Gentelmen,
I've just finished v2.07 developemnt and glad to inform you that this version is entering closed beta-testing stage tomorrow. As usual, beta testing will take approximately 1-2 weeks then new version will be publicly available. Currently changes list includes:
Version 2.07:
Minor bugfixes:
- Fixed default values for Direct3D Intellisample slider and "Clamp negative mipmap LOD bias" option.
- Minor UI and localization fixes.
What's new:
- Added ForceWare 171.xx drivers family support.
- Updated databases for Detonator and ForceWare drivers. Added databases for ForceWare 169.09, 169.13, 169.17, 169.21, 169.25, 169.28, 169.32 and 171.16.
- Added Catalyst 7.11, 7.12 and 8.1 drivers detection.
- Updated Catalyst 7.11, 7.12 and 8.1 certified SoftR9x00 patch script (for Windows 2000/XP drivers only).
- Updated PCI DeviceID database for both ATI and NVIDIA graphics processors. Added PCI DeviceIDs for RADEON 2600XT AGP, RADEON 2900GT, RADEON HD 3870 X2 and GeForce 8800GTS 512 SKUs. Please take a note that RivaTuner doesn't provide official Crossfire support, so RADEON HD 3870 X2 support can be limited to single GPU functionality under certain conditions.
- Unlocked previously available experimental RV635 graphics processors support. Thanks to Andrew Worobiew for testing RivaTuner with ATI RADEON HD3650.
- Added powerful built-in task scheduler module. Task scheduler has been designed as more flexible and more programmable replacement for the previously available programmable monitoring thresholds technology, providing you the following functionality:
- Ability to automate startup of any desired application (e.g. RivaTunerStatisticsServer) or launch item (e.g. combination of fan and overclocking profiles or shortcut to RivaTuner's hardware monitoring module GUI) on specified schedule. The following schedule types are currently supported:
- Run task at Windows startup. This schedule type can be used as a replacement for RivaTuner's own "Run ... at Windows startup" options by means of loading desired overclocking / fan / color profiles as well as for programming additional sophisticated tasks (e.g. for programming VRM module at OS startup by means of RivaTuner's command line interface for direct access to GPU registers).
- Run task at RivaTuner startup. This schedule type can be used to automate startup of some applications, which you need to run in conjunction with RivaTuner only (e.g. RivaTunerStatisticsServer) or for activating some GUI windows (e.g. Hardware monitoring window) at RivaTuner startup.
- Run task at RivaTuner shutdown. This schedule type can be used to automate shutdown of some applications, which you need to run in conjunction with RivaTuner only (e.g. RivaTunerStatisticsServer).
- Run task on entering suspended mode. This shedule type can be used as a workaround for some driver and hardware-specific issues (e.g. some old ATI display adapters don't resume from suspended mode properly when entering it in overclocked state).
- Run task on leaving suspended mode. This schedule type can be used as a replacement for RivaTuner's own "Restore ... after suspended mode" options by means of loading desired overclocking / fan / color profiles as well as for programming additional tasks (e.g. for reconnecting RivaTuner to G15 LCD after resuming from suspended mode).
- Run task on hardware monitoring threshold event. This schedule type replaces previously available programmable monitoring thresholds and it can be used for programming different dynamic overclocking / fan control / gamma correction algorithms depending on different monitored parameters (e.g. dynamic fan control depending on temperature threshold or dynamic clock control depending on hardware acceleration threshold).
- Run task on hardware monitoring range event. This schedule type provides you alternate way for programming different dynamic overclocking / fan control / gamma correction algorithms depending on different monitored parameters, which can be more convenient in case of using multiple thresholds (e.g. when you define dynamic fan control rule based upon 3 or more thermal zones).
- Standard safety measures, allowing you to skip scheduled tasks if necessary (e.g. if you have programmed loading a profile with too agressive overclocking at Windows startup or if you have programmed RivaTuner to close itself at startup). You can hold <Ctrl> key after logging in Windows to skip RivaTuner's tasks scheduled to be started with Windows or you can hold <Ctrl> key during RivaTuner startup to skip RivaTuner's tasks scheduled to be started with it.
- Better thresholds visualisation features comparing to the previously available technology:
- Now threshold visualitation can be optionally disabled in the corresponding schedule properties.
- Now programmed threshold crossing direction is visualised on the graph.
- Improved built-in launcher module:
- Predefined applicaitons list has been removed from the regular launch item editor window. Now the list of predefined applications is integrated directly in file system browser window accessible via the "Browse" button.
- Improved experimental SLI support. Please take a note that I have no SLI rig for testing and development, so all SLI related improvements are done blindly and RivaTuner still doesn't provide official SLI support:
- Added workaround for NVAPI GPU handle leak issue under Windows XP. It is no longer necessary to disable NVAPI usage and loose independent shader domain overclocking features to get multi-GPU overclocking working under Windows XP.
- Added driver-level NVAPI multi-GPU fan control. Now RivaTuner synchronically applies the same driver-level fan settings to all graphics processors in SLI configuration. Please take a note that it applies to driver-level fan control only, low-level fan tweaks such as custom automatic fan control rule can be applied to the physically selected display adapter only.
- Now you can disable driver-level NVAPI multi-GPU clock control and fan control via NVAPIMultiGpuClockControl and NVAPIMultiGpuFanControl registry entries if necessary.
- Improved compatibility with Vista UAC:
- Now RivaTuner can be started at Windows Vista startup via special wrapper application, which doesn't require full administrative privileges and which is not being blocked by UAC's startup infrastructure. Please take a note that RivaTuner itself is still the administrative application so it still requires your evaluation during each startup; wrapper application usage just changes the way of evaluating RivaTuner launch during each OS startup. Now you will see standard UAC evaluation message when Windows starts instead of seeing a message about blocked application in the tray. The previous startup mode can be also enabled via setting RivaTunerWrapperUsageBehavior to 0.
- Added power user oriented RequestedExecutionLevel registry entry, allowing changing RivaTuner's execution level without editing the manifest file. This feature can be useful for those who schedule RivaTuner to be started with full administrative rights via other applications like Vista Scheduler.
- Improved RV6xx graphics processors family support:
- Extended list of tweakable automatic fan speed control rule parameters for RV6xx fan controllers. Now besides editing previously available thermal lookup RivaTuner can be also used to alter automatic fan speed control mode and select either temperature transfer function mode or thermal lookup mode as well as tweak parameters for temperature transfer function mode (minimum duty cycle, minimum temperature, temperature slope etc.). These settings allow power users to fix infamous HD 38x0 BIOS automatic fan control issues without flashing so called fan fix BIOS.
- Added direct access to ATI RADEON HD 2xxx/3xxx flashrom chips. Now you can use RivaTuner's /BI command line switch for dumping VGA BIOS image on ATI RADEON HD 2xxx/3xxx family display adapters.
- Now RivaTuner uses additional reference dividers to provide correct core clock frequency reading on ATI RADEON HD 3870 series after flashing BIOS with PLL VCO divider fix.
- Now RivaTuner restores default clocks when disabling low-level hardware overclocking by means of the driver's PowerPlay table reset if possible.
- Updated RivaTunerStatisticsServer v2.5.0 bundled utility:
- Now the server supports %FRAMERATE% macro in the OSD text slot, allowing it to display display application specific framerate and 3D API usage information instead of shared framerate and 3D API usage information directly sent to OSD by the client application. Power users may prevent RivaTuner from using %FRAMERATE% macro via the EnableFramerateMacroEncoding registry entry.
- Now the server is able to detect client specific framerate rendering requests and disable own statistics rendering in this case to prevent duplicating framerate info in the OSD.
- Added Direct3D10 (for non-multisampled frame buffers only) screen capture support.
- Extended list of supported screen capture formats. Now the server is able to capture screenshots in *.jpg and *.png formats for Direct3D9 and Direct3D10 applications. Please take a note that these formats can be also specified while capturing desktop, DirectDraw, Direct3D8 ans OpenGL screenshots, but in fact it will result in storing .bmp file with *.jpg or *.png extensions.
- Now the server is able to capture multiple screenshots at once if multiple 3D applications are running simultaneously.
- Updated list of pseudo 3D applications.
- Improved hardware monitoring module:
- Now "Framerate" graph shows framerate from the focused application if there are multiple 3D applications running simultaneously.
- Added SEH for clock calculation routines for better protection against incorrect hardware emulation.
- Changed default Core/Memory clock graph ranges from 1.5GHz to 2GHz.
- Improved generic RivaTuner file format. Now all RivaTuner's files based upon this format (i.e. database build scripts, databases, presets and patch scripts) can use global autoincremental indices similar to previously supported local autoincremental indices, which greatly simplify large files editing and updating.
- Improved context help source format. Now all context help topics added to new version are represented by separate .RTF file to simplify context help translation process for third-party localization packs creators.
- MMIO protection fallback warning is no longer displayed on any MMIO range allocation failure, unprotected MMIO failure warning message has been added.
- Now power users may customize the range of scanned PCI buses to allow using RivaTuner with some sophisticated mainboards having more than 16 physical PCI buses. By default RivaTuner scans just the first 16 PCI buses for display adapter presence, however power users may extend the range of scanned PCI buses using the MaxPCIBusNum registry entry.
- Protected tabs (i.e. the tabs like "Main" in that cannot be hidden) are now displayed in preview area of the tab order customization window.
- Updated Easter Eggs.
- Minor UI changes and improvements.
Stay tuned!
