Drivers (software that interfaces with your graphics card) often include vital bug fixes and/or optimizations. Your card is generally shipped with a driver pre-packaged, but this driver is usually out of date by the time it reaches your computer. One of the most important steps you can perform when installing a new graphics card, or using a new computer, is installing the most up-to-date driver.
The update process will vary depending on the specific graphics card you have, but many players will find that they likely own a card from one of three major product lines: NVIDIA, AMD or Intel. Since these are the most common types of graphics cards, we will cover the basic update process for each.
How to Identify Your Graphics Card
- Press Windows Key 🪟 + R to open a Run window
- Type dxdiag in the dialog box
- Press Enter
- Select the Display tab for your main display
- Note the name and manufacturer of your card in the Device window
Updating your GPU
Most common graphics card manufacturers have a solution that scans your computer and updates drivers automatically. They can be found here: