(Jul 23, 2003 4:54:32 PM)
I pushed the temp in my 5900U to 90c and that was reported by your own Temp
monitor............
nvidia_steve
(Jul 23, 2003 4:54:32 PM)
I am checking, but I believe 90 C should be ok.
jhutchinson
(Jul 23, 2003 4:56:08 PM)
Is 140C really the temp threshold for the 5900 Ultra? Why can't I set it to
a lower value?
nvidia_steve
(Jul 23, 2003 4:56:08 PM)
Under that temperature there is no risk to operating life of the GPU, so there
is no need to set it lower.
CPermatteo
(Jul 23, 2003 4:56:53 PM)
Using the temperature monitor supplied with the 44.03 & 44.67 drivers in
the display control panel. I would (ctrl+atl+del) during gameplay, leaving the
temperature monitor open and it usually reads 68-80'c during the majority of
the games I play. I just want to know my new toy is safe at these temps.
evga_joe
(Jul 23, 2003 4:56:53 PM)
nvidia_steve just replied to a very similar question - he said that about 90
degrees C should be no problem, so 80C should be ok too.
DBrown
(Jul 23, 2003 4:57:03 PM)
I noticed a recent NVIDIA driver update appeared in Microsoft's Windows Update
when previous (and newer) releases hadn't/haven't. Are you planning on working
more closely with Microsoft to put these driver updates out through Microsoft's
update service?
nvidia_brian
(Jul 23, 2003 4:57:03 PM)
We work with Microsoft on WHQL issues. We can not control when they make drivers
available on Windows Update.
ddrake
(Jul 23, 2003 5:01:01 PM)
even though you say you do driver drops daily is there an official stand on
nvidia's part for quality...i.e. the 5900 ultra runs better on the 44.71's and
the 44.90's but not the driver that came out with the 500 dollar investment
that quite a lot of us made.
nvidia_brian
(Jul 23, 2003 5:01:01 PM)
We have made a big investment in our compatibility labs and they test a huge
number of applications across a huge number of platforms. We need to make sure
the driver is solid before we release it to the public. It may work great with
some app/system combos and not great with others. We are working to get a new
driver out to the public very soon.
JBaker
(Jul 23, 2003 5:02:52 PM)
When will the NEW 5600 ultra's be available?
evga_joe
(Jul 23, 2003 5:02:52 PM)
The flip chip versions of the 5600 Ultra are currently available from EVGA.com!
JBaker
(Jul 23, 2003 5:03:04 PM)
Brian are there anymore extra settings like Coolbits that can be enabled and
is there a webpage or any documentation for these? I hear there is also a "CoolDVDbits"
for NVDVD is that true?
nvidia_brian
(Jul 23, 2003 5:03:04 PM)
Those are third party applications and are not NVIDIA products, so I can not
endorse or recommend them. I have not heard of one for NVDVD.
JBaker
(Jul 23, 2003 5:03:59 PM)
Earlier you said you all were gamers. What graphics card do you have in your
systems?
evga_joe
(Jul 23, 2003 5:03:59 PM)
I can't speak for the guys from NVIDIA, but everyone here at EVGA uses NVIDIA
:)
JBaker
(Jul 23, 2003 5:05:32 PM)
What is currently the most Potent Mobile graphics solution from nVidia?
nvidia_brian
(Jul 23, 2003 5:05:32 PM)
GeForce FX Go 5600, available from Toshiba, Sony and soon to be in the Alienware
laptop.
JBaker
(Jul 23, 2003 5:06:31 PM)
Evga Can I order a Flip Chip 5600 Ultra off your site and if so how much does
it cost?
evga_joe
(Jul 23, 2003 5:06:31 PM)
You will see it in the Products section of our website by the end of this week.
Guest (Jul
23, 2003 5:07:20 PM)
does nvidia have any opinion on the fact that that these new cards are starting
to leave the normal consumer out of the loop and they are for the power users
only...the fact that these cards will not cost much less then 500 dollars; is
that not a worry for them?
nvidia_steve
(Jul 23, 2003 5:07:20 PM)
The GeForce FX family has a top to bottom coverage for DX9 and OGL. We offer
a product for every price segment.
TScott
(Jul 23, 2003 5:07:53 PM)
I have to publicly compliment Steve and nVidia for addressing issues for users
of the Links 2003 program. You made a great number of dissatisfied users very
happy by addressing their concerns.
rcartagena
(Jul 23, 2003 5:10:40 PM)
Can you give us a hint if a faster card is coming out before the end of this
year that will de-thrown the 5900 ultra?
nvidia_brian
(Jul 23, 2003 5:10:41 PM)
In the past, we have released a product ever 6 to 9 months. We do not plan on
changing that. We are driving 3D graphics technology hard and fast.
evga_joe
(Jul 23, 2003 5:14:37 PM)
Well, it looks like we've run over our time! We'd like to really thank both
Steve and Brian from NVIDIA for taking the time to answer all of these questions
- and we would like to thank all of our customers for helping to come up with
all the great questions.
evga_joe
(Jul 23, 2003 5:15:03 PM)
We will make a transcript of this chat available by tomorrow.
rcartagena
(Jul 23, 2003 5:16:14 PM)
Thanks Steve and Brian for coming to talk to all of us!
nvidia_steve
(Jul 23, 2003 5:16:19 PM)
I just wanted to thank everyone for their support for NVIDIA and EVGA.
Guest (Jul
23, 2003 5:16:20 PM)
Thanks evga_joe! thanks Nvidia!
JBaker
(Jul 23, 2003 5:16:22 PM)
Thank you guys, PEACE!
Guest (Jul
23, 2003 5:16:24 PM)
Thanks!
EVGA Chat Transcript