[SOLVED] how to change my gpu

[brettapuss]

hey guys ive got a new graphics card arriving today and im just wondering how i go about switching the cards over. do i have to completely reinstall windows and start my PC fresh or is it just plug and play or is there something else entirely i have to do. sorry for the nooby question its just that usually if i do an upgrade its literally a new pc so i just start fresh anyways. this is the first time ive ever just switched GPU

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

before removing the current card;

you will want to remove ALL graphics related drivers, settings, & files.
download and run DDU in safe mode.

after it has completed
shutdown the system, switch off power supply.
maybe wait a minute or two
then switch out the cards.

power back up and download the latest available driver package directly from either or AMD or Nvidia.

 

[Wolfshadw]

What is the old card and what is the new card?

-Wolf sends

 

[brettapuss]

What is the old card and what is the new card?

-Wolf sends

the old card is an RTX 2080TI and the new is an RTX 3080.

SIDE NOTE - I dont even know if the GPU will work at all now because the delivery driver just dropped the parcel on the floor from head height so yay.

 

[Wolfshadw]

Should be just plug and play. The RTX 2080Ti and 3080 both use the same driver package.

-Wolf sends

 

[brettapuss]

Should be just plug and play. The RTX 2080Ti and 3080 both use the same driver package.

-Wolf sends

well i wont be finding out until thursday now lol. the GPU is dead the PCB snapped width ways and the io shield bent 90 degrees. so im getting a new one sent out

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

Should be just plug and play. The RTX 2080Ti and 3080 both use the same driver package.

you will still want to remove all previous settings & files related to the previous card.

many different versions of GPUs use the same driver package but make different use of the software and have different hardware specs that need to be reconfigured into the statistic profile(s).

you will find hundreds of threads here at Tom's alone with users having a very broad range of issues trying to just update to a higher iteration of the same series card without properly removing and reinstalling. the majority of them fixed after going through the process.
moving up to a whole new series would only complicate the matter further.

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

I dont even know if the GPU will work at all now because the delivery driver just dropped the parcel on the floor from head height so yay...

the GPU is dead the PCB snapped width ways and the io shield bent 90 degrees. so im getting a new one sent out

i would definitely be filing a claim with the shipping partner.
this is totally unacceptable.
even if the retailer is willing to RMA\refund, this driver needs to be reprimanded and taught not to treat our stuff this way.

 

[InvalidError]

well i wont be finding out until thursday now lol. the GPU is dead the PCB snapped width ways and the io shield bent 90 degrees. so im getting a new one sent out

That sounds like some epic shipping damage. Did the postal service try to squeeze the GPU box inside a letter-sized mail box? Ran it over with the truck a couple of times? Used the box as a ladder?

you will find hundreds of threads here at Tom's alone with users having a very broad range of issues trying to just update to a higher iteration of the same series card without properly removing and reinstalling. the majority of them fixed after going through the process.

It really depends on driver release quality and how much random junk floating around the PC may be interfering with the change-over process. Properly written drivers don't load until the hardware enumeration process loads them for a given device ID and then drivers do whatever they are going to do with that ID. For a new ID, drivers should go through their new hardware setup code path.

The only time I have bothered to uninstall drivers first was when switching from AMD to Nvidia since I wasn't going to need the AMD drivers anymore. I've tested GPUs for friends a couple of times and never had to re-install drivers between swaps either.

 

[Oxicoi]

I've tested GPUs for friends a couple of times and never had to re-install drivers between swaps either.

Better safe than sorry.

 

[Karadjgne]

Nvidia whql drivers are the same for all nvidia cards going back to pcie 1.1. Only pcie 1.0 is different. Most of what changes are game optimizations, additional drivers for RTX etc, which are usually generation dependant and only acvojht for specific performance optimization. But for the basics, all the same.

Only time I'd pre-DDU drivers is for a swap from AMD to nvidia or vice-versa, which I haven't had to do in almost 15 years lol.

 

[InvalidError]

Better safe than sorry.

There isn't much to be 'sorry' for, you can always uninstall and re-install drivers after-the-fact if it turns out to be necessary. In most cases, it shouldn't.