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Update graphics drivers the right way

Also searched as: driver update · update gpu driver · clean install driver · ddu guide

The goal

Keep your graphics driver current for new-game performance without third-party updater tools.

Steps

  1. Get the driver straight from the vendor — AMD's or NVIDIA's own site or app — not from a third-party "driver updater."
  2. For a routine update, the standard installer is fine; you don't need to wipe anything first.
  3. Only reach for DDU (Display Driver Uninstaller, a trusted free scrubbing tool) when something's actually wrong — artifacts, a botched install, or switching card brands.
  4. If you do use DDU, run it, then install the vendor's current driver right after.

To undo

If a new driver misbehaves, use the vendor app's rollback option or DDU, then reinstall the previous version from the vendor's older-driver archive.

The Compy Blackbook holds 174 graded entries like this one, judged against your hardware — and every change it does make is reversible, with the receipt to prove it.

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