A friend of mine is switching from an NVIDIA GPU to an AMD one but is unsure how to properly handle the driver uninstallation. They currently use a Ryzen 5 3600 CPU, so integrated graphics aren't an option for them. Can we simply install the AMD GPU, boot into safe mode, and uninstall the NVIDIA drivers, or do we need to keep the NVIDIA GPU installed while uninstalling the drivers?
4 Answers
I just went through this yesterday. I downloaded DDU and the AMD drivers ahead of time, then powered down, swapped out the GPUs, booted into Safe Mode, ran DDU, and rebooted before installing the AMD drivers. It was a smooth process—seems like you can either uninstall first or swap GPUs; both work fine.
I recently went from a 3080 to a 9070 XT. I just put in the new GPU, booted up my PC, ran DDU, then installed the latest drivers without any issues. It was pretty straightforward.
You can uninstall the drivers anytime, but it's usually easier to do it before removing the NVIDIA card. I recommend using Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU) for the job, but just note that your system will still work with the AMD card afterward, just not at optimal performance until you get the drivers sorted.
No need to stress about removing the NVIDIA drivers before putting in the AMD card. It's totally doable afterward if needed. DDU is mentioned a lot, but honestly, it should be a last resort if you encounter problems.
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