NVIDIA has stirred up quite the storm with their latest GPU drivers, especially for those rocking the GeForce RTX 40 series and earlier models. Strangely, NVIDIA has yet to tackle these swirling issues head-on.
Lately, numerous accounts have come forward about how the GPU driver version 572.XX is wreaking havoc on systems built around the RTX 40 series. Ever since the RTX 50 series made its debut in January, it seems the RTX 40 series has been somewhat sidelined. While it’s normal for newer models to take the spotlight, the RTX 40 cards were relatively stable until the introduction of these drivers, which appear specifically engineered to support the RTX 50 series.
A Reddit user going by the handle u/Soctty1992 shed some light on his frustrating encounters with this driver version, compiling reports that echo a series of overlapping bugs. From system crashes and black screens to bizarre display glitches, these problems were seldom seen before the 572.XX update reared its ugly head.
It’s telling that many have found relief by reverting to the older 566.XX drivers. Released prior to the troubling 572.16 update dropped on January 30th for the RTX 5090 and 5080, the earlier drivers seem to provide a more stable experience. This January update coincided with a wave of new features like DLSS 4, Multi-Frame Generation, and DLSS Override. While these innovations are exciting, they seem to be a double-edged sword, triggering a host of new complications for some users.
One individual revealed how their RTX 4080 couldn’t handle Cyberpunk 2077 without crashing right at launch, an issue that vanished once they rolled back to pre-572.XX drivers. Another user with an RTX 4090 shared a litany of woes, including persistent black screens and complete monitor failures, all of which were resolved with the older 566.XX drivers.
Despite the clamoring from the community since late January, NVIDIA has seemingly turned a blind eye to these cries for help. Their primary focus appears to have been on addressing BSOD issues for the RTX 50 series, which, incidentally, took several weeks to mend. This has left many RTX 40 users caught in a tough spot—stuck choosing between rollback to functioning drivers and losing access to new perks like the Transformer Model DLSS 4 and updated Ray Reconstruction.
In light of these developments, it’s clear that beyond just rolling out the latest and greatest, NVIDIA needs to ensure that homage is paid to existing users who are faithfully navigating the choppy waters of these driver updates.
