The launch of Nvidia’s RTX 50-series GPUs has been marred with several issues, including shortages, overheating power connectors, and driver instability. While the first two issues are harder to sort, the last one should be fixable via downloadable software updates. In fact, the company has already released several Hotfix versions, with the last one — version 572.65 — being released March 2. However, it seems that some issues (very similar) remain, so we just received another Hotfix update from Team Green. The GeForce Hotfix Driver Version 572.75 tackles two specific problems: the first one is some overclocked RTX 5090 and 5080 GPUs refuse to run at maximum frequency after a system reboot, while the second one fixes black screen crashes.
Nvidia usually releases driver updates monthly; these Hotfixes are released out of schedule for problems that require priority solutions, like an unstable driver that causes BSODs and black screens across the wider community of RTX users. Note that these Hotfixes aren’t usually automatically installed, so you’ll have to find, download, and install them yourself. The company says, “To be sure, these Hotfix drivers are beta, optional and provided as-is. They are run through a much abbreviated QA process. The sole reason they exist is to get fixes out to you more quickly.” Nevertheless, they will still be included with the next drop of Game Ready drivers in the Nvidia app. Even if you don’t know that there’s an issue with your RTX GPU (or are not affected), you’ll still get the fix within the next few weeks.
Hardware drivers are inherently complicated pieces of software, especially as Nvidia must consider the huge number of configurations that its hardware will encounter in the field. Aside from that, it must also work flawlessly with thousands of apps and game titles, which means that it is next to impossible to test every possible permutation of hardware and software before it releases a driver. The company says, “A GeForce driver is an incredibly complex piece of software. We have an army of software engineers constantly adding features and fixing bugs.”
If you’re experiencing a problem with your newly bought RTX 50-series GPU, maybe downloading a Hotfix would be enough to solve it. But since Hotfixes are essentially Beta versions of what’s coming out in the regular driver update, you might run into another bug here and there. If that happens, you should report it to Nvidia’s customer service — that way, it would have a chance of fixing what you’re experiencing before the Hotfix gets a wider release as part of Nvidia’s Game Ready drivers.
