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cgc · Jun 25, 2009, 10:16 PM

I use Windows via BootCamp and have the Apple nVidia 8800GT driver installed. Windows Update told me today that a new nVidia 8800GT driver is available for download. What are the consequences of installing it in place of the BootCamp driver? Are there any? Thanks.

mr. burns · Jun 26, 2009, 12:41 AM

Originally Posted by cgc

What are the consequences of installing it in place of the BootCamp driver?

your computer implodes...

i've run XP, vista and windows 7 and have always used non-apple drivers for the videocard. windows sees your 8800gt as just another card. there's nothing proprietary about it. there are much newer/better drivers out there than the dated apple ones, but i have an ati so i don't really know which ones to recommend for you.

angelmb · Jun 26, 2009, 05:21 AM

I have a Mac Pro with the 8800 GT card, Boot Camp running XP 32. Not problem at all. I just download the drivers from NVIDIA website, all is fine.

You can even download the PhysX stuff… if gaming is your thing.

cgc · Jun 26, 2009, 09:19 AM

Thanks. I wasn't scared to install them, but if non-Apple video drivers caused any issued (e.g. sleep issues or incompatibility issues, etc.) I wanted to check first.

...and of course gaming's my thing...why else would I boot into Windows? I also have VMWare Fusion for my card reader but mostly use Linux there...

ghporter · Jun 26, 2009, 11:01 AM

Drivers for things like the video system are hardware specific and shouldn't interfere with anything else. Besides, "sleep" is something OS X does, not something the computer does. Windows "hybernates," which is almost the same thing but not nearly as quick or efficient. Plus the driver will only be visible to Windows, so there really isn't a way for OS X to be impacted by it.

shifuimam · Jun 26, 2009, 11:15 AM

Technically, Windows can both sleep and hibernate. Sleep writes the state of the machine to RAM, so power must be kept running to the machine in order to come back from sleep (which, if I'm not mistaken, is how OS X sleeps, although admittedly OS X goes to sleep somewhat faster than Windows in many - not all - cases). Hibernate writes the state to a file on the hard disk, so power can be cut without losing the current state.

angelmb · Jun 26, 2009, 02:09 PM

Originally Posted by cgc

Thanks. I wasn't scared to install them, but if non-Apple video drivers caused any issued (e.g. sleep issues or incompatibility issues, etc.) I wanted to check first.

I haven't had any issue with it… if there is anything you want me to test, just let me know.

cgc · Jun 26, 2009, 09:34 PM

Originally Posted by ghporter

Drivers for things like the video system are hardware specific and shouldn't interfere with anything else. Besides, "sleep" is something OS X does, not something the computer does. Windows "hybernates," which is almost the same thing but not nearly as quick or efficient. Plus the driver will only be visible to Windows, so there really isn't a way for OS X to be impacted by it.

Funny, my version of Vista has a nearly instantaneous (e.g. Mac Sleep mode) Standby option and a not to fast Hibernate mode:

ghporter · Jun 26, 2009, 10:11 PM

I'm obviously not up to speed on Vista; I had never seen the sleep mode. All my direct experience with it is, in fact, at least a year old. Hmph. I may have to install the thing just to know what I'm talking about. Imagine that!