Would newer drivers improve frame rates on games?

Question

I recently got a Sony Vaio FZ400 laptop and downgraded it to Windows XP. With 3gb ram, 2.4ghz core duo, and a Nvidia 8400m GT, it meets the recommended requirements for games like Oblivion and Mass Effect. But my FPS is down in the 10-15 range. I had to get older video card drivers to work with XP.

Would upgrading to Vista and getting newer drivers help my frame rates?

Answer 1

Software Engineering Tools-

http://smartertols.com/

Answer 2

that's the problem with xp is that now everything is made for vista. so yeah it would improve your graphics card because it was made to vista and not xp, that's microsoft for ya.

Answer 3

The following comment is not a direct answer to your question about drivers but I will explain why your framerate is bad.

Your framerate is bad because your graphics card is not designed for modern video games. You say you meet the recommended requirements for Oblivion and Mass Effect but that's not true. The recommended Geforce for Oblivion is the 6800 which is more powerful than the 8400m GT and the recommended Geforce for Mass Effect is the Geforce 7800 GT which is significantly more powerful than the 8400m GS.

Nvidia's system for naming cards can be confusing. A higher number doesn't mean it's better, just that it's newer. The 6800 for instance is a card from the sixth generation while the 8400 is a card from the eighth generation. The 800 suffix means the card is high end and capable of playing modern games. The 400 suffix, however, means the card is entry level and meant for casual gamers who prefer to play older games and don't want to spend much on graphics cards.

Plus, you have a laptop. Graphics cards for laptops have to be a lot smaller and are slower. Not only do you have a low end grapics card, you have a weak laptop version. It is no surpise that your framerate in games is very low because the 8400m GT doesn't even meet Mass Effect's minimum requirement.

Answer 4

Your frame rate is based on the components not the drivers.  I have the video drivers for XP as well and they work very well. Of course I also run the Intel QX6600 Quad core and 8GB memory.  Dual Vid cards help as well, if you are running multiple screens.

For a "quick fix" you can lower screen res, turn of anti aliasing, and other in game options such as shadows etc.

You also have to realize that minimum sys requirements gets you minimum game structure.  Upgrade to the 8800GT or GTX, add another gig of Ram and over clock your proc. (there are tons of guides for this)

And last, keep in mind that the FPS is based on other variables then your machine.  The game itself will use the computers resources and FPS is one of the last to get noticed by the system, so if you are playing a resource hogging game like Oblivion, the FPS will suffer before things like graphics and sounds (which is why you lower the res and turn details off ;) )