Confused about NVidia driver update

I have always used the stock NVidia drivers, I don't like using modded drivers (dox, Laptopvideo2go, etc).

I am currently on version 186.03 (8.15.11.8603)

When running the "Auto detect for updates" from nvidia.com, I get: "The manufacturer of this system requires that you download the driver for your GPU from their support site."

At dell.com, when inserting my service tag, I am offered 176.44 (7.15.11.7644, A03)...

I feel confused...

 

Yep! Nvidia always told his clients to download the driver from "your laptop" manufacturer official website. However, "your laptop" official website provides ancient driver forceware. OLD DRIVER = BUGGY, LOW PERFORMANCE and MANY STUFFS UNSUPPORTED
NEW DRIVER = BETTER, HIGH PERFORMANCE and MANY NEW FUNCTIONS

Nvidia company want to play safe. Even when you download the driver in nvidia website. It urges to agree some rules and regulation.
Example:
If the driver Nvidia provided can't be install and screw-up your laptop/desktop. Nvidia could have bad reputation or maybe get some complaints.
To avoid that, so, nvidia told its clients to download the safe driver(which is ancient with poor performance) from "your laptop" manufacturer website.
Get the latest driver in Nvidia if you want real game performance and driver up-to-date. Moreover, it is freaking SAFE. I always download latest driver from Nvidia and ATi. They are SAFE and cause ZERO problem to me for ages.

 

But I have downloaded drivers form nvidia.com before...

so this means it will be like that forever? Am I stuck with ancient official drivers from Dell, or modded drivers from (i.e.) laptopvideo2go?

 

You can still download and install the latest drivers from the Nvidia site.

 

Huh? Avoid Modded Drivers. They're unsafe compared to Official Drivers.
Modded Drivers are for advance users. Official Drivers are for normal people.
Modded Drivers boost performance slightly higher than Official Drivers in the cost of complicated installation and GPU temperature increase(for some users).
Official Drivers boost performance too but not as high as Modded Drivers, yet, they are very very SAFE and easy to install.

Official Drivers are very easy to install. Just download and click on the installer and get it done. When a new Official Drivers release again, just download the new driver and install it.
Example:
185.85 released. Download and install.
After a few weeks or months, 186.03 released. Download and install.
SAFE and EASY.

DRIVER FROM DELL. FORGET IT. THEY ARE NOT FROM DELL. THEY ARE STILL FROM NVIDIA. DELL JUSY COPY THEM FROM NVIDIA WEBSITE. DELL DID NOT UPDATE THEIR DRIVER DOWNLOADS AND SITE. SO, THEY ARE ANCIENT.
I am using Acer, it is the same here. The GPU driver Acer official website provides is ANCIENT too. HELL yeah! The drivers are from Nvidia not from Acer. They copy again. =.=!

 

yep, thats exactly why I have always been using official drivers.

This how I have always done it, just through the "auto detect update" thingy fron Nvidia, not choosing my GPU manually.

I just found that out. I thought that since the "auto updater" gave me that message, I wasn't going to be able to download them manually... but I can... I feel dumb...

thanks for your replies.

 

Modded drivers aren't always tweaked drivers.

Most of the modded drivers on laptopvideo2go are just the original release with a tweaked inf allowing install on a notebook.

 

what he said. Please, stop spreading false information and scaring people.

 

Tweaked drivers are not hard to install at all. Heck, the Dox drivers have their own installer that require nothing more than double clicking on it and following the prompts after a driver wipe.

Driver installation has largely become idiot proof.

 

its still safer to do it in safe mode and use driver sweeper to totally clean them out.