Updating the graphics card driver is easy, as both NVIDIA and AMD notify you of new drivers. The rest of the controllers do not warn, so you have to find solutions for this.
Whether you want to update the drivers for your graphics card or another component, the best solution is driver booster. This software searches for the latest versions of the drivers that our computer needs, downloads and installs them. So we do not have to go to the manufacturer’s website or search manually.
What types of drivers does NVIDIA offer?
Let’s focus on the drivers for the NVIDIA GeForce graphics cardsbe it the GTX variants or the RTX variants.
The company currently offers two types of controllers. game-ready is the name given to the drivers intended for play in the computer. Studio is the name given to drivers especially designed for editing video, layout, 3D design, etc.
NVIDIA GameReady
These drivers are used by any user with a GTX Series or RTX Series graphics card.
Its name already gives us a pretty strong clue of the purpose of these controllers: to play. These are released periodically, roughly every month or two. They are characterized by including improvements and optimizations for new games that are coming soon or improvements for certain games already on the market. In addition, they “allow” the use of Ray Tracing in games or add support so that the game can use this technology.
Not only this, they are responsible for us being able to use the NVIDIA DLSS technology in games that support it. This image scaling technology allows to improve the amount of FPS within the game.
Additionally, these controllers correct problems that occur with different games or programs. They also add a list of known issuesbut have not yet been resolved.
They also usually make security adjustments, correcting different vulnerabilities. Normally this information is ignored, although it can be consulted in the NVIDIA documentation that they offer on their website.
drivers for laptops
If you go to the NVIDIA website to download the drivers, you will see that the desktop models appear and others that in parentheses indicate “Notebook”.
Really there is no difference among these controllers at present, they are the same. A few years ago there was a difference, which was visible in the size of the file. The differences above all was the level of customization of the drivers and the added technologies.
Also, a few years ago NVIDIA developed different solutions for laptop graphics. Above all, these technologies were focused on optimizing graphics performance and lengthening autonomy. This has been “emulsified” organically and is already present in all drivers, even desktop ones, to reduce consumption when the graphics card is at rest, especially.
At the moment this distinction between desktop and laptop graphics is maintained, but it would not be unusual for it to disappear in the future.
NVIDIA Studio
Surely these controllers do not sound like anything or practically nothing and it is normal. These drivers are developed for GTX Series and RTX Series graphics cards (among other products) and add optimizations for heavy tasks like video editing or 3D design.
Some people use their systems with NVIDIA graphics to very different tasks when playing. For a long time the company has worked to offer content creators high-quality solutions. In addition, they offer special drivers for this type of user.
These controllers are characterized by having performance optimizations In certain environments such as Premiere, Photoshop or Unreal Engine, among others. Currently these drivers are optimized for over 50 different design and editing applications.
It should be noted that the performance improvement is also not substantial enough to justify its use. Also, offering the drivers separately can be a bit annoying for some users. Making a game after a long day of work is common and having this segmentation of controllers can be a hassle. It is true that we will be able to play without problems, but it may be that the performance is worse or we cannot fully enjoy certain technologies.
Other NVIDIA drivers
We have commented that there are more types of drivers, apart from Game Ready and Studio. Let’s talk a little about them and what products they are used for:
- NVIDIA RTX / Quadro: Professional graphics cards focused on heavy and complex tasks
- Production Branch/Studio: They offer optimal stability and performance. Offers ISV certification, long-term support, regular security updates, and access to legacy features
- New Feature Branch (NFB) / Quadro New Feature(QNF): They add new features, bug fixes, compatibility with new operating systems, and other improvements not yet present in production drivers. They have more limited support and often contain more issues
- Data Center / Tesla: They are not drivers specifically said, they are rather tools to optimize the operation
- Legacy: They are drivers for products that NVIDIA officially no longer supports. They are intended for those who have very old systems, they can have the latest drivers available for their products
Within the NVIDIA drivers page there are other branches of products and drivers, but they are very specific. We have highlighted the ones that we have found most interesting, apart from the Game Ready and Studio.
