New Nvidia drivers enhance performance in benchmarks, but crashes and gaming issues persist

Nvidia's new RTX 50 drivers boost benchmarks but worsen gaming crashes.

: Nvidia's latest driver version 576.02 boosts performance by up to 8% in 3DMark's Steel Nomad benchmark. However, users report a performance decline in major games and persistent crashes. ComputerBase confirmed improvements in RTX 5090, 5080, 5070 Ti, and 5070 but no change in other benchmarks. Developers recommend older drivers for stability with RTX 40 and 30 series cards.

Nvidia's RTX 50 series launch has been fraught with challenges, but the introduction of driver version 576.02 brings some relief to users seeking performance boosts. This latest driver version promises up to an 8% improvement in scores for 3DMark's Steel Nomad benchmark, as noted by users on the ComputerBase forums. This translates to performance increases for the RTX 5090, 5080, 5070 Ti, and 5070 graphics cards, with reported boosts up to 2,000 points, according to user submissions and screenshots.

Despite these gains, the same cannot be said for other major benchmarking tools such as 3DMark's Speed Way and Time Spy, which users report as remaining largely unchanged or even demonstrating a 1% decline. Furthermore, enthusiasts on Reddit have detailed ongoing issues with game performance. Popular titles like Black Myth Wukong, Assassin's Creed: Shadows, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, and Monster Hunter Wilds continue to suffer from crashes, particularly during shader compilation, suggesting systemic issues in the new driver integration.

The narrative surrounding Nvidia’s RTX 50 series is further complicated by these stability concerns. Critics have vehemently pointed out that new GPUs have, at times, performed on par with the RTX 40 series, with the RTX 5070 performing nearly identically to the 4070 Super. The stock situation adds another layer of difficulty, with many users finding it challenging to purchase these new GPUs at MSRP due to initial shortages.

To combat these persistent issues, Nvidia's patch notes for drivers released since February try to assure users that efforts to fix bugs are ongoing. However, the mixed reception from the community and the advice from developers to continue using older drivers such as version 566.36 highlight a critical lack of stability that Nvidia has yet to fully address.

The introduction of the RTX 5060 Ti, however, offers a glimmer of hope, with reviews indicating a decent performance differential over the 4060 Ti, provided the user opts for the 16GB variant. This improvement underscores Nvidia's attempt to regain consumer trust after much backlash over previous releases. Users anticipate more consistent updates moving forward to address these recurring issues comprehensively.

Sources: TechSpot, Reddit, ComputerBase.

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