3DMark03
Now we're back to 3DMark03, where we need two sets of drivers in order to test adequately. NVIDIA's optimizations in the 43.45 drivers affect not only performance, but image quality. I'll show you what I mean, but let's look at the performance results first.

The GeForce FX 5800 Ultra is outright fastest in 3DMark03 when using the 43.45 driver, but it's much slower with 43.00. The individual game test scores make up this composite "3DMark03" score. The results of those individual tests follow.

Obviously, NVIDIA has made considerable performance progress through driver optimizations, particularly in the Game 4 test, Mother Nature, which uses Direct X 9-class pixel shaders. Let me show you why that is.