NVIDIA’s recent GPU driver updates have stirred up quite a bit of trouble for users with GeForce RTX 40 series graphics cards, and even some with older models, as the company has yet to tackle these issues directly.
### Trouble Brewing with GPU Driver 572.XX on RTX 40-Based Systems
Ever since NVIDIA rolled out the RTX 50 series in January, users with the previous RTX 40 series have found themselves sidelined in terms of bug resolutions. It’s common for manufacturers to shift focus to their latest products. However, while the RTX 50 series itself faced its own set of problems, such as blue screens of death (BSODs), the RTX 40 series cards were relatively stable with prior driver versions. The situation took a nosedive when RTX 50-compatible drivers, notably the 572.XX version, began causing significant issues for RTX 40 GPU users.
On Reddit, user u/Soctty1992 shared his frustrating experiences with the new driver, 572.XX, and compiled various reports describing similar troubles. These complications include system crashes, black screens, and display malfunctions, issues that were nearly unheard of before the era of driver 572.XX.
Many affected users discovered that reverting to the 566.XX drivers, which were available before the release of the 572.16 update on January 30th, eased these problems. This update aimed to support the new RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 and brought with it features like DLSS 4, Multi-Frame Generation, and DLSS Override. Not every feature use consistently triggered the issues in question, but a combination of factors necessitates further investigation.
A case in point is a user who reported that their RTX 4080 card caused Cyberpunk 2077 to crash right at startup, a problem that only resolved with drivers predating 572.XX. Another user running an RTX 4090 experienced repeated black screens, freezing issues, and even a complete inability of the monitor to turn on, issues that also vanished after reverting to the older drivers.
Despite these persistent reports from users since January, NVIDIA has appeared to turn a deaf ear to these pleas, focusing instead on resolving the BSODs plaguing RTX 50-series systems—an issue that took weeks to iron out. As a result, many RTX 40 card owners have had to roll back their drivers, forsaking the advantages of the newest updates. These benefits include the Transformer Model DLSS 4, enhanced Ray Reconstruction, and an expanded DLSS-supported games roster.
It’s a tough spot for these users who must now choose between system stability and cutting-edge features—the very features that first drew them to NVIDIA’s technology.
