Pay for your PC in installments (up to 12 payments)Updating your drivers is one of the best habits to improve stability, fix bugs, and sometimes boost performance (especially on the graphics card).
In 2026, the golden rule is simple: update in the right place, and not with any software.
Which drivers should you update first?
- Graphics card driver (GPU): most important for gaming (new games, fixes, stability).
- Chipset (motherboard / CPU platform): important for stability, USB, and power management.
- Network (Wi‑Fi / Ethernet): useful if you have disconnects, unstable ping, or old drivers.
- Audio / Bluetooth / peripherals: only if there’s a bug, incompatibility, or new hardware.
The simplest (and safest) method: Windows Update
For most PCs, Windows Update offers you validated drivers and they’re generally stable.
- Go to Settings → Windows Update → Advanced options → Optional updates → Drivers, then install what’s offered.
- If needed, you can also use the Device Manager(type into the Windows search bar): right‑click a device → Update driver → “Search automatically”.
📌 To know: Windows Update is often slower than the manufacturers for GPU drivers, so for your graphics card, prioritise the dedicated method below.
Update your graphics card (most important)
NVIDIA (GeForce)
- Go to the official page for the GeForce Drivers (or use the NVIDIA app that handles updates automatically).
- If you have an issue (crashes, artefacts, unstable FPS), do a clean installation: during installation, choose Custom then Clean Install.
AMD (Radeon)
- Use the official AMD page “Drivers & Support”: you can search for your GPU or use the tool Auto-Detect and Install to detect and install the correct driver.
- AMD says that the tool launches the installer and retrieves the latest versions suited to the detected hardware.
Intel (Arc / iGPU)
- Simplest solution: Intel Driver & Support Assistant (DSA) which detects your Intel hardware and suggests updates.
Update the chipset (AMD / Intel)
On a desktop PC, it’s often forgotten, and yet it can fix “weird” bugs (USB, sleep mode, stutters, etc.).
- AMD Ryzen Chipset : AMD also provides auto-detection for the chipset on its support page.
- Intel platform : use Intel’s download centre / DSA depending on your hardware.
📌 If it’s a laptop, first prioritise the manufacturer website (Dell/HP/Lenovo/Asus…) for “specific” drivers (touchpad, power management, OEM functions).
Errors to avoid (very important)
- ❌ Avoid “Driver Booster / Driver Updater” software: they sometimes install unsuitable versions or questionable packages.
- ❌ Don’t update “everything” if your PC is stable: for most people, GPU + chipset is enough.
- ✅ Always download from official sites (NVIDIA / AMD / Intel / your PC manufacturer).
When should you do a “clean install”?
Do a clean installation of the GPU driver if you have:
- crash/black screen after update
- artefacts
- abnormal performance
- a conflict after changing the GPU
For NVIDIA, the option “Custom → Clean Install” is explicitly provided in their procedure.
For AMD/Intel, if there’s a major problem: uninstall the driver + reinstall from the official source (or the auto-detect tool).
Mini checklist (2 minutes)
✅ Windows Update (including “Optional updates → Drivers”)
✅ GPU driver via NVIDIA / AMD / Intel (official source)
✅ Chipset (AMD/Intel)
✅ Restart
✅ Quick test: 1 game + a light benchmark / monitoring
