should you install specific drivers from your motherboard / video card manufacturer, or let Windows do the job?

I have a computer which is working fine after a windows re-install. However, I did not install any drivers at all, they seem to have been installed via Windows Update.

Back then, I remember I had to download the latest drivers from the motherboard manufacturer, video-card manufacturer, etc. Is this still valid? Should I download the latest drivers from the manufacturers, or are the drivers available via Windows update enough?

I am running Windows 8.1.

John Chetcuti

Posted 2013-10-11T13:05:15.150

Reputation: 113

Answers

Bit of both. The 'standard' windows drivers are a good baseline, but in general, the drivers from the manufacturer tend to be more up to date. With things like video cards, these can make a huge difference. With other things, like printers, I'd go with the standard drivers, then upgrade if I need anything.

In general windows won't give you anything more than a functional baseline. This can be good (where the official drivers are bloated and it works anyway) or bad (where you need some new stuff). I tended to go with official drivers off the OEMs myself for most part for gaming rigs, and use default drivers with a few additions for general use systems.

Journeyman Geek

Posted 2013-10-11T13:05:15.150

Reputation: 119 122

-1

Leave it to Windows. Do not worry. The drivers windows installs automatically tend to be stable, well tested drivers that should function well. In addition, you can leave driver updates to windows, rather than rely on a third party updater.

Koray Tugay

Posted 2013-10-11T13:05:15.150

Reputation: 1 593

2This isn't really an answer. There is not enough detail. It really should be a comment. – Ramhound – 2013-10-11T13:24:16.203

Question is: Should I download the latest drivers from the manufacturers, or are the drivers available via Windows update enough?

Answer is: Option 2. How is this not an answer? – Koray Tugay – 2013-10-11T14:15:24.537

2It doesn't go into detail why the generic drivers only "good enough" in many cases. Its a vague incomplete answer. Furthermore the generic graphics driver is actually not good enough for most use cases. The majority of your answers to questions are single statements, are incomplete in the details, and offer no explaination at all. – Ramhound – 2013-10-11T14:17:53.457

I am a one sentence person mostly.. – Koray Tugay – 2013-10-11T15:16:28.373

2Good answers have detail - you're not going to get very many upvotes with a single line. If you get enough downvotes, you're going to get answer banned. If its alright, let me fix this up for you - if my edits seem to go too far (or you can say it better) feel free to roll back or edit my edits. – Journeyman Geek – 2013-10-11T15:23:20.083

Sure no problem. It is just, playing with those things are not a good idea at all anyway. If it works, just leave it as it is.. Playing with drivers will do more harm than good most of the time. – Koray Tugay – 2013-10-11T15:28:22.223

1Oh, I'm not saying you answer is wrong (though I follow the alternate view). I'm saying your answers can be better, and that you need to improve them to avoid the automatic answer ban - most of yours are downvoted, and thats not a good thing – Journeyman Geek – 2013-10-11T15:32:41.233

@user257675 We are a multi-sentence community. – Moses – 2013-10-14T19:27:26.920

@Moses Is that a multi-sentence comment? – Koray Tugay – 2013-10-16T05:04:29.913

@user257675 I'll rephrase. We are a multi-sentence answer community. Listen to JourneymanGeek. – Moses – 2013-10-16T12:56:26.307