I need to know what I'm doing with my CPU and GPU
I need to know what I'm doing with my CPU and GPU
Dark breeze has provided great recommendations for those guides and EVGA PrecisionX.
I don’t own an RTX card, but I faced the same flickering screen and OC stability problems when using the latest drivers (with Ray Tracing) for my MSI GTX 1660 TI Armor OC.
Switching back to the older version 219.67 resolved the flickering, and my card remained stable even with higher GPU and memory clock speeds.
Consider testing an older driver or a newer one if available for your card to see if it fixes the issues.
And it could be clear, yet not so much, that each time you upgrade a driver is essential. In my view, and if you aim for optimal performance without cluttering the registry with unnecessary files, it’s wise to apply the DDU before installing the new Nvidia drivers. Every single time.
I may not always be strictly required in every situation, but to prevent any issues that might arise from multiple driver layers, I suggest doing it consistently.
Below are the initial actions to consider when addressing these hardware challenges. If you have already attempted these steps exactly as described, we can proceed to more complex fixes.
If there are any steps you haven’t tried yet, it would be best to do so simply to confirm you’ve already addressed them and rule out that possibility.
First,
verify that your motherboard runs the latest BIOS version. If not, upgrade. This resolves many problems even when newer graphics card releases don’t explicitly mention hardware compatibility improvements. They rarely list every modification in their release notes.
Second,
visit the official product page for your motherboard on the manufacturer’s site. Download and install the most recent driver versions for the chipset, storage controllers, audio, and network adapters. Don’t skip updating just because you think it won’t affect your issue. A driver update for one device can often impact all connected devices, and an unstable release can cause broader system problems. Drivers aren’t released randomly for fun. When a new driver is available, there’s a valid reason behind it. The same applies to BIOS updates.
If you have additional hardware not covered by the motherboard drivers, check the support page for that component and see if newer drivers exist. If so, install them.
The final point we should address,
for now at least, is the graphics card drivers. No matter whether you’ve already installed the latest drivers for your graphics card, a thorough clean installation is often beneficial. Simply updating over old drivers or attempting a clean install using tools like the Display Driver Uninstaller isn’t sufficient—it usually yields better results than relying on these methods. This approach has a high success rate and is always worth trying.
If you’ve ever installed both Nvidia and AMD graphics cards, run the DDU twice: once for the previous driver set (Nvidia or AMD) and again for the current drivers (AMD or Nvidia). If you previously had an Nvidia card, start with the DDU for that model, then proceed to install AMD drivers after completion.
Here are detailed instructions on using the Display Driver Uninstaller and performing a clean graphics card driver installation.
Additionally, I advise against using GeForce Experience. I prefer the standalone drivers provided by Nvidia. I’ve experienced no issues with them, and many other users have as well. In fact, I’m confident Steve from Gamers Nexus also recommends using standalone drivers and steering clear of GFE. He consistently follows this approach when configuring a test system for reviews.
Great information from darkbreeze. Personally, I don’t use GeForce Experience since its minor perks don’t outweigh the compatibility problems. Updating to the latest BIOS isn’t always beneficial. Many times the newest BIOS can be buggy and create more issues than it fixes. It’s wise to check posts by others with your exact model and MB to see their experiences with each BIOS version. For instance, I own a Strix B450-F Gaming with BIOS version 1201, which is more stable for RAM OC than the two newer versions available so far. Also, the newer versions have cold boot problems that don’t occur in version 1201.
If Turing operates similarly to Pascal, then the simplest method to enhance your GPU performance is simply increasing the power limit.
GPU overclocking after ten generations has become somewhat unnecessary since the GPU handles it automatically via GPU Boost 4.0.
Increasing the power limit provides the card with additional flexibility to push itself even higher without requiring stability checks.
Well, absolute statements are seldom found when discussing modern PC hardware. I believe the chances of issues arising from being on the latest BIOS version are much smaller than the number of times it has caused problems, particularly with Ryzen and its memory compatibility challenges, where it often resolves many issues. Of course, that doesn’t apply to every situation, and I never suggest updating to a Beta BIOS/UEFI unless it’s truly essential to fix a specific problem that you personally encounter and that support is addressing.
Beyond that, I’m in agreement that it’s usually wise to test first, but in the nearly three decades I’ve spent working with systems there, only two instances have seen a BIOS update cause more harm than good—excluding one major incident many years back where a BIOS update completely failed the system. Today, updating the BIOS feels almost inevitable, similar to updating drivers. Ideally, it shouldn’t be that way, but unfortunately it often is. So it comes down to half of a dozen, and as with any PC-related matter, there’s rarely a clear-cut yes or no answer.