Lower FPS after a GPU driver or Windows update
Question
After updating my GPU driver (or installing a new Windows update), my framerate dropped. Why?
Answer
After a fresh install, the shader cache needs time - usually a day or two of normal use - to rebuild before games feel smooth again. This is expected behavior, not a bug.
Things to try:
- Give it time. Play normally for a day or two so the shader cache can rebuild.
- Wrong driver picked. It is also possible the wrong driver was installed for your card. Roll back to an older driver, or try a different known-good version.
- Clean install the driver. Use DDU (Display Driver Uninstaller) in Safe Mode, then install the driver fresh.
- Check background apps. A recent Windows update may have re-enabled telemetry, indexing, or other background services that compete for CPU/GPU time.