I'm contemplating whether to use Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU) after upgrading my GPU from a 4070 to a 5090. I did uninstall the drivers before swapping the cards and then reinstalled them, and everything seems fine. However, I had trouble logging into safe mode to use DDU since my PIN wouldn't work. So, do most people recommend using DDU during this upgrade, or is it overkill when sticking with the same brand?
5 Answers
No need to worry about DDU when the drivers are the same for Nvidia's series. Just use it if you're facing instability or problems after the upgrade.
You might not need to use DDU just for switching between Nvidia cards. If you're not having any issues, a clean installation of the new drivers in normal mode should suffice. Just remember to choose the clean install option when you're installing the new drivers! If you do want to get into safe mode, make sure to select the safe mode with networking option and log in with your Microsoft account password instead of the PIN.
Good tip! I got stuck in safe mode before because I didn't realize the PIN wouldn't work. Disabling the PIN-only login helped me out.
Yeah, and just a heads up for anyone new: the clean installation option resets your driver settings to defaults, which is important to keep in mind!
Honestly, I don't think it's necessary unless you're switching brands. I've swapped Nvidia cards before without issues. Just install the new drivers and you should be fine, unless you're experiencing some instability.
From my experience, I've switched between different Nvidia cards without uninstalling drivers and had no issues at all. So, really depends on your system's previous setup and requirements.
Am I the only one who always uses DDU between driver upgrades? 😂
Seriously, why? What’s your reason for going through that every time?
I'm with you! I do it too, and I've definitely cleaned up a lot of leftover files that way.
But remember, Nvidia releases drivers that fix issues specific to certain cards. If you don't use DDU, you might end up with some problems down the line.