Is your NVIDIA graphic card driver up to date?

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The most recent NVIDIA graphic card drivers for our computers were released on March 19, 2024.

Is your graphic card driver up to date?

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jburk07, Bob99

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My approach has always been to only update drivers if there are problems with a device.

Kind of “if it’s not broke, don’t break it”…

 

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Kathy Stevens wrote:

Is your graphic card driver up to date?

Yep! Dated the same as yours, Kathy, March 19th, version 551.86. I noticed that the NVidia Control Panel app was updated in the Microsoft Store, so I took a look and, sure enough, there was a security bulletin issued by NVidia about security patches to their video drivers, so I went and got the latest one.

@OldNavyGuy , security holes in drivers these days are a VERY good reason to keep them updated, in addition to the one you’ve mentioned about if it’s broken then fix it. In this case, sometimes it pays to fix it if it ain’t broke so the bad guys don’t get in.

Here’s a link to the aforementioned security bulletin from NVidia:

https://nvidia.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/5520

Some of the vulnerability scores are kinda high, scoring 7.8 on a scale of 10 in the latest CVSS 3.1 scoring system. At least this time, none are classified as critical.

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WSDKS01, opti1, windbg

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Bob99 wrote:

security holes in drivers these days are a VERY good reason to keep them updated, in addition to the one you’ve mentioned about if it’s broken then fix it. In this case, sometimes it pays to fix it if it ain’t broke so the bad guys don’t get in

Goes without saying…depending on the vulnerability.

 

 

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The most recent Nvidia driver is 552.12 from April 4

https://us.download.nvidia.com/Windows/552.12/552.12-win11-win10-release-notes.pdf

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552.12 is a Game Ready driver. The most current Studio driver is still 551.86.

From the Nvidia’s Game Ready Drivers vs NVIDIA Studio Drivers explanation.

If you are a gamer who prioritizes day of launch support for the latest games, patches and DLCs, choose Game Ready Drivers.

If you are a content creator who prioritizes reliability for creative workflows including video editing, animation, photography, graphic design, and livestreaming, choose Studio Drivers.

Their Studio Drivers are know to be very stable (new versions come out every month or so) as they undergo extensive testing against multiple versions of the top creative apps from Adobe, Autodesk, etc. (but not necessarily the latest games) before they get released.

Because their Game Ready drivers are intended to support the latest games as soon as they get released (new versions come out every week or so), they don’t get tested as thoroughly and are know to “frequently” be unstable/unreliable.

For example…

My cousin is a hard core gamer and regularly experiences issues with their newest Game Ready drivers and has to rollback to an older version until they release a  fixed version.

I don’t game so I always use the Studio drivers and, so far, have never encountered any problems with their newest Studio drivers.

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wavy, jburk07, opti1, windbg

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I’m curious what method(s) folks use to update their NVIDIA drivers.

And I assume everyone makes a new image before installing the updates?

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It is simple to update the Nvidia drivers.  Go to:

• The Nvidia site  https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/
• Select drivers
• Enter the appropriate information, and
• Download the driver.

We have never encountered a problem with Nvidia software so we normally rely on our most recent Acronis backup.

On the computer I am at now we have updated the graphic card drivers more than 30 times without incident.

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jburk07, opti1

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I also use the manual download/install method but always keep the older version until the new one’s verified as error free (at least a week or so.)

As for making a backup before updating, I make image backups every week so don’t bother.

Also, unlike a lot of other product updates, Nivida’s installer allows you to “overwrite” any version of their drivers with a different version; even an older one!

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Cybertooth, opti1

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Kathy Stevens wrote:

It is simple to update the Nvidia drivers. Go to: The Nvidia site https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/ (the rest snipped)

Right. My curiosity extends to how many manually download as you have indicated that you do and how many use the NVIDIA Update software. I’ve only ever used the manual approach that you use.

Thanks for responding.

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Our practice is to use the approach that I outlined above.

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opti1

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Kathy Stevens wrote:

On the computer I am at now we have updated the graphic card drivers more than 30 times without incident.

Was that security-related? Performance issues?

 

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We install Nvidia updates when they become available – independent of any security-related or performance issues?

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opti1, sheldon

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opti1 wrote:

Kathy Stevens wrote:

It is simple to update the Nvidia drivers. Go to: The Nvidia site https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/ (the rest snipped)

Right. My curiosity extends to how many manually download as you have indicated that you do and how many use the NVIDIA Update software. I’ve only ever used the manual approach that you use.

Thanks for responding.

I use Nvidia’s Geforce Experience app manually downloading and installing.

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opti1, WSDKS01

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I have used the GeForce experience, as well. Very easy. I have used the manual method in the past, but moved to the new front end for convenience.

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opti1

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WSDKS01 wrote:

but moved to the new front end for convenience.

What new front end?
I am not a Gforce user, is the new front end less obtrusive?

Just because you don't know where you are going doesn't mean any road will get you there.

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The NVIDIA app is in public beta. It will be replacing GeForce Experience, Control Panel, and a few other tools (fps overlays, filters, etc).

Download NVIDIA App

Anyone interested in the new app should take a look at this:

NVIDIA app beta FAQ (April 10 update)

At this point, the beta app is almost feature complete and is stable. It shouldn’t be too much longer before it’s officially released.

Unlike the telemetry-ridden, spyware “Experience” app, this new app appears to be doing things correctly. You do not have to sign-in to use it and it’s your choice as to what features you want to explore or implement.

I have not personally installed it yet, but have been watching development closely in various forums. Feedback has been very positive. I still prefer to use manual download/install methods using the hard to find NVIDIA advanced driver search tool:

NVIDIA Advanced Driver Search

And I still manually tune the driver for each application using NVIDIA Inspector which I’m sure isn’t everyone’s cup of tea.

GitHub – Inspector Releases by Author

I had planned to install it last week, but got sidetracked in a research project. Like Sue, I haven’t been too pleased with Microsoft as of late. If you have time, give it a try Wavy. You can run it side-by-side.

If I were to guess, I’d say after the 1st week in June when NVIDIA introduces its’ new hardware in Taiwan, we may not have a choice. I think the objective is to remove Control Panel from the market since the younger generation considers it old and dated (I do not).

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opti1, Cybertooth, windbg, Alex5723

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I know I’ve mentioned this before elsewhere, but it’s very important that you keep video drivers current. Usually, on a quarterly basis, NVIDIA rolls security mitigations into the the driver release. You probably wouldn’t notice unless you read the release notes in detail or follow security issues.

For example, every February, NVIDIA drivers contain a large batch of security fixes and the fixes are often rated “critical”. Take a gander at the February display driver bulletin:

NVIDIA Feb Security Bulletin

You might panic just a wee bit. Also, you might want to bookmark the NVIDIA Security Bulletin landing page:

NVIDIA Product Security

If you go down the list, you’ll see that October’s video drivers also contained a batch of security mitigations that were rated “high” in severity. You do not need to update drivers monthly, but do need to update ASAP if they contain security fixes. Once vulnerabilities are disclosed, criminals quickly take advantage of them.

You’ll find that Intel and AMD also follow similar practices for their GPU drivers. I give NVIDIA a thumbs up for full disclosure and well written documentation.

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opti1, windbg, EricB, Alex5723

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No, I’m not fully updated but neither am I fully overloaded with extraneous Nvidia software as I much prefer the drivers only approach.

I suggest it’s also important to avoid anything except the GPU drivers when updating (not installed = not requiring updating), that Product Security list seems to list ~50% of security vulnerabilities that are outside of consumer GPU drivers.

Some of these are in the devkits that enable creation of the GPU drivers as well as other product/non-GPU driver software (effectively scareware for consumers), so don’t neglect those GPU driver security updates.

As for Intel/AMD also following full disclosure practices – they’re in competition with hardware, so their software/blurb must aid their sales pitch

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I agree with you – I only install what I need (lean and clean) which means the GPU driver, CUDA, and as of a month ago, the HD audio driver because I have added HDMI out to a networked A/V receiver. I’m not a gamer and guard my privacy as much as possible which means I have a bias against Experience which I consider to be intrusive (telemetry) and bloatware.

I do, however, acknowledge that for some individuals “Express Install” or “Experience” is a good fit if a hands off approach is preferred. Personally, I will be updating GPU drivers more frequently because I also enabled RTX AI “Super Resolution” which is now working (most of the time) offline, and with Edge and Firefox. When it’s working, it is very impressive when watching videos even though it’s not energy efficiency friendly (I have a 390 watt OC 3080 horror in one machine). I want to believe that incremental improvements are being implemented with each recent driver update, but have no proof other than anecdotal.

There definitely is, however, a lock step between MS Patch Tuesday updates and monthly NVIDIA driver updates when it comes to certain GPU features such as auto HDR, VRR, etc. In other words, when MS fixes a GPU/display feature, a corresponding GPU driver update is often required to take advantage of the MS fix. I use a wide gamut, HDR600 certified monitor so this is important to me, since auto HDR has broken a few times over the past 12 months. Microsoft and NVIDIA programmers often work side by side to resolve issues and implement new technologies.

You are right about the Security List – it’s not targeting consumer cards specifically since it is a Product Security List for admins, not end-users. Each section addresses a specific product category with consumer alerts at the top. Consumer GPUs are not the main business of NVIDIA. It’s all about workstations (content creators), the data center, super computers, and AI. I’m not an NVIDIA fan-boy (I disagree with almost every marketing decision the company has made over the past 6 years), but I do rate their bulletins and release notes as best in class.

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Can someone bring me up to date on updating NVIDIA Drivers and the NVIDIA Control Center.   I gave up back around 2021, can’t really remember all the issues but something about Windows wanted more to do with the driver downloads and wanted to be in charge of installing the Control Center vs getting those directly from NVIDIA.  There was a time you could do either or then I think NVIDIA was no longer issuing updates to the Standard Drivers and you had to get a new kind of driver from Microsoft along with MS provided Control Center.  There was also a question whether the MS provided product(s) was compatible with the NVIDIA products or if they had to be uninstalled, or something like that.  I gave up.

I’m sitting on a very old version 456.71 and the NVIDIA provided Control Center.  What is the current update process regarding both Drivers and Control Center.  Where do they come from and if only from MS will they install over the old Standard type drivers and control center or does everything have to be uninstalled to start over?

Windows 10 Pro x64 v22H2 and Windows 7 Pro SP1 x64 (RIP)

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Goto one of these links:

https://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx

https://www.nvidia.com/Download/Find.aspx

Enter your specific Nvidia card/Windows version into the dropdowns, click the Search button and then select either the Game Ready or Studio driver you want to install and download it.

Note: depending on how old your Nvidia card is, there may not be a newer driver version available for it!

Run the downloaded installer and either select Graphic Drive & GeForce Experience or Graphic Driver only (I always select driver only as I do not want GeForce Experience to “automatically” update my drivers.)

Click AGREE AND CONTINUE and on the next screen select either Express or Custom (I always select custom.)

Click thru the next series of buttons to the Install option and then wait for it to finish installing.

FYI, even though the Nvidia control panel gets installed via the MS Store app, everything is actually created/maintained by Nvidia, not Microsoft.

Also, as I indicated above in post #2658056, the Nvidia installer allows you to install any version of their drivers over any other version; including the ability to “downgrade” from a newer version to an older one.

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Lars220, Tex265, Kathy Stevens, opti1

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n0ads wrote:

Also, as I indicated above in post #2658056, the Nvidia installer allows you to install any version of their drivers over any other version; including the ability to “downgrade” from a newer version to an older one.

Are there any particular considerations to keep in mind when updating from NVIDIA drivers that are as old as 5 years prior to the latest ones? And what about switching from Game Ready drivers to Studio drivers at the same time?

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opti1 wrote:

Are there any particular considerations to keep in mind when updating from NVIDIA drivers that are as old as 5 years prior to the latest ones? And what about switching from Game Ready drivers to Studio drivers at the same time?

Image your system first, in case updating goes sideways…

 

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opti1

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n0ads wrote:

Also, as I indicated above in post #2658056, the Nvidia installer allows you to install any version of their drivers over any other version; including the ability to “downgrade” from a newer version to an older one.

Ahhh…. now I remember!

I have a GeForce GTX 1060 6GB for which there is a current “DCH” driver. The latest “Standard” driver is dated 12/13/21.  I always used the Studio version.

So based on your comments and the info provided on the NVIDIA site, a “DCH” driver can be Express installed over a “Standard” driver, OR via Custom install which first automatically removes the Standard driver and then replaces it with the selected DCH driver – correct?  Or do I have to first manually uninstall (via Windows Control Panel) the current Standard driver?

Does the NVIDA Control Panel also get automatically replaced (mine is ver 8.1.940.0) from the MS Store along with the DCH driver installation?

Thx

Windows 10 Pro x64 v22H2 and Windows 7 Pro SP1 x64 (RIP)

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opti1 wrote:

what about switching from Game Ready drivers to Studio drivers at the same time?

You get the option to select gaming or studio and you can switch between the 2 any time.

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opti1, Cybertooth

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@Tex265,

The Nvidia driver downloads site indicates the most current drivers for your GTX-1060 are the April 16th 552.22 drivers, both Game Ready & Studio.

Since they’re both the same version, it’s up to you as to which one you want to install.

The only real difference between them is the default settings for the Game Ready one will be “optimized” for playing games where they won’t be for the Studio version.

Regardless of how old your current driver is, you won’t have to uninstall it before installing the new one. During the installation process, Nvidia’s installer first removes the old drivers, control panel and software, and then installs the new ones!

And yes, the old standard control panel will get replaced with the new DCH one.

Since your drivers are so old, I’d suggest you select the Custom (Advanced) option and check the Perform a clean install box at the bottom so all your existing settings get restored to their defaults.

If your PC doesn’t have HD Audio, “uncheck” the HD Audio driver option.

If you don’t want the drivers to be auto-updated, “uncheck” the Nvidia GeForce Experience option.

If you never game, “uncheck” the PhysX System Software option.

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Kathy Stevens, Lars220, opti1, Cybertooth

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@n0ads,

n0ads wrote:

And yes, the old standard control panel will get replaced with the new DCH one.

So I know what to expect, is the DCH Control Panel different from the Standard one I am familiar with?

Would it be possible to post a screenshot of the DCH Panel?

Thanks for all the help you have been!

 

Windows 10 Pro x64 v22H2 and Windows 7 Pro SP1 x64 (RIP)

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Here’s what it looks like on my Windows 10 22H2 using an RTX-3060 Ti card.

BTW, I haven’t used the Standard control panel for a long time so I can’t really point out what’s different in the DCH version.

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Tex265, Kathy Stevens

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Nvidia 552.22 Studio GTX 1050Ti Control Panel

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Tex265

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Except for the addition of the Developer Task, it looks identical to my old-existing Standard Control Panel!! Yeah!!

Windows 10 Pro x64 v22H2 and Windows 7 Pro SP1 x64 (RIP)

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That can be turned ON/OFF under the Desktop menu.

I have it turned on as I use software that needs access to the GPU performance counters.

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n0ads wrote:

If you never game

Install the Studio version.

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Both versions include the PhysX System Software; the screen shot I posted above is from the Studio installer I used on my PC.

PhysX is a multi-threaded “physics simulator” used to support rigid body dynamics, soft body dynamics (like cloth simulation, including tearing and pressurized cloth), ragdolls & character controllers, vehicle dynamics, and the particles/volumetric fluid simulations used in games.

The only non-gaming software that currently uses PhysX is:

Active Worlds (AW)
Autodesk 3ds Max, Autodesk Maya & Autodesk Softimage
DX Studio
Futuremark’s 3DMark06 & Vantage “benchmark” tools
Microsoft Robotics Studio
Nvidia’s SuperSonic Sled & Raging Rapids Ride “tech demos”
OGRE (via the NxOgre wrapper)
The Physics Abstraction Layer API
Rayfire (an Autodesk 3ds Max plug-in)
The Physics Engine Evaluation Lab tool

So, unless you’re using one of those and/or game, you don’t need it and have to uncheck it to prevent it’s being installed.

FYI, I use Autodesk which is why I installed it.

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Kathy Stevens

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