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Nvidia 320.18 WHQL Display Driver is Damaging GPUs

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Caporegime
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It seems as soon as Nvidia hit an all time high with their GPU’s, there is evidence that the 320.18 WHQL display drivers are killing off GPUs. Fortunately it hasn’t killed every card it’s touched (It’s actually a very low amount), but there is hardly any good news to report about the 320.18 WHQL display drivers.

It simply started with users going to the Nvidia forum thread to give feedback on the 320.18 display drivers. On 05/23/2013 at 02:31 PM Nvidia 320.18 WHQL display drivers went live. Below is a timeline of how the release of the 320.18 went down, it’s not pretty.

05/23/2013
03:58PM – The first complaint came in that the display drivers were still killing user experience in Battlefield 3.
09:25PM- The following image is uploaded to the forums, showing BF3 literally unplayable.

Bf3-rainbow.jpg

05/24/2013
06:26AM – First user reports after installing 320.18 WHQL display drivers using Geforce Experience, and restarting his system, system failed to POST. After removing his GPU the system would boot. GPU Dead.
07:07AM – First user reports actual improvements in BF3. (All other posts were complaints that it either was unapproved or had worsened)
07:44AM – User with GTX 460 reports intermittent complete lock up of PC using 320.18 display drivers
08:08AM – User with GTX 680′s in SLI reports computer will not boot with 320.18 display drivers installed. Disabling SLI or reverting back to 314.xx fixes the issue.
05/25/2013
02:23PM – User post YouTube video displaying artifacts in BF3 on a GTX 660 OC while using 320.18 WHQL Display drivers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?f&v=g7iGxZp94wE

05/26/2013
04:09PM – User reports after installing 320.18 WHQL Display driver with GTX 570, system BSOD. User reverted back to 314.22 but has horizontal lines across the screen and can only make out text in 800×600 resolution. GPU likely damaged
04:55PM – User confirms his GTX 570 was destroyed by installing 320.18.
05:21PM to 05:37PM – Users provide the following screenshots of artifacts in Bioshock Infite, Metro Last Light, BF3, and Assassins Creed.

Assassins-creed.jpg

BF3-texture.jpeg

Bioshock-infinite.jpg

Metro-last-light.jpg


What You Should Do If You Installed 320.18 WHQL Display Drivers

First, don’t panic. Users with damaged hardware was really minimal, however that is scary thought. I’ve seen reports from users that the issue was related to corrupt installers, faulty VRM (Voltage regulator modules), and a number of other things. The bottom line is, Nvidia hasn’t figured it out yet, so your best bet is to protect yourself before you wreck your…hardware.

I’d write a guide to help you, but forum member Sting101 over at the Nvidia Forums has already done that, here’s what he had to say:


What you’ll need: A little bit of patience..!
*Compatible/Working geforce driver for you GPU extracted from Nvidia installer to a newly created folder on your desktop.
*Installed Driver Fusion, aka Driver Sweeper Link: http://www.treexy.com/media/30691/driver_fusion_1.6.0.exe
*Installed CCleaner Link: http://www.piriform.com/ccleaner/download/standard

First: Boot into Safe Mode follow instructions below!
*Win7 -Restart PC and keep hitting F8 on your keyboard until you see an option to select Safe Mode.
*Win8 -Open Notepad, copy and paste the following command line: C:\Windows\system32>shutdown /r /o /f /t 00
-then save-as this text file with the following name onto your desktop: SafeBoot8.bat
-Now once you run this created batch file your PC will reboot into SafeMode Menu, select option 4 for Safe Mode.

Second: Once in Safe Mode Go to your device manager!
-1- Win7/Win8 hold down Windows Key on your keyboard & simultaneously press R, paste the following command and hit OK: devmgmt.msc
-2- Now expand Display adapters by clicking on the small triangle then right-click on your Nvidia GeForce GPU and select Uninstall.
-3- Then open Driver Fusion Utility and select/mark Nvidia Display & Nvidia PhysX & hit analyze, delete what ever it finds but don’t click on reboot just yet.
-4- Open CCleaner and scan registry several times until it finds nothing once finished reboot your Win7/Win8 PC back into Safe Mode.
-5- Repeat step 3 & step 4 above until Driver Fusion finds nothing, rebooting into Safe Mode each time until finished.

Third: Installing working driver from Safe Mode!
-Open GeForce Driver folder that you had created previously from an extracted driver at the beginning of this guide, and right-click on setup.exe & run as Admin
-Click Agree & Continue & select Custom/Advanced option & deselect everything that you don’t need or have use for like 3D crap but make sure you select clean install.
-Finish Installation and reboot normally this time back to your desktop and continue-on with your life
!eNjoY.

PS: Try not to be too hard on Nvidia Support Guys, they’re not the one’s who made this decision on releasing somewhat embarrassing piece of unfinished work/driver.

Source & Taken From
http://modcrash.com/nvidia-display-driver-damaging-gpus/#.UbTRjflem6N

The version of driver sweeper linked above is the basic version so will leave lots of files behind. If anyone wants to use a Driver Fusion version that will get rid of every nvidia gpu driver file on your system then i included one you can download and use from my AMD thread. (step 2)

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18431335
 
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Caporegime
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I had a quick look on the Nvidia forum at the 320.18 thread. It doesn't make for pretty reading. I guess its a bad time for this to happen being a weekend. Probably not much can be done until monday.
 
Caporegime
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I think this driver has seriously broke something in my pc when I start just before windows I get a red flash then severe graphical corruption then screen goes blank :( what would happen about an rma ?? As this is nvidia fault ??

You will definitely be covered for an RMA don't worry. Its not your fault. (assuming you have warranty)
 
Caporegime
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I didn't follow any of those steps!

Just went into device manager, clicked on display adapter and clicked on my gpu and went to the drivers tab. Clicked on rollback and now im back on my previous 310 drivers which were working beautifully for me.

I thought I had bricked my card the other day when bioshock started to artifact like mental. Temps were normal and my cpu overclock seemed fine. Hope its done no damage...

It should be fine but the driver remains will be left in your system/registry. The version of driver sweeper included in the OP is the basic version so will leave lots of files behind.

If anyone wants to use a Driver Fusion version that will get rid of every nvidia file on your system then i included one in my AMD thread that people can use. (step 2)

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18431335

AMD now have a focus group :D

Sorry to be the one to post it, what with me being an AMD fan boy and all.
Hopefully this will help some people though.


:D Bad Tommy.

Yer but how do I turn round to evga in Germany and say all three of my 670's failed at once ??

Link them to this thread. I'd be amazed if they refused you an rma over a bad driver which is definitely not your fault.
 
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Caporegime
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http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18517976

It is the same as this guy going onto an AMD forum and claiming that AMD drivers killed his GPU...

Or this guy saying it was the latest drivers that killed his GPU...

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18518587

The joke of this thread is it took an AMD owner to go onto the Nvidia forums to search for problems. Why would you do this and don't come with that massive "I am only trying to help" crap.

Jokers....

I saw the article linked and being discussed on overclock.net Greg so i posted it here to let people know and discuss it.

http://www.overclock.net/t/1399104/mc-nvidia-320-18-whql-display-driver-is-damaging-gpus

I only visited the Nvidia forum afterwards to see what people were saying.
 
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Caporegime
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I have been gaming quite a bit this weekend and not noticed anything unusual in any games I have been using these drivers since release.

My card is at stock so maybe these issues are on clocked cards being pushed too hard ?

Does seem a bit weird tbh and a little bit suspect but you never know.

https://forums.geforce.com/default/...-xx-display-driver-stability-feedback-thread/

https://forums.geforce.com/default/...o-are-the-320-18-drivers-officially-broken-/1

http://forums.guru3d.com/showpost.php?p=4614344&postcount=45

Just the tip of the iceberg. 320.xx are giving a lot of headaches. There are reports of dead cards and many issues across the forums: OCN, Guru3D, Linustechtips, Overclockers.co.uk, etc. So I would avoid this drivers like the plague. For those of you that fell secure and safe cause you have a 6xx/7xx/Titan series, this are ramping up voltage and giving pretty bad voltage spikes, and temps also are way up, so if you overclock you're putting your card in a dangerous situation. Issues with this are BSOD's, system freezes and lock-ups, artifacts due to higher voltage/operational temps, flickering and such until death. If you stay with this release(or any 320.xx release), do it at your own risk.

THIS DRIVERS ARE BORKED. REVERT BACK TO 314.22.

Source
http://www.overclock.net/t/1399104/...lay-driver-is-damaging-gpus/110#post_20152183
 
Caporegime
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IT all makes sense now

last week one of my 670s that i had in SLI died

had a Asus DC2 670 TOP since release a year ago
and whenever a new driver comes out i run 3dmark and during the run my system froze and on next reboot the 2nd card wasn't detected
and when i tried them individually the 2nd card gets multicolored lines and squares

also had some x116 BSODs and random lockups in windows when usually my machine is rock solid

RMAd the card tho and got a brand new replacement which i will sell on to get a 770/780

:mad:

Report it in this thread so it gets passed on.

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18518910
 
Caporegime
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Might want to put this into your op matt:

Someone over@Nvidia forum made a guide on how to fully get rid of the 320.18 driver, don't shoot me for being helpful:



@Suarez7, a very bad man.:eek::)

That's already in the OP Tommy. ;)

Not to mention i included a link to the AMD thread for a full version of Driver Fusion. :)
 
Caporegime
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There have been a fair few reports of gpu's dying from looking around various tech forums. Hopefully this thread has saved a few users from the problems that this dodgy driver causes. It might be scaremongering to you, but Nvidia users i know take this pretty seriously.
 
Caporegime
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Are the actually any confirmed reports though? as people have said above it seems that anyone who goes all "me cards dead eek" but actually bothers to properly revert drivers finds their dead card working fine, of course the are a few reports of old cards being proper brita'd but nothing that can't really be put down to coincidence.

It may sound like I'm trying to downplay the issue, but I'm not, releasing a driver that causes widespread issues is bad form (even if, as has been reported it may be due to modifications manufacturers made to their non reference cards) I'm just trying to not over hype it, as after all, it was the mountain/molehill sensationalism that gave AMD their reputation for bad drivers.

Plenty of reports. Official confirmed reports? I doubt you will ever get that proof you require. Too many people are suffering from a range of issues though to say this is being hyped up imo. In this instance scare mongering is probably a good thing if it saves some gpu's.

For sure some people can roll back to an older driver and their gpu works fine, but something is happening to some gpu's as there are just too many reports. I think if a gpu is on the edge, or near the edge these drivers will push it over that line. That's just speculation on my part though.

Without looking through the official nvidia driver thread so far ive seen people reporting dead cards with the following. Taken from oc.net, anand, guru3d etc.

8800gtx
460
480
560
6x0
780

Just had a quick look at the official nvidia thread (good work greg on posting the feedback there btw just seen your post) and found this on the last page. I'm not looking through the other 60 pages but i presume theres plenty more.

JohnnyQuid said:
I think I can confirm that these drivers will damage/degrade your card if you use or have used them. I used them, and the drivers have damaged either my Vram or VRM, or even cores, as I was experiencing Artifacting in BF3 on the 314.xx drivers and even performance hits, I dip down to 40fps in BF3 on my GTX 670 power edition sometimes. It's pathetic, Nvidia has either done this to make us buy new graphics cards, or they have some seriously corrupt drivers. I am RMAing my card tomorrow, and then I will never download Nvidia drivers again as long as they haven't been tested on the most demanding titles for at least 3 hours on every product they have released since 2010.

Source
https://forums.geforce.com/default/...hread-released-5-23-13-/post/3829091/#3829091
 
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