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How to update drivers on your PC and why it matters: ASUS, MSI, Gigabyte and ASRock tools

A driver is a small program that lets Windows talk to a part of your PC: the graphics card, the chipset, the network adapter, the sound chip. Outdated or wrong drivers are one of the most common reasons for lower FPS, crashes, blue screens, no sound or a slow network. This guide explains why it is worth updating drivers, what to update and in which order, and how to do it with the official software of ASUS, MSI, Gigabyte and ASRock or by hand.

Why update drivers

  • Performance in games. New graphics drivers contain optimisations for new games and often fix stutters and crashes in them.
  • Stability. Many blue screens, freezes, flickering screens and “driver stopped responding” errors are fixed by a newer driver.
  • Security. Drivers run with high privileges. Updates close vulnerabilities in graphics, network and Bluetooth drivers.
  • Compatibility. A new CPU, a new Windows version, a VR headset or a new monitor often needs a recent chipset, graphics or network driver.
  • Features. Newer drivers can improve Wi-Fi and Bluetooth speed, USB and audio behaviour and power management.

But: if everything works well, you do not need to update every driver every week. Update the graphics driver every 1–2 months (or when a game asks for it), the chipset, network and audio drivers once or twice a year or when you have a problem, and the BIOS only when there is a reason (see our BIOS update guide).

Before you start

  1. Create a restore point: press Win, type “Create a restore point”, choose your system drive → Create.
  2. Find out what you have: press Win + R, type msinfo32 (processor and motherboard model), and open Device Manager (Win + X → Device Manager) to see the devices and their driver versions (right-click → Properties → Driver tab).
  3. Make sure you have a working internet connection. If the network driver itself is missing, download it on another device and move it with a USB drive.
  4. Close games and other programs, and do not turn the PC off during the installation.

In which order to update

  1. Windows Update (Settings → Windows Update, including “Optional updates”).
  2. Chipset driver – AMD Chipset Drivers or Intel Chipset Device Software, or the chipset package from your motherboard maker.
  3. Graphics driver – NVIDIA, AMD or Intel.
  4. Network drivers – LAN, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
  5. Audio driver (usually Realtek) and other motherboard drivers (storage, USB, etc.).
  6. Restart the PC after the chipset and graphics drivers, and again when you are done.

Update with the software of the motherboard maker

Each brand has its own program that checks what is outdated and installs it. They are optional: you can install one, update everything and uninstall it afterwards if you do not need its other functions (fans, RGB, monitoring).

ASUS – DriverHub and Armoury Crate

ASUS DriverHub is a small tool that checks the drivers and ASUS utilities for your motherboard and offers updates. Armoury Crate is a bigger application for fans, lighting and device management that also offers updates. Download them only from the official ASUS support page of your model (asus.com → Support → your model → Driver & Tools). Open the program, press the update check and install the items you need.

MSI – MSI Center and Driver Utility Installer

Open MSI Center → Support → Live Update, scan and install the available drivers and utilities. On a fresh Windows installation the MSI Driver Utility Installer usually appears after Windows Update: accept the terms, tick all components and press Install. It appears only once; if you closed it, use MSI Center or the manual download.

Gigabyte – GIGABYTE Control Center (GCC)

Open GIGABYTE Control Center → Update Center. It shows the installed versions and the available BIOS, firmware, driver and utility updates, and installs them only with your consent. You can read the release notes before you install.

ASRock – ASRock Live Update & APP Shop

Open ASRock Live Update & APP Shop → BIOS & Driver, tick the drivers you want and press Update.

Update by hand (the most reliable way)

  1. Find your exact motherboard model (msinfo32 → BaseBoard Product).
  2. Open the official support page of your brand, find the model and open the Driver / Download section. Select your Windows version.
  3. Download the drivers you need (chipset, LAN, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, audio), unpack the archive and run the installer (setup.exe). Install one at a time and restart when asked.
  4. For the graphics card, use the maker of the chip: the NVIDIA App (GeForce), AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition (Radeon) or the Intel Driver & Support Assistant (Intel Arc and integrated graphics). Choose “Custom / clean installation” if the card has problems after an update.

Clean removal of the graphics driver with DDU

DDU (Display Driver Uninstaller) is a free tool that completely removes an NVIDIA, AMD or Intel graphics driver together with its leftovers. Use it only when needed: when the driver does not install or uninstall normally, when crashes, black screens or artifacts started after an update, or when you change the graphics card to another brand (NVIDIA ↔ AMD). Its author warns that DDU should not be run for every ordinary driver update.

  1. Download DDU only from the official site (wagnardsoft.com) and unpack it into a folder on a local drive (C: or D:), not into a network or OneDrive folder. Download the new graphics driver in advance and keep it on the PC.
  2. Create a restore point. If the system drive is encrypted with BitLocker, keep the recovery key at hand.
  3. Disconnect the internet (cable or Wi-Fi) so that Windows Update does not install an old driver automatically.
  4. Start Windows in Safe Mode (hold Shift and click Restart → Troubleshoot → Advanced options → Startup Settings → Restart → press 4). This is the most stable way. Normal mode also works, but then clean, restart and clean once more.
  5. Run Display Driver Uninstaller.exe, choose the device type GPU and the maker of your driver (NVIDIA, AMD or Intel) and press Clean and restart.
  6. After the restart install the new driver that you downloaded in advance, then reconnect the internet.

On Windows 11 24H2, if you sign in with a PIN, make sure you remember your account password: the PIN may not work in Safe Mode.

Safety rules

  • Download drivers only from the official sites of the motherboard, video card or chip maker. Beware of look-alike sites.
  • Do not use “driver updater” programs from the internet (Driver Booster, DriverPack and similar). They often install wrong or outdated drivers and unwanted software.
  • Update one driver at a time and check that everything works before the next one.
  • Do not install beta or “optional” drivers unless you need a fix from their release notes.

If something goes wrong

  • Roll back the driver: Device Manager → the device → Properties → Driver tab → Roll Back Driver.
  • Black screen after a graphics driver: restart in Safe Mode (hold Shift while pressing Restart → Troubleshoot → Advanced options → Startup Settings), uninstall the graphics driver and install the previous version.
  • System Restore: use the restore point you created at the start.
  • Still a problem: check the BIOS version (it may be outdated too) and the Windows updates.

Official links