Why it issues: The current change in Nvidia’s driver necessities has created a major concern for customers with older {hardware}. It may well unexpectedly influence many customers, doubtlessly inflicting their methods to turn into inoperable. If nothing else, the replace demonstrates how seemingly minor technical adjustments can have profound real-world results on customers, notably these with legacy methods.
Current Nvidia graphics drivers (model 555 and newer) are inflicting Blue Display screen of Loss of life (BSOD) errors on Home windows PCs with older CPUs that lack the POPCNT (Inhabitants Rely) instruction. This concern impacts Home windows 10 customers with older processors, such because the Core 2 Duo E8400, who’ve current, still-supported Nvidia graphics playing cards just like the GTX 750 Ti and newer. To forestall this downside, affected Home windows 10 customers may have to regulate their Home windows Replace settings to keep away from robotically downloading driver model 555 or newer.
The BSOD error, which shows the error “System thread exception not dealt with,” happens when putting in these drivers on methods with supported Nvidia GPUs however unsupported processors. These errors can result in vital issues, together with system instability, knowledge loss, and safety vulnerabilities, particularly if customers can’t boot their methods correctly.
Nonetheless utilizing a Home windows 10/11 PC with out POPCNT CPU directions (e.g., Core 2 Duo), and it has a NVIDIA GPU from the Maxwell era (e.g., GTX 750) or newer put in?
Putting in newest NVDIA drivers causes a SOFT BRICK, it will boot loop till it reaches the Home windows Restoration. pic.twitter.com/5R2JMwdd6N
– Bob Pony (@TheBobPony) August 4, 2024
This case highlights a vital compatibility concern for Home windows customers with older CPUs and newer Nvidia graphics playing cards. Whereas it’s unclear what number of customers are affected, this mixture isn’t unusual, notably amongst budget-conscious customers or these with older methods.
Final month, Nvidia formally introduced the tip of assist for older CPUs with out the POPCNT instruction set.
Sadly, there are restricted choices for various graphics drivers that assist older CPUs. For instance, Intel offers open-source drivers included in most Linux distributions, however no proprietary options exist. For older AMD/ATI graphics playing cards, unofficial repositories or PPAs (Private Package deal Archives) might present drivers for legacy {hardware}, particularly on Linux methods, however these are usually not formally supported. In some circumstances, open-source options like Nouveau (for Nvidia) or Mesa (for AMD/Intel) might present fundamental performance for older {hardware}, however usually with restricted efficiency in comparison with proprietary drivers.
In the end, this example underscores the significance of cautious system updates and compatibility checks. It additionally highlights the necessity for customers to observe how {hardware} and software program firms handle legacy assist, which may affect their future buying selections and expectations for long-term product reliability.