However these points didn’t present up in our evaluation of the 50-series, which was our first trace that it’s associated to a driver model difficulty.
Recreation builders have lately begun recommending rolling again to older NVIDIA drivers:
inZOI, the studio which NVIDIA has closely promoted for partnership with its AI options, threw NVIDIA below the bus, stating, “Utilizing driver variations 572.xx or later could lead to occasional body drops or stuttering […] If points persist, we advocate putting in model 566.36.” This driver is from December.
Developer Neople said, “Utilizing driver variations 572.xx or later could lead to occasional body drops or stuttering.”
This aligns with our findings from the previous week, the place we’ve been making an attempt to copy these points which have been extensively reported on-line.
Apparently, we discovered that the order of the screens in Home windows, as within the show out order of monitor 1 and monitor 2 within the OS through the precise {hardware} connection to the video card, appeared to have an effect on stability.
Person studies generally word numerous show issues like black screens, flickering, and generally even unprompted system reboots and crashes to desktop. This consists of different forms of crashes too, like crashing to desktop. Upon a more in-depth inspection, it wasn’t solely 50-series customers coping with the problems. Many customers of NVIDIA’s earlier generations of GPUs, notably the 40 and 30 collection, are additionally affected by the latest drivers.
A number of customers speculated on the influence of a number of screens, the influence of blended or larger refresh charges, and even how NVIDIA’s personal G-Sync is likely to be affecting the driving force stability.
There’s been a minimum of one megathread on Reddit with tons of of studies and these points have been within the information because the launch of the 50-series.
We’ve been capable of replicate these points and have remoted a few of the causes. We even have some stopgap options. They’re not nice, however could assist in the meanwhile. This additionally applies to a number of card generations. So far as we all know, it impacts the 30 to 50 collection GPUs.
Person studies appear to level to driver 566.36 as probably the most secure latest driver.
This model was launched on December fifth, 2024, simply previous to the 50 collection launch in January. Within the 4 months since that driver’s launch, NVIDIA has posted six GeForce Recreation Prepared Drivers and a minimum of 4 GeForce “Hotfix” Drivers particularly aimed toward fixing bugs and system crashes.
Testing Configuration
Time to get into our testing configuration.
With the intention to higher perceive the driving force issues that earlier technology NVIDIA customers are at the moment experiencing, we tried to recreate a few of the points ourselves.
Earlier than we started, we went by an assortment of person studies to seek out video games, system configurations, and particular settings that appeared particularly problematic to get a place to begin for our testing.
For our testbench setup, we used a modified model of our commonplace check bench. We additionally purchased a pair video games that individuals had explicit points with. Our commonplace GPU evaluation bench didn’t exhibit any of the problems with drivers initially, so we modified it.
Parts included these:
- CPU: 9800X3D
- GPU: 4070 Tremendous
- Screens: Twin-monitor setup utilizing an Acer 4K 60Hz monitor (not G-Sync appropriate) and a Dell Alienware 1080p 360Hz monitor that’s G-Sync appropriate, which we ran at 240Hz. Each have been linked through DisplayPort. And this half is vital: In Home windows, we manually set the monitor order:
- Monitor 1: Acer 4K show
- Monitor 2: Alienware monitor, which was checked as the principle show within the Home windows settings).
- Motherboard: ASUS ROG X670E Hero
- RAM: 2x16GB (32) of DDR5 6,000Mhz Trident Z5
- PSU: EVGA 1600 T2
- Driver model: We used 572.83 initially because it was the newest after we started our testing, which was launched on March 18th, 2025
So we now have a really intentional combine of various decision shows, completely different G-Sync compatibility, completely different refresh charges, and, after all, we’re going to vary the drivers as we undergo our testing.
Our first objective was to easily determine a recreation crashing. From there, we’d recollect what occurred main as much as the failure after which doc a course of that we might observe to make sure the crash occurred each time. As soon as we have been capable of persistently reproduce the complication, we’d change one variable at a time whereas maintaining all others the identical with the intention to isolate the elements concerned and decide potential causes. For every occasion, we individually disabled G-Sync, body technology, DLSS, and generally different settings (relying on the sport). We additionally moved to a single monitor after which swapped output ports on the GPU between the 2 screens for every recreation difficulty we skilled. Suffice it to say, this all took some time.
Broad Findings
Right here’s what we discovered:
In our testing on NVIDIA’s most up-to-date driver, 572.83, we discovered 4 completely different cases of recreation crashes that might be persistently reproduced.
In Star Wars Outlaws, we skilled failures after choosing “resume” within the startup menu. In Marvel Rivals, we’d observe system reboots both instantly after making use of body technology within the pre-menu settings, or after making use of the settings after which exiting to desktop from a match.
In Cyberpunk 2077, we encountered reboots when loading into the sport.
In Shadow of the Tomb Raider, when working the in-game benchmark we confronted a recreation crash together with a driver error. After rolling again to a earlier driver, we might not replicate any of those identical failures on any of those video games. And that’s the rationale this took per week or 2 to place collectively as a result of we tried to isolate to see if it was a recreation drawback, one thing referring to NVIDIA, or NVIDIA settings in that recreation.
Based mostly on our preliminary findings, we believed the driving force points could also be affecting some customers which are working on a particular mixture of {hardware} and shows/graphics settings. Particularly, these utilizing two screens with G-Sync and body gen enabled. We additionally discovered one thing actually fascinating relating to the bodily output ports on the GPU itself and the way the screens are recognized in Home windows show settings. We don’t absolutely perceive it but, however we’ll go over that commentary shortly.
We’ve got extra findings to go over first.
Much less Conclusive Findings
DLSS and Reflex may additionally issue into the equation, however sadly we weren’t capable of make a transparent willpower. In some video games, DLSS or Reflex is robotically enabled when utilizing body gen. Which means, we weren’t all the time capable of absolutely isolate every of those variables as a result of one will pressure the opposite. Moreover, generally reducing the refresh price to 120Hz on our second monitor would resolve points, whereas different occasions it didn’t.
One thing that particularly stood out to us was that we might solely replicate 3 of the 4 failures when each screens have been linked through DisplayPort and when monitor 2 was checked as the principle show in Home windows settings.
As seen within the picture above, when our Acer monitor was plugged into what we’re calling slot 3 and our Alienware monitor was plugged into what we’re calling slot 2, we didn’t have any points. However after we swapped the slots the screens plugged into, successfully changing “monitor 1” to “monitor 2” inside Home windows and vice versa, after which made monitor 2 the principle show, we noticed the crashes once more persistently.
That is much less to do with the bodily ports getting used and extra to do with how Home windows and the drivers are treating the screens of their “1” and “2” slots. We couldn’t let you know why this conduct causes points, however should you’re having bother, swapping screens 1 and a couple of might doubtlessly assist.
We really discovered this by chance. The day after we recorded our first recreation crash, we reconfigured the bench and commenced making an attempt to set off it once more, however couldn’t. It wasn’t till we realized that the one distinction was that the DP output slots on the GPU had been modified. After switching them again to the unique place, we have been instantly capable of observe the failure once more. To our shock, this identical circumstance appeared in a number of video games.
Recreation Crashes
As for similarities between the problems: In Star Wars Outlaws, Marvel Rivals, and Cyberpunk 2077 (all video games that natively assist DLSS 4), we have been unable to supply a failure when both G-Sync or body gen have been disabled. We additionally individually couldn’t set off a crash after swapping output slots or on a single monitor setup.
DLSS 4 and body gen are additionally issues right here. It’s not simply the monitor order or the monitor ports.
The error in Shadow of the Tomb Raider was completely different from the video games beforehand mentioned. This recreation was unaffected by G-Sync. It additionally doesn’t characteristic a body gen setting (a minimum of the model we examined doesn’t). Moreover, it skilled the identical failures on a single monitor and after swapping output slots. So not one of the different points we’ve talked about so far have been the trigger for Shadow of the Tomb Raider.
As an alternative, we have been capable of boil this drawback right down to having “RTX Shadow High quality” set to Extremely within the in-game settings. And we all know for a proven fact that this didn’t all the time trigger a crash as a result of we now have run assessments on it with RTX Shadow High quality set to Extremely in prior variations of our benchmark suite with completely different drivers.
With reference to our evaluation, the principle commonality between all 4 of those video games is that they crashed on NVIDIA’s most up-to-date drivers on the time of testing, however after rolling again to 566.36, we have been not capable of set off that very same error.
Rolling again to driver model 566.36 doesn’t assure that crashes will cease. From what we’ve learn on-line, there are nonetheless points with that driver. In our case, we’re unable to immediate the identical failures we had beforehand been capable of. This, together with numerous person studies, appears to recommend that driver 566.36 is at the moment probably the most secure driver that NVIDIA has launched lately. 566.36 is from December and predates the launch of the RTX 50 collection, so wouldn’t be appropriate with 50-series playing cards.
There are quite a lot of different points reported on-line, however that’s what we’ve replicated up to now.
Many customers noticed issues in video games that didn’t happen till after a number of hours of gameplay. As a lot as we’d wish to, we will’t spend a number of hours enjoying a random recreation to see if it’ll presumably crash. It’s simply too unpredictable. On the identical word, simply because we weren’t capable of repeat our failure after we turned G-Sync or body gen off, doesn’t imply that turning these choices off will resolve all issues, however hopefully it’ll assist a few of you.
Different Frequent Points
There have been another points we generally noticed in our analysis:
We’ve seen a number of studies that there’s a difficulty with waking from sleep or resuming from idle states and we have been capable of create a minimum of one among these by chance. We observed on one among our private PCs that there have been points waking the system from sleep when the PC had been idle. And on wake, the screens seem to activate however don’t obtain any sign and the screens stay black. Fixing this required a PC reboot. Home windows has its personal a long time of points with sleep and S3 states, so it’s exhausting to particularly pinpoint who’s at fault for this one between NVIDIA and Microsoft.
One other difficulty we’ve seen going round has to do with the alt+tab shortcut appearing buggy and freezing video games when switching home windows whereas enjoying a recreation.
We did often encounter this bug, nevertheless it wasn’t one thing we noticed each time and gave the impression to be resolved fairly simply by urgent the Home windows key or alt+tabbing again into the sport. Once more, this one is tough to pinpoint between NVIDIA and Microsoft.
NVIDIA Driver Notes
NVIDIA has had some driver notes addressing elements of this, regardless of the driving force not fixing all the pieces.
In NVIDIA’s 572.83 driver launch notes, one open difficulty states, “[Cyberpunk 2077/Half-Life 2 RTX] PC could bugcheck with error 0xd1 when enjoying recreation whereas utilizing DLSS Body Gen + G-SYNC [5144337].”
We’re glad that points relating to border gen and G-Sync are being acknowledged, however we’d wish to see extra from NVIDIA right here. This can be a comparatively imprecise description and solely mentions two video games which are affected by this a lot bigger difficulty.
NVIDIA has additionally had a number of sizzling fixes. We’ve reported on a few of them the place it’s saying it’s making an attempt to repair points with the unique 50 collection after which simply principally all the pieces.
Recommendations for These Affected
We’ve identified that NVIDIA has shifted its focus in direction of bigger enterprise purchasers and away from its gaming market. That’s wonderful — nevertheless it shouldn’t be screwing up areas the place it has lengthy had such refinement. NVIDIA is understood for its driver stability, and the corporate, in its collection of screwups for 2025, is beginning to chip away at that in an period the place AMD’s drivers have turn out to be comparatively secure. These driver points are one other mark upon NVIDIA’s tarnished gaming popularity with the 50-series launch as the corporate shifts focus, however shedding prior-gained floor shouldn’t be within the playing cards, and NVIDIA hopefully will acknowledge that these points are damaging to its long-term model credibility.
We’ll finish off with some options for customers experiencing points:
For non-50 collection customers who’re confronted with recreation crashes on NVIDIA’s newest drivers, we’d first advocate swapping the order of your show outputs on the GPU itself. We don’t absolutely perceive how efficient this repair is but, nevertheless it’s easy and labored for us. We’d additionally recommend swapping cables to HDMI, which isn’t supreme, to see if that adjustments something as a stopgap.
For those who don’t really feel strongly about G-Sync or body technology being enabled, we’d then recommend disabling a kind of settings and see should you’re capable of resolve the problem that means till NVIDIA is ready to get its s*** collectively. Contemplating NVIDIA’s complete advertising gimmick these days has been body technology, it is a dangerous resolution for NVIDIA, however hopefully it’s a stopgap.
If neither of the above be just right for you, our final suggestion can be to rollback to a earlier driver. For those who’re capable of recall a particular driver that you simply beforehand used that didn’t trigger any issues for you, we’d advise reinstalling that one.
In our case, 566.36 appeared to treatment our issues and appears to be shared by customers as one of many extra secure ones at the moment obtainable.
As common course of management, we’d advocate putting in drivers instantly from NVIDIA’s web site and disconnecting from the web for installs and uninstalls. We all the time uninstall earlier drivers utilizing Show Driver Uninstaller (DDU) in protected mode, pause home windows updates, and carry out a clear set up earlier than reconnecting to the web. It’s not one thing that we skilled, however we now have seen person studies claiming that putting in drivers utilizing the NVIDIA App led to sure points, and reinstalling the identical driver however from NVIDIA’s web site as an alternative solved these issues.
Conclusion
Sadly, all of those options are solely short-term workarounds, and we will solely look ahead to a brand new NVIDIA driver to supply a legit resolution and get it collectively. This has been a completely abhorrent and fully embarrassing launch for the corporate. That is the worst NVIDIA launch we’ve lined and it could be the worst GPU collection launch we’ve ever lined. That’s saying so much contemplating AMD has had some impressively dangerous drivers for years. NVIDIA has taken that over. At the least with Intel Arc and its Alchemist GPUs, our expectations have been low, and Intel has taken notable steps to handle its points. NVIDIA, then again, continues to fumble in impressively dangerous methods. That is the kind of factor that helps the corporate lose market share.
Within the meantime, we’ll proceed to observe the driving force scenario and can present an replace after we discover a extra secure resolution offered by NVIDIA.
