image credit Nvidia
If you have an Nvidia GPU, consider yourself fortunate since they are becoming rarer. Having an Nvidia GeForce GTX or RTX graphics card, on the other hand, is just half of the fight.
The most important thing to remember about keeping your device’s drivers up to date is that they will allow your games to function at their optimal settings. On a regular basis, Nvidia publishes new driver software, and these upgrades may make the difference between a game that plays well and a game that performs phenomenally well.
Fortunately, upgrading Nvidia drivers is very easy, given that you have the appropriate software on your computer. Once you’ve downloaded the Nvidia GeForce Experience program, you’ll only need to make two clicks to ensure that your drivers are up to current. Alternatively, there are more complex methods of updating your drivers, but you shouldn’t have to worry about them unless you run into technical problems somewhere down the line.
Continue reading to find out how to update your Nvidia drivers. After that, you may return to your game, which may now seem and perform better than before.
How to download and install Nvidia drivers
1.Download the Nvidia GeForce Experience program from the Nvidia website.
While there are alternative methods to get Nvidia drivers (such as Windows Update, Device Manager, or browsing Nvidia’s website), for the vast majority of users, the GeForce Experience program is the quickest and most straightforward.
Without going into great detail, GeForce Experience provides updated drivers before Windows does, and it also improves your games after Windows has done so as well. You may also select between drivers that are designed for gaming and drivers that are tuned for graphic design, depending on whether you’re a gamer or a graphic designer.
To get the software, go to the Nvidia GeForce Experience website and click on the Download Now button. Then follow the on-screen instructions to install the application. This portion of the procedure is relatively error-free.
2.Keep an eye out for new information.
Caution: When you first launch the GeForce Experience software, you’ll be prompted to create an Nvidia account in order to take advantage of all of its features. The steps here are similar to those you would take to create an online account, so it isn’t necessary to go over them in detail.
Just make sure to adhere to all of the standard security precautions, such as not reusing old passwords and activating two-factor authentication (2FA). (See our article on how to establish secure passwords for more information.)
Navigate to the Drivers tab and then click on the Check for Updates button to complete the process. If you’ve had the program open for a few minutes, it’s possible that it has already performed an automatic driver search. The green Download button will appear in either case, which indicates that there is an updated driver available.
3.Select the type of driver you want to use (optional)
If you purchased your Nvidia GPU primarily for gaming purposes, you are in good shape. In the case of graphic designers, there is an additional step that must be completed before you can proceed. When installing a driver, you should select the three vertical periods next to the Check for updates checkbox rather than installing the default driver.
You’ll be able to choose between a Game-ready driver and a Studio-ready driver from this menu. Game-oriented applications are targeted by the former, while artistic applications are targeted by the latter. You can only have one of them installed at a time, but you may switch between them as often as you need.
4.Download and install the appropriate driver for your device.
Once you’ve chosen your driver, all that’s left to do is click on the Download button. Because the drivers are often just a few hundred megabytes in size, depending on your Internet connection, this portion of the procedure should be quick.
Installation is similarly straightforward, but you will have to make a decision at some point along the process. Express Installation installs anything Nvidia considers necessary, which may or may not include additional software that you may or may not want to utilize (audio drivers, PhysX features, etc.). Custom Installation allows you to pick and select the features you wish to include.
As long as you don’t have any storage space constraints on your computer, Express Installation is an excellent option for most individuals to consider. However, if you choose the Custom option, you can always reinstall extra features at a later time, so there isn’t a significant disadvantage to doing so.
That is all that is required of you. The remainder will be taken care of by the Nvidia GeForce Experience application. As long as you boot up the software and check for new updates on a regular basis (once every few weeks or so), your GPU should continue to operate at top levels for a long time.
Methods for updating the driver that is not as common
In addition to the Nvidia GeForce Experience program, there are other methods for updating your Nvidia drivers, as previously stated. Additionally, you may do so via Windows Update or Device Manager, but Windows does not register new upgrades until several weeks after Nvidia first makes them available.
If you’re experiencing difficulty installing a fresh driver, your best bet is to go straight to Nvidia’s website for assistance. You may pick your GPU from a series of dropdown options on this page and then download and install the driver update straight from the website.
The procedure outlined here is rather self-explanatory, however, if you’re uncertain about which GPU you have, use dxdiag to find out for sure. (Draw a line under “dxdiag” in the Windows search box and click on the application that appears.) Under the Display tab, you will see information on your GPU.)
