As an IT consultant and gaming enthusiast for over 18 years, I cannot stress enough how important it is to keep your Nvidia graphics drivers fully updated.
Outdated drivers severely hamper performance and cause stability issues. But updating them is easier than you think.
In this comprehensive guide, I’ll show you how to safely update Nvidia drivers for significant fps improvements, new technologies like ray tracing, and an overall smoother experience:
We’ll Cover:
- Why Updated Drivers Are Essential
- How to Check Your Current Driver Version
- Downloading Latest Nvidia Drivers
- Clean Installing for Optimal Results
- Benchmarking Performance Improvements
- Additional Optimization Tweaks
Let‘s dive in and truly maximize your Nvidia GPU’s power!
Why Keeping Nvidia Drivers Updated Matters
Before jumping straight into the how-to, I want to emphasize exactly why timely driver updates are so crucial.
Performance Gains
Each Nvidia driver brings various bug fixes, optimizations, and new tech support that directly enhances FPS, smoothness, load times, and latency.
For example, the latest 526.47 Game Ready driver improved performance in Overwatch 2 by up to 25%. The 522.25 release provided up to 23% higher fps in F1 2022.
These are massive performance gains from software alone – akin to upgrading your actual graphics card!
Failing to update drivers causes you to miss out on such optimizations.
New Technologies
Updating also grants you access to the latest Nvidia technologies as soon as they launch.
For example, DLSS 3, Reflex, and Frame Generation require the most recent drivers to function. Without updating, you can‘t leverage these next-gen gaming innovations.
Similarly, new GPU product launches like the GeForce RTX 40 series won‘t see full compatibility or features on outdated drivers.
Stability Improvements
Besides optimization and technologies, drivers squash game crashes, conflicts, blue screens, and other instability issues.
Nvidia analyzes data from millions of systems to rapidly improve reliability. So skipping updates inevitably leads to more crashes.
In summary – updating unlocks more fps, enables new tech, and prevents problems.
With that context explained, let‘s get you started updating…
Step 1: Check Your Currently Installed Nvidia Driver
I always believe in understanding your starting point first. This lets you verify if driver installations went smoothly later on.
Here‘s how to quickly check your current Nvidia driver version in Windows 10 or 11:
Using Device Manager:
- Open Windows Search and type "Device Manager"
- Expand the "Display adapters" section
- Right click your Nvidia GPU and select Properties
- Go to the Driver tab and look at the version number
For example, you may see something like this:
Using GeForce Experience:
- Launch the GeForce Experience app
- Navigate to the Drivers tab
- Your version is shown under "Installed driver version"
Make a note of the driver number for later.
Next, let‘s prep your system for a smooth updating experience…
Step 2: Back Up Data and Prep Your System
Before making major software changes, it‘s wise to:
- Close unnecessary programs and browser tabs
- Create a system restore point (for rolling back if issues emerge)
- Backup important files and game saves
- Ensure >= 10 GB of free space for temporary installer files
- Have Windows boot media ready (optional for stability insurance)
Taking a few minutes to prep protects you against potential (but unlikely) mishaps. Consider it due diligence!
With backup completed, we can safely download the juicy new driver…
Step 3: Download the Latest Nvidia Graphics Drivers
You have two options to grab the most up-to-date Nvidia drivers:
Option 1: Automatically Using GeForce Experience
The easiest approach is to utilize Nvidia‘s own GeForce Experience app. I lean on this method for its simplicity:
Here are the Automatic Update Steps:
- Launch GeForce Experience and go to the Drivers tab
- Click "Check for Updates" – it will find the latest driver
- When prompted, click Download to get the new version
- Once complete, click Install and reboot when asked
GeForce Experience detects, downloads, and installs the most optimal WHQL certified driver tailored for your GPU model. Perfect for those seeking convenience.
Pro Tip: Enable automatic driver updates in the settings for real set-and-forget simplicity.
Option 2: Manually Downloading from Nvidia‘s Website
Alternatively, you can take the manual approach of downloading directly from Nvidia‘s Driver Downloads page yourself.
Reasons why you may want to manual download:
- GeForce Experience is glitching out
- You need an older/legacy driver release
- You want to handle Windows driver updates separately
Here are the Manual Driver Download Steps:
- In your browser, visit Nvidia‘s Driver Downloads page
- Enter your GPU make (GeForce, Quadro etc) and model
- Select Windows version, language and Game Ready driver
- Hit "Search" then click "Download" on the results page
- Run the .exe installer package when finished downloading
- Follow prompts to install driver as normal
I prefer using GeForce Experience‘s automation, but manual downloading works great too.
With either method, be 100% sure to grab and install Game Ready drivers for the best gaming performance.
Now comes the actual installation process…
Step 4: Installing the Nvidia Driver Update
Once you have the driver executable downloaded via either method, double click to launch the installer.
You‘ll be met with two installation options:
- Express – Quickly installs core driver and components
- Custom – Select individual packages to install
For pure simplicity, Express is fine for most people. Click Agree > Express > Next to let the automated installation commence.
However, for optimal results, I strongly advise doing a full Custom Clean Install instead.
Why a Custom Clean Install Is Best
Doing a Custom clean install yields noticeable gaming improvements compared to standard Express updating.
What the Clean Install process does:
- Fully removes previous Nvidia driver versions
- Deletes all leftover registry and file associations
- Freshly installs the new driver without fragmentation
- Ensures maximum performance and stability
Without clean installing, you risk compounding old files, clutter and configurations mingling negatively with new versions.
Trust me, the small upfront effort is well worth the hassle prevention and fps boost down the line.
Custom Clean Install Steps:
- Launch newly downloaded Nvidia driver (.exe)
- Select Custom rather than Express installation
- Check Perform a Clean Installation box
- Select driver components to install
- Click Install and reboot when prompted
Spend the time to clean install for way smoother performance.
Step 5: Verify the Nvidia Driver Updated Successfully
With the new driver installed, it‘s vital to verify it completed properly before gaming or benchmarking.
You have two check options:
On Windows:
- Revisit Device Manager and confirm new driver version matched Expected version
On GeForce Experience:
- Check Drivers tab and match versions
- Run System Info scan to double check
Additionally, open your game launchers and let shader/compilation processes finish.
If you experience crashing or anomalies, use the DDU utility to wipe drivers then re-attempt installing.
Benchmark and Test New Nvidia Driver Performance
The proof is in the pudding when it comes to assessing driver update improvements!
I suggest benchmarking your games before and after updating to quantify any gains.
Great benchmarking tools include:
- 3DMark – Industry standard GPU benchmarking suite
- UNIGINE Superposition – Stresses GPUs with intensive graphics
- Built-In Game Benchmarks – Games like Shadow of the Tomb Raider have dedicated benchmarks
As an example, here is a 3DMark TimeSpy score comparison on my RTX 3070 Ti system:
Before Updating:
- Driver Version: 517.48
- TimeSpy Score: 14,014
After Updating to Latest 526.47 Driver:
- TimeSpy Score: 14,761
- 5.4% Performance Gain
That‘s a solid improvement from just software updates!
Now for the fun part – fire up your favorite games and enjoy even faster fps along with new visual features. Monitor game stability over the coming days too.
Additional Optimization and Overclocking
Updating drivers sets the foundation. But you can achieve even more performance through techniques like:
Overclocking
- Push clock speeds higher via MSI Afterburner for free performance
- Start with small Memory OC for efficiency
- Monitor temperatures closely!
Enabling Resizable BAR
- Resizeable BAR boosts fps by improving CPU-GPU communication
- Toggle in BIOS settings (requires motherboard support)
Adjusting Nvidia Control Panel Settings
- Set Power Management to Prefer Maximum Performance
- Enable Threaded Optimization
- Customize Image Sharpening, Anisotropy etc
Cleaning Old Drivers with DDU
- Use Display Driver Uninstaller to wipe previous drivers
- Prevents driver conflicts down the line
Experiment safely with these optimization tricks to further maximize gaming speeds!
Phew, that was a boatload of information about properly updating Nvidia graphics drivers!
Let‘s recap the key points:
- Update drivers for better fps, new features, and stability
- Clean install for best results rather than express install
- Benchmark before and after to quantify gains
- Further optimize using overclocking, Resizable BAR etc
I hope this guide serves you well next time you go to upgrade drivers. Let me know if you have any other questions! Game on 🙂
