Best Video Graphics Driver?

[csj0952]

Has anyone tried all of the following from the FAQ?

"For some unknown reason IBM’s ATI driver has this limitation. You can remove it and install Omega Driver, or use Patje’s Mobility Modding with the generic ATI Catalyst driver. Note, the generic ATI driver (with Patje's Mobility Modder) doesn’t support 1400x1050 resolution via DVI, Omega Driver does. "

Which one seems to be the best at running games like Halflife 2?

Advantages vs Disadvantages?

I have the ATI Fire GL2 128M card...

[darrenf]

Latest Omega drivers with the 4.12Beta Catalyst base. And if you really want to smoke, overclock it too. My 9600 will safely OC to 455/254 (IIRC - be sure to run ATITool to probe your particular system).

The drivers alone will get you a 20% improvement in framerate (according to the CS:S Stress Test -- actual improvement might be better). Beware though, you will use about 20% more power (2-4 watts on my machine) when *NOT* in 3D mode. That's on a 9600/64M, BTW. The power drain is heavy enough that I've removed the Omega drivers and gone back to IBM's until I can find a way to switch on the fly.

Let us know what you wind up with and how fast you can get it going!

-darren