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    Benefits of updating GPU drivers.......

    Discussion in 'Alienware 17 and M17x' started by Joe85, Jun 12, 2011.

  1. Joe85

    Joe85 Notebook Deity

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    Hi guys,

    Im a little worried about updating my GPU drivers, im constantly reading that people get BSOD when they do.

    What are the actual benefits of updating your drivers and do you have to do it? How do you know if there up to date?

    Thanks.
     
    Joe85, Jun 12, 2011
    #1
  2. ACHlLLES

    ACHlLLES Notebook Virtuoso

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    If you play new games that's out, you will want to update the drivers so the newer games can run more smoothly. If you don't game much, I don't see much of benefits until you do get some new games.
     
    ACHlLLES, Jun 12, 2011
    #2
  3. DR650SE

    DR650SE The Whiskey Barracuda

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    Benefits include better performance. The stock Dell drivers pail in comparison to the amd 11.5 drivers. Especially when used with the profiles for games (CAP) That said on my benching drive i still have 11.4 since i haven't had time to bench or update. I also still have the Dell drivers on everyday setup. haven't had time or the care to update that either. If you game a lot and performance is something you want to boost, I say go for it. I never had any bsod with 11.4 drivers. Just install over the Dell stock and that should alleviate any issues. Thats what i had to do with 11.4 on the benching drive. Typing from my phone while walking so i probably made some errors.
     
    DR650SE, Jun 12, 2011
    #3
  4. Joe85

    Joe85 Notebook Deity

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    Which drivers do i doenlaod and where from?
     
    Joe85, Jun 12, 2011
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  5. Joe85

    Joe85 Notebook Deity

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    Also, if i ordered my laptop after the release dat will they already be installed? How do you tell?

    All these driver upgrades can be a little overwhelming........
     
    Joe85, Jun 12, 2011
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  6. Mj082

    Mj082 Notebook Guru

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    Well in sc2 i gained about 35-40 fps more because of new drivers :].
     
    Mj082, Jun 12, 2011
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  7. reborn2003

    reborn2003 THE CHIEF!

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    The main benefits that I hope for with new and updated GPU driver releases are:

    Better performance increases for the games that I play.
    Better stability and flickering fixes.
    Random Bug fixes.
    Increased battery life (Bonus but not necessary).
    Lowers Fan noise
    Lowers Heat
    Improvement of the Utilization of Dual GPU setups
    Gains in FPS for older games.
    Extra features in Control panels
    Benchmarking improvements
    + others

    Cheers. :)
     
    reborn2003, Jun 12, 2011
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  8. Joe85

    Joe85 Notebook Deity

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    Where do you download from and how do you know if you have the most current drivers? will it harm my computer if download a driver i already hvae?
     
    Joe85, Jun 12, 2011
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  9. JoeyFUZZ911

    JoeyFUZZ911 Notebook Evangelist

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    No just go to the website and download the drivers for ur specific card. If u already have it it will just override it or say u already have it and don't need to update. Updating drivers is alwaysnamgood thing. They fix problems that are associated with the card.
     
    JoeyFUZZ911, Jun 12, 2011
    #9