Is it still necessary to do a clean install of NVIDIA drivers every time you update?

[mimizukari]

I remember it was that way like a decade ago, dunno if updating has gotten better or not since then?

[Out Of Bubblegum]

I have never done a clean install just to update.

[mimizukari]

Originally posted by Out Of Bubblegum:

I have never don a clean install just to update.

and you've never run into decreased performance in games after an update due to excess driver files/etc?

[Jaunitta 🌸]

No. I update drivers manuall and it gives you an option to keep settings and install or clean install.
Doing clean install will require a reboot. Installing keeping settings doesnt.

[Naomi d'Moon]

Originally posted by Kurumi Tokisaki:

Originally posted by Out Of Bubblegum:

I have never don a clean install just to update.

and you've never run into decreased performance in games after an update due to excess driver files/etc?

i use nvslimmer to get rid of telemetry and unneeded features from the driver package, but other than that i never do a clean install.

[Revelene]

You don't "need" to clean install every time. But it doesn't hurt. Can help avoid issues.

Originally posted by Jaunitta 🌸:

No. I update drivers manuall and it gives you an option to keep settings and install or clean install.
Doing clean install will require a reboot. Installing keeping settings doesnt.

Clean install via the Nvidia driver installer package does nothing except clear your settings. It is not a real clean install.

[Snow]

I've never had any issues introduced by simply updating NVidia drivers.
On the other hand, if there was some kind of performance loss - I wouldn't notice, as I don't ever run my cards above 90% usage.

[xSOSxHawkens]

I do, but I am super old fashioned like that...

[mimizukari]

Originally posted by xSOSxHawkens:

I do, but I am super old fashioned like that...

any particular reason or benefit that it gives you over not doing it?

Originally posted by Snow:

I've never had any issues introduced by simply updating NVidia drivers.
On the other hand, if there was some kind of performance loss - I wouldn't notice, as I don't ever run my cards above 90% usage.

mad props to the shiki ryougi bg. still not enough fans of hers in the anime/light novel world.

[Snow]

Originally posted by Kurumi Tokisaki:

mad props to the shiki ryougi bg. still not enough fans of hers in the anime/light novel world.

It's the very idea of seeing the lifelines and cutting them, you know? There's something so laconic about it.
And Yuki Kajiura's music. One of those rare cases I downloaded the full soundtrack.

[darkkterror]

I only did a clean driver install recently since I've been playing Apex Legends and getting a DXGI Device Hung error. Turns out that probably wasn't necessary as Nvidia literally just released a new driver that claims to fix the DXGI Device Hung error in Apex so it wasn't an issue of needing a clean driver install, just a new driver!

Other than that recent occurrence, I don't typically bother with clean installs. I just do upgrades. I can't say I've noticed any performance lose or any issues that I could later pinpoint to not having a clean driver install.

[Aliquis Freedom & Ethnopluralism]

I feel like it's never necessary.
People just do it for some reason anyway.

[Revelene]

Originally posted by Aliquis Freedom & Ethnopluralism:

I feel like it's never necessary.
People just do it for some reason anyway.

It can fix a lot of driver related issues.

[xSOSxHawkens]

Originally posted by Kurumi Tokisaki:

Originally posted by xSOSxHawkens:

I do, but I am super old fashioned like that...

any particular reason or benefit that it gives you over not doing it?

B/C when I dont this happens:

Litterally days after reading this I updated my GPU drivers. Accidentally pressed the space key on the launch screen and it auto-started the express install. I figured I would let it do its thing... Works fine, or so it seemed...

That night I had the first BSOD since building the system.

Went through three or four days of the system being glitchy AF. Would randomly lock, would have major issues with gfx driver crashes when doing things like 2d/3d handovers (like leaving a full screen video and transfering from HW rendering to SW rendering). Also started throwing errors on both alt-coin mining and on SETI@Home (RIP 2020).

Got fed up and went and grabbed the newest beta drivers that had been put out in the week since the upgrade. Tried them, again using the express install, still same issues.

Ran a re-install with the advanced options selected and chose to do a clean install with full removal of previous drivers...

Have now been 4 days crash free. Back to getting credit for SETI submissions and no longer crashing under loads or mining, or anything else.

Thats why.