Nvidia is offering an option of downloading graphics drivers for laptops direct from the company’s website for the first time.
“Users with notebooks equipped with Nvidia graphics processing units (GPUs) now have the added flexibility of downloading upgradeable graphics drivers directly from Nvidia.com so they can immediately take advantage of new features, improved application compatibility, and performance optimizations,” the GPU maker says.
Customers with GeForce 8 and 9-series GPUs or Quadro NVS-equipped notebooks can now download a Beta version of the drivers from www.nvidia.com. A WHQL-certified version supporting all GeForce 7, 8, and 9 series and Quadro NVS series notebook GPUs will be available early next year.
The first notebook graphics driver release extends the Nvidia CUDA architecture to notebook GPUs, according to the company.
Until now, the only way owners of laptops with Nvidia’s video chips could get the drivers was from the laptop manufacturers or from various unofficial websites.