In our example here, we’re on a virtual machine.

(You can also simply type device manager into the Cortana search bar.)įind the Display adapters listing in the drop-down menu, open it, and find your GPU. Open the Windows menu and type device manager. Then you’ll know which version you have, and you can check to see if your graphics driver is out of date. If you’re performing your own updates, you first need to find your graphics driver and identify its model and manufacturer. So, if you haven’t been keeping your drivers current, you’re likely overdue for an update.įortunately, the process for updating your audio drivers, graphics drivers, and all your other drivers is largely the same. These are old GPUs, of course, but note that some 700 range offerings are Maxwell (like the GTX 750 and 750 Ti).Hardware manufacturers frequently issue updates for their drivers to ensure your PC components deliver optimal performance. That R495 driver will also ditch support (again, except for vital security fixes) for Kepler GPUs, meaning GeForce GTX 600 and 700 series graphics cards. The final Game Ready Driver that supports Windows 7/8/8.1 will arrive on August 31, with the new R495 driver that drops support arriving on October 4. Plus don’t forget, there are an increasing amount of games which are Windows 10-only, anyway. If you’re a gamer with an Nvidia graphics card, then, this could be another prod and reason to move on and grab that free Windows 10 upgrade (perhaps before Microsoft shuts it down, which could happen eventually – after all, we are seemingly on the cusp of Windows 11, or something similar). But folks might be sticking with Windows 8.1 perhaps because of legacy software, or maybe due to a distrust of Windows 10 fostered by all the earlier controversy around privacy (although much of that has been mitigated by Microsoft in more recent times). Admittedly, it’s a tiny amount of users – looking at the latest Steam hardware survey, it’s 1% of gamers on that platform (with more using Macs). There are still some folks on Windows 8.1, mind, even though you can still upgrade to Windows 10 for free (that freebie upgrade never actually went away).

In other words, whatever resources were focused on keeping Windows 8.1 afloat can now be redirected elsewhere. “In order to ensure GeForce owners experience the best possible security, support, and functionality, Nvidia will now focus on Windows 10 operating system.”

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