Hardware stub

New nVidia 313.95 Drivers Boost Crysis 3 SLI Performance by 35%

Posted on January 29, 2013

A new beta driver for nVidia's GeForce GPUs is providing huge jumps in performance, as they always seem to do. NVidia typically releases a new driver at least once a month, often launching public-facing X-Rev beta versions before A-Rev iterations. This new driver is tailored for Crysis 3 and the games released around the holidays--some older games saw performance boosts as well.

crysis-3-multiplayer-screenshot-sm

 

The update is good news for SLI users thanks to "new and updated SLI profiles for today's top titles"--namely Crysis 3, Devil May Cry, and Warframe. The boosts in single-GPU systems are impressive, too: Performance gains of up to 27% in Assassin's Creed III, 19% in Civilization V, 14% in Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, 14% in DiRT 3, 11% in Just Cause 2, 10% in Deus Ex: Human Revolution, 10% in F1 2012, and 10% in Far Cry 3.

The official GeForce blog post stated:

"An essential update for gamers jumping into the Crysis 3 Open Beta, 313.95 beta improves multi-GPU performance in Crytek's sci-fi shooter by up to 35%, and ensures maximum compatibility with the game's work-in-progress code on all systems."

If you're hoping to stress-test your system with Crysis 3 (or just play it), check this chart to see what settings nVidia suggests for the game:

Graphics SettingsGeForce GTX 650GeForce GTX 660 TiGeForce GTX 680GeForce GTX 690
Texture ResolutionLowVery HighVery HighVery High
Game EffectsLowHighHighVery High
ObjectLowHighHighVery High
ParticlesLowHighHighVery High
Post ProcessingLowHighHighVery High
ShadingLowHighVery HighVery High
ShadowsLowHighVery HighVery High
WaterLowHighHighVery High
Lens FlaresNoNoYesYes
Motion Blur AmountDisabledDisabledMediumHigh
AntialiasingSMAA Medium (2X)SMAA High (4X)SMAA High (4X)SMAA High (4X)
Anisotropic Filtering16X16X16X16X

 

Download the drivers here: http://www.geforce.com/drivers/

Here's a look at the non-SLI performance (click for larger image):

geforce-31395-sm

- David D'Amico.