I Tried Every NVIDIA Driver - Does It Matter For FPS? (+ Benchmarks)

Summary

FrameSync Labs tested NVIDIA drivers released during 2024–2025 to determine whether driver choice meaningfully affects gaming performance. Benchmarks were run in Fortnite on Windows 11 24H2, with Core Isolation turned off and NVIDIA Control Panel settings left at their defaults.

Testing process

The presenter used Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU) in Safe Mode to remove the existing driver. They recommended disconnecting from the internet during this process to prevent Windows from automatically installing another driver. The selected driver was then installed using NVCleanstall, with only the graphics driver chosen and preset settings applied.

Each driver was tested three times on a Fortnite benchmark map. Results were combined to reduce run-to-run variation. The tests measured average FPS, low-percentile FPS, frame times, and latency.

Findings

Average FPS was broadly similar across most drivers, making it difficult to identify a clear winner. The top results for 1% lows were also close, averaging about 323 FPS, while driver 552.44 had the worst 1% lows. Results for 0.2% lows varied between drivers as well.

In the Game Ready versus Studio comparison, the Game Ready driver did not improve average FPS, but delivered 8.3% better 1% lows and 14.8% better 0.2% lows. Based on this test, the presenter considered Game Ready the better choice for gaming.

The presenter cautioned viewers about using older drivers below the cited 566.06-era version, though the exact warning is unclear in the subtitles.

What’s next

A future video will test NVIDIA Control Panel settings. The presenter also plans to run AMD benchmarks after ordering a Ryzen 7 X3D processor.

Sources and tools

Fortnite, CapFrameX, NVIDIA FrameView, LatencyMon, Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU), and NVCleanstall. No individual gamers or additional sources were named.