Tuesday, October 12th 2021

NVIDIA Releases Game Ready 496.13 WHQL GeForce Graphics Driver, Support Removed for Windows 8.1/8/7 & Kepler

Updated by
AleksandarK
 Updated: Discuss (80 Comments)
NVIDIA has today launched its 496.13 game-ready WHQL GeForce graphics driver with many improvements and changes. Starting with the naming, the company has jumped from the 472.12 WHQL version released on September 20th to the 496.xx naming released today. Such a significant increase in version naming is uncommon, and makes us wonder why the company decided to do it, probably in preparation for the Windows 11 branch of their drivers, which uses version 500.

Starting from release 496.13, NVIDIA has also removed support for Windows 8.1, Windows 8 and Windows 7. The last driver to support these operating systems is 472.12. This makes some sense, since between this release and today, Microsoft has launched their Windows 11 operating system. NVIDIA also trimmed more fat by removing support for the Kepler architecture, which was launched in 2012 and included models like GeForce GTX 780 Ti, GTX 780, GTX 770, GTX 760, GT 740, GT 730, GTX 690, GTX 680, GTX 670, GTX 660 Ti, GTX 660, GTX 650 Ti and GTX 630.

Update 15:57 UTC: Added confirmation from NVIDIA
Download NVIDIA GeForce Graphics Drivers 496.13 WHQL.

In addition, this release is unique because it lacks the standard, non-DCH driver version that NVIDIA usually releases, in addition to the DCH driver. Today's release contains the DCH version of the driver only, pushing Microsoft's DCH driver packaging technique as the way forward. Both AMD and Intel have been shipping DCH drivers exclusively for a long time. On NVIDIA, the only significant difference is that the classic driver control panel is gone and that you'll have to download the UWP version through the Microsoft App Store.

We reached out to NVIDIA, who confirmed that R495 is the latest version with support for Windows 7/8.x, and that they'll focus on Windows 10/11 DCH going forward. AMD stopped supporting these operating systems several months ago.

As with any game-ready driver, NVIDIA added support for the latest Back 4 Blood, Baldur's Gate 3, and Crysis Remaster Trilogy, which are October's upcoming games. As we previously covered, this driver also expands NVIDIA Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) support to a few more games, which we have covered in the previous post here. For a full change-log, please see the list at the end of the post.

List of bug fixes and improvements:

Game Ready
  • Back 4 Blood
  • Crysis Remastered Trilogy
  • Baldur's Gate 3
  • Rise of the Tomb Raider DLSS
  • Shadow of the Tomb Raider DLSS
  • Chivalry 2
  • Riftbreaker
  • Sword and Fairy 7
GeForce Experience Settings Support
  • Alan Wake Remastered
  • Diablo II: Resurrected
  • Far Cry 6
  • FIFA 22
  • Hot Wheels Unleashed
  • Industria
  • Kena: Bridge of Spirits
  • MIR4
  • New World
  • Sable
  • Severed Steel
  • Tales of Arise
  • The Legend of Heroes: Hajimari No Kiseki
  • Titan Quest: Anniversary Edition
  • World War Z: Aftermath
NVIDIA Control Panel > Manage 3D Settings
  • Added Shader Cache Size control to set the maximum amount of disk space to use for storing shader compiles.
  • Vertical Sync options for Optimus notebook GPUs are now the same as for desktop GPUs.
NvIFR OpenGL support.
  • Removed. Release 470 was the last driver branch to support this functionality.
Fixed
  • [GeForce RTX 3080]: The system does not boot with two Samsung Odyssey G70A 28" monitors are connected to the GPU. [3359697]
  • [GeForce GTX 960]: The primary monitor lost after resume from sleep or shutdown. [3340905]
  • [Windows 11]: The screen flashes once after switching to the discrete GPU-only mode in the NVIDIA Control Panel. [3330077]
  • [Multiple Apps][Ansel/Freestyle]: Depth of field filter shows blurry characters. [200749545]
  • [Notebook]: Vulkan test applications run on the integrated graphics processor instead of the discrete GPU. [200770322]
Windows 10/11 Issues
  • [Doom Eternal][HDR][FSR]: Eternal]: Texture across the game darkens and is unplayable after enabling HDR + FSR. [200776916]
  • [Rise of the Tomb Raider]: Characters and background disappear and corruption is prominent when Anti-Aliasing is set to SSAA 2X and SSAA 4x. [200777463]
  • [Deathloop][HDR]: TDR/corruption occurs in the game with Windows HDR enabled.
  • If this issue occurs, toggle the Windows HDR setting.
  • [YouTube]: Video playback stutters while scrolling down the YouTube page. [3129705]
  • Tom Clancy's The Division 2 may display graphical artifacts. [200754013]
  • Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed may crash on courses where players drive through water. [3338967]
  • [HDR][G-Sync]: Mouse pointer gets stuck after turning on HDR from the Windows Control Panel or after toggling G-Sync from the NVIDIA control panel. [200762998]
  • To work around, click the mouse (right or left button). The mouse cursor will be sluggish for a few seconds before returning to normal operation.
  • [NVIDIA Control Panel]: After setting the display multiplexer type to "dGPU", the setting is not preserved across a reboot or resume from S4. [200779758]
  • [Windows 11]: Display goes blank when video is switched to full-screen with G-Sync enabled. [200778687]

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80 Comments on NVIDIA Releases Game Ready 496.13 WHQL GeForce Graphics Driver, Support Removed for Windows 8.1/8/7 & Kepler

#51
pf100
Maybe someone who knows how to mod drivers could combine the separately downloaded control panel from the microsoft store into a 496.13+ driver package in such a way that it installs on LTSC (or as a way to bypass the store in non-LTSC versions), effectively making the DCH driver a standard driver except up to date.

Also possible might be using older standard control panel (from driver 472.12?) with newest drivers. You might lose a feature or two here and there doing it this way, such is shader cache size adjustment, but if it works it might be worth it.
Posted on Reply
#52
StefanM
pf100Maybe someone who knows how to mod drivers ... in such a way that it installs on LTSC
I had already talked to @Wizzard about that >here<, but he did not add that feature to NVCleanstall yet.
Meanwhile remove the build check manually:

[Manufacturer]
%NVIDIA_A% = NVIDIA_Devices,NTamd64.10.0...17098
[NVIDIA_Devices.NTamd64.10.0...17098]

Then use an expert tweak in NVCleanstall to trigger rebuilding the signature.
Posted on Reply
#53
Mussels
Freshwater Moderator
lexluthermiesterThat is a weird glitch. Have you reported it to NVidia?
I tried to report it, and got f*cking annoying responses back

Have you tried uninstalling and reinstalling the latest driver?
About 7 more emails asking about my experience, i kept saying "driver has bugs, go away" and clicking do not contact me... and they kept sending the same automated replies asking me to rate their service
Posted on Reply
#54
arni-gx
Slizzo496.13 was giving me some really strange behavior, as in GPU usage and game performance would drop to the floor any time mouse input was detected by the system. As in, framerates are mostly good until I try to use the mouse. Then usage and framerate drop to near 0. Stop moving mouse and it jumps back up again.

Can move with keyboard without issue.

Rolled back to 472.12, issue resolved. Did a few DDU installs in between to test. Initially I had installed 496.13 (which is DCH) over my standard 472.12, though the issues were due to that, so I DDU'd and installed 496.13 fresh. Nope same issue. DDU and go back to 472.12, and everything is fine.


I'm on Win 11, been running insider preview since early Sept, so same build as shipping. Everything up to date.
pf100MSI 3060 ti gaming x trio, Ryzen 5 3600, MSI x570 Gaming Plus motherboard, 32 GB DDR4 3600, Windows 11 Enterprise RTM 22000.282 (manually updated to .282 by installing KB5006746 with corresponding service stack update so that I now have the Ryzen L3 fix as detailed in a howto here).

Also, while I'm replying, I'd like to mention that since I posted yesterday that I DDU'd back to 472.12 (and installed using nvcleanstall), I've played some games for a few hours since then and it's still rock solid stable with 472.12. No problems at all. It appears that there may be something wrong with 496.13.
so, both of you has problem with this new nvidia driver, because both of you have using OS Win 11 with beta update.....
c2DDragonI am trying those drivers on Windows 10 right now.
The cool feature added is the Shader Cache Size control :

Sorry, I was lazy to change the language in english for the screenshot x)

"The shadow (or shader) compilation for applications can be ignored if the result of this compilation is in the cache. This will reduce stutters and start-up time of applications."

So far it seems it's working, lowering little loadings in AC: Valhalla.
is that new features, must use SSD or HDD user can use it too ??

also, how much that parameter must to be set on DRIVe C with space size 400gb on WIn 10 ??
Posted on Reply
#55
c2DDragon
arni-gxis that new features, must use SSD or HDD user can use it too ??

also, how much that parameter must to be set on DRIVe C with space size 400gb on WIn 10 ??
It's a brand new feature, yes.
There are folders in %SystemDrive%\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Local\NVIDIA called DXCache and GLCache, I guess it's there.
I'm using a SSD for Windows and I keep my user files on it. I don't think it's really important to use a SSD or an HDD, I got files in DXCache since 12th (563Mo), I used DDU before installing and did put 100Go as cache in nvidia's control panel. I didn't really check the weight of the folders neither their existence before those new drivers.
Posted on Reply
#56
arni-gx
c2DDragonIt's a brand new feature, yes.
There are folders in %SystemDrive%\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Local\NVIDIA called DXCache and GLCache, I guess it's there.
I'm using a SSD for Windows and I keep my user files on it. I don't think it's really important to use a SSD or an HDD, I got files in DXCache since 12th (563Mo), I used DDU before installing and did put 100Go as cache in nvidia's control panel. I didn't really check the weight of the folders neither their existence before those new drivers.
100 GB... just for shader cache ?? i think its to much overkill for that...... why u are doing that ?? why not 10gb ?? 5gb ?? or, just only 1gb on HDD/SSD space ??
Posted on Reply
#57
lexluthermiester
MusselsHave you tried uninstalling and reinstalling the latest driver?
Not yet. I'm still on 472.12.
MusselsI tried to report it, and got f*cking annoying responses back
MusselsAbout 7 more emails asking about my experience, i kept saying "driver has bugs, go away" and clicking do not contact me... and they kept sending the same automated replies asking me to rate their service
I've sent off a few carefully worded emails to NVidia which state that not including the control panel with the driver package is, and I'm going to paraphrase here, mentally lacking.

Not surprisingly, I've had no response at all.
arni-gx100 GB... just for shader cache ?? i think its to much overkill for that...... why u are doing that ?? why not 10gb ?? 5gb ?? or, just only 1gb on HDD/SSD space ??
Here's a simple solution: Turn the shader cache OFF, as in disabled. It doesn't really improve performance enough to justify it's existence and the excessive use drive space.
Posted on Reply
#58
arni-gx
lexluthermiesterNot yet. I'm still on 472.12.


I've sent off a few carefully worded emails to NVidia which state that not including the control panel with the driver package is, and I'm going to paraphrase here, mentally lacking.

Not surprisingly, I've had no response at all.



Here's a simple solution: Turn the shader cache OFF, as in disabled. It doesn't really improve performance enough to justify it's existence and the excessive use drive space.
hmm, there is no difference with turn off or turn ON in that shader cache option ...... interesting.....

so, are u using win 10 with this new driver ??
Posted on Reply
#59
pf100
arni-gxso, both of you has problem with this new nvidia driver, because both of you have using OS Win 11 with beta update.....
I'm assuming that we'll have to wait until next patch Tuesday to see if the ryzen L3 cache fix update released to the public is actually KB5006746 (which updates the Windows 11 version to 22000.282) as I and others have already installed manually (and it does seem to fix the issue, mostly), and then determine if KB5006746 is causing issues with nvidia's DCH driver 496.13 or not.
I'm also assuming that we only have anecdotal evidence of an issue with Windows 11 22000.282 and nvidia DCH driver 496.13, and not further evidence of a general problem with it.
I just checked the nvidia forum for any general issues with 496.13 and as usual it's just people complaining of bugs, not much different than any other driver release as far as I can tell, so I don't know if there's a bigger problem with the new driver or not.
I defer to those who know more about this than I do.
Posted on Reply
#60
c2DDragon
arni-gx100 GB... just for shader cache ?? i think its to much overkill for that...... why u are doing that ?? why not 10gb ?? 5gb ?? or, just only 1gb on HDD/SSD space ??
It is indeed overkill, I don't use my Windows Drive space much, there is the common files, my documents and system cache, temp files, so I got a lot of free space on this drive.
It doesn't "eat" 100GB, it will let the cache folders grow until 100GB (for my case) if I understand well.
1GB should be enough.
lexluthermiesterHere's a simple solution: Turn the shader cache OFF, as in disabled. It doesn't really improve performance enough to justify it's existence and the excessive use drive space.
It depends on the performance of the CPU I guess.
The feature permits to prevent the deletion of the cache files until the max size of the folder I think, and so, the CPU won't have to calculate again a lot of already calculated operations.
Posted on Reply
#61
lexluthermiester
arni-gxso, are u using win 10 with this new driver ??
Currently, Windows 11 and Windows 7. No differences on either. I was on LTSB and then LTSC. I tested games with it on and with is off. Differences were margin of error. Even with games like Control, Horizon Zero Dawn and CyberPunk2077, the differences were minimal and did not justify the extra disc space usage.
c2DDragonIt depends on the performance of the CPU I guess.
Not really. I've got one system with a Xeon W3680, another with a Xeon 2667v2 and a third with a Ryzen 3900X. No differences.
Posted on Reply
#62
c2DDragon
lexluthermiesterNot really. I've got one system with a Xeon W3680, another with a Xeon 2667v2 and a third with a Ryzen 3900X. No differences.
xD
It's supposed to help, not to be 99% useless.
Weird, I have the feeling it not that useless but it's just a feeling.
I have no idea, especially thinking Valhalla & GTA Online did run smoother, maybe it's an illusion, I can't tell.
Posted on Reply
#63
pf100
lexluthermiesterCurrently, Windows 11 and Windows 7. No differences on either. I was on LTSB and then LTSC. I tested games with it on and with is off. Differences were margin of error. Even with games like Control, Horizon Zero Dawn and CyberPunk2077, the differences were minimal and did not justify the extra disc space usage.
Did you check to see if shader cache files were actually deleted when you disabled shader cache? Because if you didn't, and it didn't, then there would obviously be no difference in performance.
If you did check and they were deleted, then never mind.
Posted on Reply
#64
lexluthermiester
pf100Did you check to see if shader cache files were actually deleted when you disabled shader cache? Because if you didn't, and it didn't, then there would obviously be no difference in performance.
If you did check and they were deleted, then never mind.
If you mean in this folder;
C:\ProgramData\NVIDIA Corporation\NV_Cache
Then yes, I manually deleted them. Fairly certain the cache files are generated in that folder unless someone wants to correct me.
Posted on Reply
#65
LifeOnMars
3600,3060 ti and using the driver on Windows 11. No issues whatsoever, everything I have installed playing fluidly and actually better frametime consistency than Win 10.

@lexluthermiester - Shader cache files are in -

C:\Users\Username\AppData\Local\NVIDIA

At least on my setup they are.
Posted on Reply
#66
lexluthermiester
LifeOnMars@lexluthermiester - Shader cache files are in -

C:\Users\Username\AppData\Local\NVIDIA

At least on my setup they are.
Fair enough. I looked here;
C:\Users\*username*\AppData\Local\NVIDIA\GLCache
Found nothing. But I'll remember that folder for future. Thank You!
Posted on Reply
#67
StefanM
lexluthermiesterFair enough. I looked here;
C:\Users\*username*\AppData\Local\NVIDIA\GLCache
Found nothing. But I'll remember that folder for future. Thank You!
Replace asterisks with percent signs
c:\Users\%username%\AppData\Local\NVIDIA\
Posted on Reply
#68
lexluthermiester
StefanMReplace asterisks with percent signs
c:\Users\%username%\AppData\Local\NVIDIA\
I was doing the whole "for example" thing.
Posted on Reply
#69
arni-gx
so, there is lot of problems with this new nvidia driver, it is because, the user is not using OLD WIN 10, but..... most of them is using NEW Win 11 ??
Posted on Reply
#70
lexluthermiester
arni-gxso, there is lot of problems with this new nvidia driver
Want problems are we talking about?
Posted on Reply
#71
Slizzo
arni-gxso, both of you has problem with this new nvidia driver, because both of you have using OS Win 11 with beta update.....
My "Win 11 with beta update" isn't what you think. Like I said in my post, I was on Insider Preview from September on. And as I said in my post, that Insider Preview is the SAME BUILD NUMBER, as the launch version of Windows 11. I received no updates to my build of Windows 11 upon release day, because my version of Windows was up to date, and the same thing as the launch version of Windows.
arni-gxso, there is lot of problems with this new nvidia driver, it is because, the user is not using OLD WIN 10, but..... most of them is using NEW Win 11 ??
No, there's Win 10 users with issues as well. I suggest you take a look at the r/NVIDIA subreddit that has a thread about this driver as well.
Posted on Reply
#72
amymor
hi
do u find any way for updating standard drivers or installing DCH+NVCP on win 10 without store (like LTSC etc)?
thanks
Posted on Reply
#73
Slizzo
amymorhi
do u find any way for updating standard drivers or installing DCH+NVCP on win 10 without store (like LTSC etc)?
thanks
NVIDIA no longer offers standard drivers, and their new drivers bundle the NVCPL in the DCH driver by default.
Posted on Reply
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