Drivers are those small programs necessary so that the operating system (whether Windows, macOS or Linux) can have control over the hardware and take advantage of it in the best possible way. Generally, it is advisable to always have the latest version of these drivers installed so that they can work in the best possible way, have no errors and guarantee the best compatibility. However, is it necessary to install each and every version?
Windows 10 normally takes care of downloading and installing all (or almost all) drivers from Windows Update. And, in addition, it keeps them updated. However, if we are going to use the PC to play games, the most important drivers that we must keep updated are those of the graphics . But is it necessary to install each and every version?
Install new versions of the drivers, necessary?
New versions of NVIDIA drivers often focus on fixing bugs, improving the performance of new graphics cards that have hit the market, and optimizing the performance of the latest games to hit the market.
Whenever we can, it never hurts to install these new versions. Rarely is the time they are going to do bad to the computer. However, many times we are not going to gain anything from it either, so it can be a waste of time.
If our graphics card has been on the market for some time, the controller will already be sufficiently prepared so that it can perform at its best. Also, if we are not going to play the latest triple A games that have just come out, we do not have to install the new versions either. Often times the only reason to keep NVIDIA drivers up to date is to fix bugs, both in performance and stability and in security, to keep the GPU working optimally.
Therefore, it is not necessary to have to constantly download and install drivers. It will be enough to lower them from time to time (when we remember, or when we go to play a new game) to be able to take full advantage of the performance of this GPU.
What about NVIDIA driver hotfixes?
Has it ever happened that NVIDIA drivers arrive on our PC with errors . There may be performance problems, crashes and it may even happen that blue screens appear while we play or use certain programs.
In these cases, NVIDIA does not release a new complete version of its drivers, but rather publishes a “hotfix” to solve these problems. This small park, which we must download and install by hand, focuses on correcting these problems. Later, when a new version of the drivers is released, these fixes will be included and will already be applied to all users.
Do I need to install all the hotfixes released by NVIDIA? Not again. Errors usually only affect very specific users , and installing them is not always a good idea, as they can lead to new problems. Only if we experience the errors that they claim to fix (for example, a blue screen with a specific code), then we should apply them. If not, we must continue as is and wait for the next update to update them.
