Windows 10: Windows 10 Latest Build "For Gamers" Is it Ready for Primetime?

I was using 8.1 drivers in Windows 10 earlier, as the Windows 10 drivers would cause my computer to lock up while playing 3D intensive games. The latest W10 drivers have fixed that for me though. The only issue I see with using W8.1 drivers in Windows 10 is the lack of those drivers having DX12 Feature Levels.

 

I am sure that many members, like me, are not au fait with all the techo speak. All we want is software and hardware that actully damn well works! Not that I am being critical, but sometimes , things can get way too technical and Whoooooosh! Over my head, erm, yes, ok I AM being critical *Shock

My games are popular with me and 'never ending' and all I want is for them to work:

Silent Hunter 4 -been working perfectly up to now, not new.
Far Cry 2 - bug riddled but brilliant. I must be one of the top 10 in the world on 'how to' this game. I know every rock, floating rocks, and tree by name!!
Doom 3 - yes! made when the Ark docked. Still as good and runs perfectly but via Steam, so 'tweaked'.
Freelancer, original MS game from, I think 2001 or 2003 or something, using massive discovery 4,85 mod in it but still works perfectly.
Unreal 2, the awakening - same story, old but works perfectly.
These better run in 10, or its curtains for upgrade.

 

Yes, sadly I get that part where the 347.25 driver won't have Direct X 12 support. Better having that than the direct x lockups with post 347.25 drivers, at least on Windows 8.1. EA updates BF4 with significant patches regularly (Spring and Winter) so they might even code for Direct X 12. If that happens and Nvidia Windows 10 drivers still have Kepler crash issues I will be very disappointed. I can make little sense of the true situation on the Windows 10 driver Geforce forums. Of course they are mainly issues threads but reading of SLI specific memory leaks, etc, etc isn't "helping with the cause" to upgrade.

Yes Elbmek, all we want is for our games to work without issues in Windows 10. But for that to happen, it's not just Microsoft involved. It's hardware manufacturers and game developers. So if my NVidia cards aren't performing properly, or there are issues with my Creative sound drivers, or if Wifi keeps dropping out, I'll be going back to 8.1 or 7, or not upgrading at all. Guess Microsoft pays the biggest price as Nvidia, Creative, Asus (and definitely Dell who tells me to stay with Windows 7 as that's all they support with this expensive Alienware) could all likely care less whether I upgrade or not.

 

As stated elsewhere, I will try it out on my laptop first, give it a few 'eeeks' or weeks before looking at, or not, upgrading my big pc

 

Blackrose (and/or others with PC gaming rigs) I see that Nvidia has opened a thread (pasted below) asking for Windows Insiders comments, feedback, issues with build 10240.

Coming from the Nvidia Geforce forum, I'm expecting/hoping for comments on the Nvidia gaming and related hardware experience. Please, if you know serious Nvidia gamers running 10240, have them post there. I and I suspect many others will be watching that thread.

First post (Kepler SLI) and second Maxwell SLI not so good, but that's only two.

https://forums.geforce.com/default/t...read-7-16-15-/

 

I filled out the survey detailing the only real issue I've had so far, which is hard locks on my computer when gaming at default factory OC on my 970s.

As long as I underclock my cards by 50 Mhz, I don't have the lockup issues. I'll post my experience on the GeForce forum as well. I've been hanging out over there in the Nvidia drivers section quite a bit lately anyway.

 

So build 10240 combined with Nvidia's latest driver are giving you the same scenario as your post #3, correct? Meaning that if in your case you went back to 347.88 as opposed to downclocking your cards you wouldn't have the crashes? That 347.88 driver was the Battlefield Hardline driver release which caused hundreds of Kepler users (including me) to report direct x crashes within minutes of game play. I got a refund on the game and won't touch that driver. For me it's driver 347.25 and older that works with zero crashes on any games.

The Nvidia 770's with GPU Boost 2.0 are nothing but an overclocked 680 with better memory. By design, they overclock until they hit 80 degrees C. I've seen mine go from a base of 1058 to 1167 until they hit 80 C which is why they perform better than a 680. I tried downclocking as a test but BF4 still crashed. As a rule I refuse to downclock them. It needs to be fixed in the latest Windows 10 drivers, as it was fine in Windows 8.1 347.25 driver and older for me and many Kepler owners.

When I returned Battlefield Hardline EA asked me why. I said read your forums and the hundreds of posters who can't play the game with Nvidia drivers. Pretty sad if the same "might" hold true for Windows 10 and Direct x 12 benefits down the road.

I keep looking at these "boasts" below from the Nvidia site. Based on experience that WHQL certification means little to gamers. Guess we will see what drivers are released and how games perform come Primetime, 12 days away.

"Game developers will let you know a game isn’t fully polished by calling it an “alpha” or “beta.” But once a game launches, there shouldn’t be anything “beta” about it. Gamers expect it to work. - See more at: http://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/2015/05....fedGIUYY.dpuf.
We feel the same way about our graphics. We don’t want gamers beta testing our work when they play their games for the first time. So we created GeForce Game Ready drivers. - See more at: http://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/2015/05....fedGIUYY.dpuf.
We worked closely with Microsoft to develop the new DX12 standard. And that effort has paid off with day-one WHQL certification Plus, our Maxwell and Kepler GPU architectures already support DX12, with support for Fermi coming later.
Windows 10 and DirectX 12 are coming fast. GeForce gamers are Game Ready!
- See more at: GeForce DirectX 12 Drivers for Windows 10 Now WHQL-Certified | NVIDIA Blog See more at: GeForce DirectX 12 Drivers for Windows 10 Now WHQL-Certified | NVIDIA Blog"

 

Exactly. Tried setting my cards back to stock settings last night and GTA V locked up on me within 10 minutes. Only happens with Windows 10/DX12 drivers.

 

Oh boy! You know, to this day there are still Battlefield Hardline servers that are empty, no gamers. Believe the number of servers were reduced to compensate. Think they didn't pay a price for NOT ensuring hardware worked with their product?

Dear Microsoft: I read somewhere that at a recent conference you admitted that PC gamers had been somewhat ignored in the past, what with Xbox, etc but that is now changing with Windows 10. Gamers are excited about this but will be very disappointed if expensive PC gaming hardware isn't working properly at launch. Some might think it is third party responsibility and users to get after them. We have tried. Nviida, bla, bla and I think Creative Labs somewhat laughed at me when I said a Win 10 driver release in October or later isn't acceptable.

We need your help with these third parties. Your strength, reputation can certainly "kick some ass". Doesn't seem we consumers can, but it would be much easier and better coming from you.

 

Blackrose; this latest post (below) from the Nvidia forums. Again, one person's comments but can you tell me if DSR and MFAA are working in 10240 and with Nvidia's latest drivers? I use 2X DSR in a number of games with 8.1.

"PipiMojado said:Hopefully Nvidia and MS have this on their radar. *Sad LOL, a week before product launch when there has been 6+ months of "insider testing".... nvidia puts almost zero effort into SLI. no DSR, no MFAA, and windows 10... lol. tearing on second screen, crashing after enabling sli, random crashes, memory leak, reports ram+dedicated memory to games so games thinks you have 12gb+ GB of vram, horrible stuttering in some games. and the list goes on.

Windows 10 upgrade is going to be a shit show for most SLI users."

 

SLI is working perfectly fine for me. MFAA is available as long as SLI is turned off. MFAA and SLI aren't compatible yet. Doesn't look like DSR is in the 353.49 drivers that I'm currently using, but it has been available before, as I used it at 4X with GTA V.

 

Thanks. Maybe a new issue related to DSR.

Perhaps similar scenario for AMD as I haven't been following them, but I get the feeling with a week to go the Nvidia driver team is somewhat overwhelmed ( more than usual).

Wish a half dozen people from Microsoft's DX 12 team would sit with Nvidia for the next week as they approach launch and help get their drivers ready. I figure they could use the help. Don't know how busy the Direct X 12 team is; that code is done, right? Besides, with those benefits of living on the Microsoft compound, they only need like 4 hours sleep *Wink

 

I would assume that DX12 code is done, but maybe not. Seeing as how we likely won't see any native DX12 games until the upcoming holiday season, at least, they may consider it as beta at the moment. I agree, though. I hope MS and Nvidia are working pretty closely together to put out drivers that take as much advantage as possible right now of DX12.

 

New drivers out today for Windows 10 came through Windows Update. 353.54. DSR is available again in the Nvidia Control Panel. MFAA still has to be forced through Nvidia Inspector though.

 

Thanks, Blackrose. Please let us know how this driver performs without down clocking.

BTW, are your Maxwell cards showing as Direct x 12.1 capable in Direct x Diagnostic? I believe Kepler cards are only partially Direct x 12.0 capable, not 12.1, based on the chart below.