How to uninstall AMD drivers and install NVIDIA drivers

Graphics cards are the deciding factor in the gaming and design industry. Their performance dictates how many pixels we see on our screens and the resolution.

When it comes to gaming, we always want the most frames and the highest settings to get fully immersed in the awesome world of the games we play.

Now, when we talk about graphic design, a powerful GPU will render models and actions faster and smoother, which will result in a shorter time for testing and ultimately, less time spent working.

All in all, a high-end GPU will make wonders. But what GPU do we really need? Is it an AMD card, or an NVIDIA one?

The answer varies, but lately, NVIDIA gained so much ground over AMD it’s not even funny. At the moment, the NVIDIA RTX series is the most stable and the beefiest GPU on the market.

As a result, many AMD users decided to switch to NVIDIA due to more stable drivers, no compatibility issues, and overall a huge performance leap.

Should I uninstall NVIDIA drivers before installing AMD?

Changing graphics cards might seem complicated, but it is actually as simple as changing a lightbulb. You need to take out the older GPU from the motherboard and replace it with the newer one.

This seemed pretty simple, right? Well, there’s a small catch. Since the latest technologies utilize lots of software to optimize the processes, they have many specific programs running in the background.

So, if you’re asking yourself Do I need to uninstall NVIDIA drivers before installing AMD, or vice versa, the answer is no. You can install them after, and this goes for all the other software from the previous GPU.

In this article, we’ll show you exactly what to do after installing a brand new GPU into your PC. It’s pretty simple, and if you follow our steps thoroughly there shouldn’t be any problem.

How do I switch from AMD to NVIDIA?

1. Uninstall the old GPU drivers

Uninstall drivers using the Device Manager

1. Press the Windows Key + S and type in Device Manager.
   
2. In the Device Manager, search for the Display Adapter section and expand it.
3. Right-click on your old GPU from there and select Uninstall device.
   
4. Let Windows finish uninstalling the driver.

If you keep asking yourself the following question: Should I uninstall AMD drivers before installing NVIDIA ones? The short answer is definitely yes.

Fortunately, Windows gives you a way to manually uninstall the drivers. All you have to do is go to the Device Manager and uninstall the older drivers.

However, this does not get rid of the other files tied to the older GPU that is still running in the background. They need to be removed because they can cause crashes and stability issues.

Also, make sure that the NVIDIA driver is compatible with your Windows version or you will be back to square one.

Uninstall drivers using a specialized tool

1. Download a dedicated uninstaller tool.
2. Unzip the program and run it.
3. Select OK to agree to the window about the risks involved.
   
4. Choose what files you want to remove and Close the next window.
5. Select the Device Type, in this case, it’s GPU.
   
6. Select the GPU manufacturer that you want to uninstall then select Clean and restart.
7. Let the program uninstall the files and restart your PC.

Do not hesitate to use an uninstaller that gets rid of all those files we talked about earlier. This will make sure no previous program will interfere and mess things up.

The program we have in mind is pretty straightforward, and it works for all GPU manufacturers. Additionally, it can also uninstall audio drivers, which suffer from the same problem when you change brands.

Now that we’ve shown you how to uninstall the previous drivers and the files related to the old GPU, you need to learn how to install and update your newest drivers as well.

⇒ Get Display Driver Uninstaller

2. Install and update your GPU drivers

Update the drivers manually

1. Press the Windows Key + S and search for the Device Manager.
2. Inside the Device Manager, open your Display Adapter and find your new card.
3. Right-click on it, and select Update Driver.
   
4. Wait for your OS to finish installing the drivers.

The days of having to use CDs to install the GPU drivers are long gone. Nowadays, Windows 10 will make sure you can use your card right away, without haveing to install the driver yourself.

Once you install your newest GPU to your motherboard, your Windows will automatically install the default driver for it, so don’t worry about not having any video signal or not being able to use your PC, since it won’t be the case.

Even if you don’t have to install the drivers from scratch, You do need to update them to the latest version, since the default firmware driver is usually there to help the hard work so you can download the latest ones.

What you need to do next is simply use the Device Manager to update them to the latest version, thus making sure that your GPU uses its full potential.

Update your drivers with a specialized software

Device Manager is not the best way to keep everything up to date on your computer, so we suggest seeking other ways to do it.

One simpler and more secure method of updating your drivers is using specialized software to do it automatically for you.

The tool will periodically scan your hardware, including the GPU, for the newest available drivers, and it will install them accordingly. Its database gets updated constantly with the newest driver versions.

⇒ Get Outbyte Driver Updater

That’s about it for this article. We hope we managed to give an honest answer to you if you were wondering if it is necessary to uninstall AMD drivers before installing NVIDIA ones.

Since you’re not here to settle with less than what your computer is capable of, don’t hesitate to take a closer look at this guide on how to use AMD and NVIDIA GPUs in one PC.

Feel free to give us other tips or talk about your experience with the subject in the comment section below. We’d be more than glad to hear from you!