Upgrading from GTX 1080 to GTX 1080 Ti - Do I need to install new drivers?

[kingneptune11706]

Hey all,

I am upgrading from an MSI GTX 1080 Gaming X to an EVGA GTX 1080 Ti SC2 GAMING. Do I need to uninstall my current NVIDIA drivers before installing my new 1080 Ti? Or can I use the exact same drivers I have installed now - in other words, can I just turn my computer off, take out my current 1080, pop in the new 1080 Ti, and be good to go?

I was also reading that NVIDIA drivers have this clean install option where it will delete the old ones for you, should I do that?

What is the correct process for upgrading from a GTX 1080 to a GTX 1080 Ti? Thank you.

 

[alexoiu]

Hi, The old driver should work. Power off, remove the old gpu and install the new one.

 

[bgunner]

While the cards are based off the same chip there a subtle differences that can effect how the driver interacts with the card. To be safe I recommend a reinstall of the driver to be sure. The only time I don't recommend a installation of the driver is when you are changing the card to the same type of card. ( no up or down grade.)

Your current driver may work but end up with issues down the line this is the reason for a driver uninstall reinstall.

 

[alexoiu]

While the cards are based off the same chip there a subtle differences that can effect how the driver interacts with the card. To be safe I recommend a reinstall of the driver to be sure. The only time I don't recommend a installation of the driver is when you are changing the card to the same type of card. ( no up or down grade.)

Your current driver may work but end up with issues down the line this is the reason for a driver uninstall reinstall.

I usually don't reply to other users than the OP, but this one let me somehow stumped. Are there different NVidia drivers for 1080 and 1080 TI? Can you point to those drivers and explain the differences?

 

[kingneptune11706]

While the cards are based off the same chip there a subtle differences that can effect how the driver interacts with the card. To be safe I recommend a reinstall of the driver to be sure. The only time I don't recommend a installation of the driver is when you are changing the card to the same type of card. ( no up or down grade.)

Your current driver may work but end up with issues down the line this is the reason for a driver uninstall reinstall.

When I go to install NVIDIA drivers, under the "custom install", there is an option for "clean install". Will this definitely uninstall the old drivers before installing the new ones? Or is there a better way to uninstall all drivers first? Thanks.

 

[bgunner]

doing a clean install will wipe the the driver and all Nvidia software from the machine then usually reboot the PC and reinstall the driver in the package. Usually the clean install is the best option to wipe the current and any past drivers then install the current on the the package.

 

[bgunner]

While the cards are based off the same chip there a subtle differences that can effect how the driver interacts with the card. To be safe I recommend a reinstall of the driver to be sure. The only time I don't recommend a installation of the driver is when you are changing the card to the same type of card. ( no up or down grade.)

Your current driver may work but end up with issues down the line this is the reason for a driver uninstall reinstall.

I usually don't reply to other users than the OP, but this one let me somehow stumped. Are there different NVidia drivers for 1080 and 1080 TI? Can you point to those drivers and explain the differences?

The driver download is the same but what gets installed and settings within the driver can be different. as the driver starts to install it scans for and detects the installed GPU then installs the proper components and settings for the installed GPU.

So as for a different driver there isn't one per say, so no link to be given, just what is installed and settings for the installed GPU can be different. This is why both Nvidia and AMD use the same driver for there GPU's respectively, it is more of software settings within the installation that prevent the swapping of the GPU unless you are going to the same GPU. Confusing I know and I haven't wrapped my whole head around how it works yet.

 

[k1114]

Because it's not true. Even if you change gpu of different series, it's not needed and wouldn't have issues. They use the same driver for multiple series because there is no need for separate drivers. Drivers detect the hardware and it can easily see the device id no matter what hardware it is. There are no extra settings and no separate settings that get installed. All device ids are listed in the driver and everything is installed. You can install different cards at the same time without needing to reinstall drivers for the same reason. I've done multiple switches from fermi, to kepler, to pascal, or whatever all on the same driver install. There is no point and would make testing longer.

 

[alexoiu]

Because it's not true. Even if you change gpu of different series, it's not needed and wouldn't have issues. They use the same driver for multiple series because there is no need for separate drivers. Drivers detect the hardware and it can easily see the device id no matter what hardware it is. There are no extra settings and no separate settings that get installed. All device ids are listed in the driver and everything is installed. You can install different cards at the same time without needing to reinstall drivers for the same reason. I've done multiple switches from fermi, to kepler, to pascal, or whatever all on the same driver install. There is no point and would make testing longer.

Thank you. I couldn't say it better...

 

[kingneptune11706]

Because it's not true. Even if you change gpu of different series, it's not needed and wouldn't have issues. They use the same driver for multiple series because there is no need for separate drivers. Drivers detect the hardware and it can easily see the device id no matter what hardware it is. There are no extra settings and no separate settings that get installed. All device ids are listed in the driver and everything is installed. You can install different cards at the same time without needing to reinstall drivers for the same reason. I've done multiple switches from fermi, to kepler, to pascal, or whatever all on the same driver install. There is no point and would make testing longer.

Are you 100% sure? Have you ever went from one card to a more powerful one, kept the same drivers, and definitely saw the performance increase you expected? I keep worrying that if I don't do a fresh driver install, my 1080 Ti will perform the same as my old 1080 and I will have upgraded for nothing.

 

[bgunner]

Because it's not true. Even if you change gpu of different series, it's not needed and wouldn't have issues. They use the same driver for multiple series because there is no need for separate drivers. Drivers detect the hardware and it can easily see the device id no matter what hardware it is. There are no extra settings and no separate settings that get installed. All device ids are listed in the driver and everything is installed. You can install different cards at the same time without needing to reinstall drivers for the same reason. I've done multiple switches from fermi, to kepler, to pascal, or whatever all on the same driver install. There is no point and would make testing longer.

You may have been able to swap GPU's But in my experience I've had to reinstall drivers both from AMD and Nvidia because of graphical glitches and drivers crashing. This is why I always recommend a re installation of drivers unless you are changing to the same model of card. I am not the only one here that has had these issues and am surly not the only one to recommend the same thing. As for a longer time testing, driver uninstall and reinstall only usually takes less than 5 mins. SO, please explain how it takes longer to test?

 

[k1114]

I never said it wasn't recommended, just not necessary. It doesn't change the fact that the extra settings part of your theory is not true. Drivers are complicated beasts and even without changing any hardware at all, people have needed to reinstall drivers from issues as you may have experienced. Ddu is necessary for an actual uninstall which may still be 5 min with an ssd but 20+ gpus, multiple times a year, with no difference makes you wonder what else you can do to save weeks of your life doing.

 

[kingneptune11706]

I never said it wasn't recommended, just not necessary. It doesn't change the fact that the extra settings part of your theory is not true. Drivers are complicated beasts and even without changing any hardware at all, people have needed to reinstall drivers from issues as you may have experienced. Ddu is necessary for an actual uninstall which may still be 5 min with an ssd but 20+ gpus, multiple times a year, with no difference makes you wonder what else you can do to save weeks of your life doing.

Can you explain to me the most proper way to uninstall my current NVIDIA drivers fully? I should note that I have the full NVIDIA suite installed (drivers, geforce experience, audio driver, physx, etc...).

I guess - can you tell me what you recommend I do in order to upgrade from my GTX 1080 to my GTX 1080 Ti? Sorry for all the questions I just want to make sure I do this correctly.

 

[k1114]

From a 1080 to 1080ti I wouldn't bother. If you must then run ddu. It's simple and has popups to tell you what to do.

 

[johnyj7657]

so im upgrading from a 660ti to a 1080
Can I just plug in the new card and boot up and then use the GeForce experience to update latest drivers or should I uninstall then power down and swap cards and then restart and install?

Been a while

 

[k1114]

My own pc went from a 560ti to a 1060. I just swapped the gpus and have been updating drivers. I have yet to have any issues and everything is running as it should.

 

[sps02121985]

2080ti is right around the corner. Can't you wait a few more months?