NVIDIA’s latest graphics driver, version 576.02, not only addresses notable issues with RTX GPUs but also enhances performance for users. This update focuses on mitigating problems like GPU bricking and related bugs that have troubled the RTX series since the previous driver release.
Performance Improvements for the RTX 5080 and RTX 50 Series
Reports indicate that there is a significant uplift in power efficiency across the RTX 50 series following the installation of driver 576.02. For instance, the RTX 5070’s idle power consumption dramatically decreased from approximately 180 MHz to just 22 MHz. Similarly, the RTX 5060 Ti has seen its idle consumption plummet to merely 7W.
In synthetic benchmarks, the RTX 5080 displays impressive gains. Users have reported increases of up to 7.5% in scores using 3DMark Steel Nomad after upgrading to the 576.02 driver. One user recorded scores rising from 8400 to 9033 points, while another saw an increase from 8832 to 9215 points.
Gaming performance has also improved notably, with tests showing the RTX 5080 achieving over 150 frames per second in games like *Marvel Rivals*, compared to its previous performance of 140+ fps. This translates to gains of around 5-7% in real-world gaming scenarios. Feedback from users with other RTX 50 models, including the RTX 5070, indicated similar improvements, while some even noted slight enhancements in the RTX 40 series performance.
These updates suggest that earlier driver issues constrained the full potential of RTX GPUs, and with 576.02, there is a noticeable enhancement in both performance and efficiency. Additionally, some users have discovered that the new driver allows for the unlocking of higher VRAM clock speeds, which can lead to further performance boosts when manually overclocked.
In summary, while the 576.02 driver addresses various software-related concerns, the realignment in performance metrics demonstrates significant advancements for users across the RTX 50 series. This driver proves to be a critical update, particularly in the face of prior hardware-level challenges that have plagued these GPUs.