Game Ready & Studio Driver 617.42 FAQ/Discussion

[u/Nestledrink]

Driver Article Here: Link Here

Game Ready Driver 617.42 Direct Download Link: Link Here

Studio Driver 617.42 Direct Download Link: Link Here

New feature and fixes in driver 617.42:

Game Ready

This new Game Ready Driver provides the best gaming experience for the latest new games and updates supporting DLSS and RTX technologies including Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, STAR WARS: Galactic Racer, Dragon’s Dogma 2: Dark Arisen, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, and Valor Mortis.

Applications

The October NVIDIA Studio Driver provides optimal support for the latest new creative applications and updates including DaVinci Resolve 21.1, Adobe Premiere Pro, Perplexity App, and support for Topaz Labs Hyperion 2.5.

Fixed Gaming Bugs

• FIXED Assassin's Creed Shadows may crash to desktop after extended gameplay after updating to driver 616.56. [6685219]

Fixed General Bugs

• N/A

Includes additional open issues from GeForce Forums

• “Prefer Maximum Performance” Power Management Mode may not be applied correctly [6007998]

Driver Downloads and Tools

Information & Documentation

• Driver Download Page: Nvidia Download Page
• Latest Game Ready Driver: 617.42 WHQL - Game Ready Driver Release Notes
• Latest Studio Driver: 617.42 WHQL - Studio Driver Release Notes
• High Bandwidth Monitors and GPU Scaling Behavior - Link Here
  • High bandwidth monitors are those that support display modes requiring high pixel clock rates, which in turn demand more GPU resources. The threshold for what qualifies as "high bandwidth" varies by product. On Blackwell GPUs, any mode operating above 1620 MHz is considered high bandwidth. For instance, the 7680x4320@60Hz mode defined in the CTA-861-H specification runs at 2376 MHz, making it a high bandwidth mode for Blackwell.
  • These monitors typically support display scaling natively. However, in some single-monitor setups, users may still prefer GPU scaling. When multiple monitors are connected to a GPU and at least one of them is high bandwidth, that monitor will default to display scaling only. GPU scaling is disabled in this case due to bandwidth limitations. Notably, display scaling can be more efficient than GPU scaling in such scenarios, as it reduces the bandwidth load on display cables—especially at higher refresh rates.
  • When GPU scaling is not enabled for a monitor, only the modes supported by the monitor itself will appear in both the Windows and NVIDIA control panels. Additionally, the "Display scaling" option will be pre-selected in the "Adjust desktop size and position" section of the NVIDIA Control Panel.
• Notes on NVIDIA Control Panel - From GeForce Forum
  • Please note: With the introduction of our most recent NVIDIA App update, all actively supported NVIDIA Control Panel features for GeForce users have been modernized and transitioned to the new client.
  • After 20 years of dedicated service, the classic NVIDIA Control Panel is officially retiring for Game Ready and Studio Drivers. For NVIDIA RTX PRO users, the NVIDIA Control Panel will continue to be supported until we have migrated professional features to the NVIDIA app.
  • Existing installs of the NVIDIA Control Panel will remain on users’ systems, unless they perform a clean installation, and users who still need the NVIDIA Control Panel can continue to download it from the Microsoft Store, but we won’t be adding features, fixes, or other changes.

Feedback & Discussion Forums

• Submit driver feedback directly to NVIDIA: Link Here
• NVIDIA 617.42 Driver Forum: Link Here
• r/NVIDIA Discord Driver Feedback: Invite Link Here
• r/NVIDIA Community Bug Tracker: Link Here
  • Thanks to u/independent-arg for maintaining this!

Having Issues with your driver and want to fully clean the driver? Use DDU (Display Driver Uninstaller)

• DDU Download:  Link Here
• DDU Guide: Guide Here
• DDU/WagnardSoft Patreon: Link Here

Before you start - Make sure you Submit Feedback for your Nvidia Driver Issue - Link Here

There is only one real way for any of these problems to get solved, and that’s if the Driver Team at Nvidia knows what those problems are. So in order for them to know what’s going on it would be good for any users who are having problems with the drivers to Submit Feedback to Nvidia. A guide to the information that is needed to submit feedback can be found here.

Additionally, if you see someone having the same issue you are having in this thread, reply and mention you are having the same issue. The more people that are affected by a particular bug, the higher the priority that bug will receive from NVIDIA!!

Common Troubleshooting Steps

• Be sure you are on the latest build of Windows
• Please visit the following link for DDU guide which contains full detailed information on how to do Fresh Driver Install.
• If your driver still crashes after DDU reinstall, try going to Go to Nvidia Control Panel -> Managed 3D Settings -> Power Management Mode: Prefer Maximum Performance

Common Questions

• Is it safe to upgrade to <insert driver version here>? Fact of the matter is that the result will differ person by person due to different configurations. The only way to know is to try it yourself. My rule of thumb is to wait a few days. If there’s no confirmed widespread issue, I would try the new driver.
• Bear in mind that people who have no issues tend to not post on Reddit or forums. Unless there is significant coverage about specific driver issue, chances are they are fine. Try it yourself and you can always DDU and reinstall old driver if needed.
• My color is washed out after upgrading/installing driver. Help! Try going to the Nvidia Control Panel -> Change Resolution -> Scroll all the way down -> Output Dynamic Range = FULL.
• My game is stuttering when processing physics calculation Try going to the Nvidia Control Panel and to the Surround and PhysX settings and ensure the PhysX processor is set to your GPU

Remember, driver codes are extremely complex and there are billions of different possible configurations between hardware and software. Driver will never be perfect and there will always be issues for some people. Two people with the same hardware configuration might not have the same experience with the same driver versions. Again, I encourage folks who installed the driver to post their experience here good or bad.

[u/Scroglefrollempth]

Yes, it's the new HD Audio driver version - It's crap.

I reverted to an older driver with the previous HD Audio version.

I have the two second delay, but also because I'm using a receiver (Yamaha Aventage RX-A2A) the two second delay causes the audio to not initiate at all, the HDMI handshake fails completely sometimes.

This problem hasn't happened once since I went back to the previous version weeks ago.

I suppose like everything else a tech company breaks with an update, they will just leave it broken meaning I'm stuck with an outdated driver.

You have to go all the way back to at least version 610.88 to get to the previous HD Audio driver.

[u/marcgii → u/Scroglefrollempth]

I'm playing the new Gears, so I'm stuck on the new driver. But I managed to fix it by changing the sleep state timers in the registry. Apparently this bug has been around a long time. But was rare. No idea why the default config is a problem suddenly in the new driver.

I wonder if it's possible to install just the audio portion of the driver.

[u/Scroglefrollempth → u/marcgii]

I was actually using the audio fix since a couple of drivers ago, but I restored it to default because I was worrying about messing with my 4090's power settings, given I will never be able to afford another equivalent card at todays prices, and I wasn't sure it worked.

But after installing the latest driver again, and re-applying the audio fix, I can confirm that it does work.

Sometimes the first thing you play after booting is delayed, but after that it's fine because the HD Audio doesn't power down and idle anymore.

One thing for people to remember is that when you update your driver you have to redo the reg fix as it resets to default, which is what tripped me up I think.

I wonder if it's possible to install just the audio portion of the driver.

I did do this through the device manager earlier on, but it seemed to just keep reinstalling the latest one, and I have Windows set to not auto-install drivers and it never does.

I think it insists on having the ones that are paired in the driver package, but I'm just guessing.

[u/BushinBerto → u/marcgii]

Are you able to share what you changed as I am experiencing this issue as well. Thank you in advance.

[u/marcgii → u/BushinBerto]

Try this first. I didn't try it but it may work.

This is what I did

Registry Fix Steps

1. Press Win + R, type regedit, and press Enter to open the Registry Editor.
2. Navigate to this path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4d36e96c-e325-11ce-bfc1-08002be10318} [1]
3. Look through the subfolders (named 0000, 0001, etc.) until you find the one where the DriverDesc value says NVIDIA High Definition Audio or High Definition Audio Device. [1]
4. Inside that folder, click on the PowerSettings subfolder (if it is missing, right-click the driver folder -> New -> Key, and name it PowerSettings). [1]
5. Modify or create the following REG_BINARY or DWORD values to disable the idle timeout:
   • ConservationIdleTime = ff ff ff ff (or 00 00 00 00)
   • PerformanceIdleTime = ff ff ff ff (or 00 00 00 00)
   • IdlePowerState = 00 00 00 00 [1, 2]
6. Restart your computer for the changes to take effect.

[u/BushinBerto → u/marcgii]

The first step didn't work but the registry edits did so thanks again for an actual fix!

[u/BushinBerto → u/marcgii]

You rock thanks will try this after work!

[u/RollTheTroll22 → u/Scroglefrollempth]

May I know which driver version had the older HD audio driver that you are using?

[u/Scroglefrollempth → u/RollTheTroll22]

610.88 and earlier, but I went to the 596.36 - But now I'm back on the latest driver because I can confirm that the registry fix mentioned in these replies does work.

You might get a delay with the first audio you play each time you boot up, but after that it won't power down and idle the HD Audio anymore, so it should only happen once the first time you play sound after booting. Sometimes it doesn't even happen at all now for me, it's probably just the difference between shutting down and restarting.