Nvidia graphics card driver updates

Hello All

I regularly get notifications of graphic card driver updates from Nvidia and usually install these (using the Nvidia installer program which always works seamlessly ) but! should I really bother ?I suppose like a lot simmers I always hope a new driver will make some sort of great increase in look or performance, but as our venerable old sim is a real senior citizen and in my case runs supremely well anyway could installing new drivers potentially cause more harm than good?

It's the ain't broke thing.

Thanks to all

Andrew

could installing new drivers potentially cause more harm than good?

Totally and absolutely YES imo!

If you play new games, the driver updates generally address issues for these new games as they are found. That's why there are so many driver updates. Then there are new cards. Nvidia will always look to make certain the current cards on the market perform at optimum because they want to sell these things!

Soooo....what happens if you run an old game and a card that is NOT current? Nvidia don't care and sure as heck don't make any effort to make your old card and old game perform better. They would be nuts to waste resources on this.

What I found a few years ago, by using new drivers at one stage, my fps actually decreased in a few old games with those new drivers.

My advice, it's best to use drivers around the period of your card's release. Find one that works best for everything you run and then stick with it!

You need to update drivers for a new card and new games.

Totally and absolutely YES imo!

If you play new games, the driver updates generally address issues for these new games as they are found. That's why there are so many driver updates. Then there are new cards. Nvidia will always look to make certain the current cards on the market perform at optimum because they want to sell these things!

Soooo....what happens if you run an old game and a card that is NOT current? Nvidia don't care and sure as heck don't make any effort to make your old card and old game perform better. They would be nuts to waste resources on this.

 

What I found a few years ago, by using new drivers at one stage, my fps actually decreased in a few old games with those new drivers.

My advice, it's best to use drivers around the period of your card's release. Find one that works best for everything you run and then stick with it!

 

You need to update drivers for a new card and new games.

Good stuff!

Thanks for your thoughts on this.

It makes a lot of sense .

My present card is a fairly up to date ,but modestly priced one. It performs very well though so no problems there (can't think of hand which one it is)

I have always updated the driver when a new version became available ,and so far have been lucky I have not really noticed any improvement or any detrimental effects either ,but what you say about today's games and there requirements

makes sense.

I have had some issues with windows 10 but maybe that WAS something to do with the Gcard drivers.( It can be very easy to blame Windows)

At this moment in time I have the most up-to-date version of 10 and apart from a minor glitch ie my mouse pointer turns black when I first enter full screen mode (easily fixed by another right click and the mouse reverts to my preferred white)Fs9 runs very well and starts very quickly thanks to a new SSD.

Anyway thanks for thoughts I will not update my Gcard drivers from now on (unless I hear a convincing argument otherwise.)

Thanks

Andy

Yep, update only if there is a reason to do so. Win 10 can be a reason to do so as they change the OS so much. If you have glitches in games or whatever else that appear they may be graphic driver issues, try new ones, reason to do so. In such situations new drivers are necessary. However, once you have a good setup with no glitches, don't touch those drivers!

A card only gives what it gives. It should perform at optimum and to the best of it's capabilities with drivers from the card's period. Beyond this, focus from Nvidia is on newer cards with little thought to any negative affects to older cards.

Yep, update only if there is a reason to do so. Win 10 can be a reason to do so as they change the OS so much. If you have glitches in games or whatever else that appear they may be graphic driver issues, try new ones, reason to do so. In such situations new drivers are necessary. However, once you have a good setup with no glitches, don't touch those drivers!

A card only gives what it gives. It should perform at optimum and to the best of it's capabilities with drivers from the card's period. Beyond this, focus from Nvidia is on newer cards with little thought to any negative affects to older cards.[/quote

 

My only interest is Flight simulation, so I don't have to worry about any other newer games and there requirements .

I will leave things as they are.

 

Thanks again.

 

Andrew.

That is a major issue in W10; it is not content to merely update itself but will update anything it finds on your system - vid drivers, sound drivers, print drivers, even some software. (One reason I will not use it.)

Very often I've stayed with older drivers, particularly vid drivers, because they performed better with my OS and hardware/software than the latest versions. Once had a racing sim in which headlights and taillights were suddenly surrounded by large white or red blocks after a vid driver update, tried everything i could think of, and many recommended "solutions", but reverting to older drivers was the only thing which cleared the problem.

That is a major issue in W10; it is not content to merely update itself but will update anything it finds on your system - vid drivers, sound drivers, print drivers, even some software. (One reason I will not use it.)

 

Very often I've stayed with older drivers, particularly vid drivers, because they performed better with my OS and hardware/software than the latest versions. Once had a racing sim in which headlights and taillights were suddenly surrounded by large white or red blocks after a vid driver update, tried everything i could think of, and many recommended "solutions", but reverting to older drivers was the only thing which cleared the problem.

Hello

At this particular time I have the most up-to-date version of w10 and all is good with Fs9 .

I have had problems in the past with W10 and that with one of its major updates ,which at the time I had to roll back to get the sim running again .I also found that there are free programs out there that will allow you to block 10s updates (they effectively give you back the choice you had in previous windows versions to pick and choose which updates (if any)you wish to install)

Anyways other events took over updating issues ie my hard drive expired (only fourteen months old so a wee bit annoying to say the least) my local shop Megabyte computers Worcester park UK (a little plug )suggested I might want to go for an SSD instead instead of a conventional drive ,it is a much smaller capacity than my old drive ,but the same price.

At the moment everything is good between 10 and Fs9.

I will keep an eye out for major 10 updates .

If need be I can use those free utilities to block Tens updates if they become problematic again.

PS windows 10 doesn't update my vid drivers i can select these manually if I wish ,but to take this back to my original point I will not be updating them any more I can't see the point for sixteen year old program which is running so well anyway and why risk the possibility of messing things up.

Cheers

Andy