For anyone who dislikes Windows 10's Auto-Update installing Nvidia drivers just so you uninstall them soon after to install current drivers: https://www.nvidia.com/Download/Find.aspx
This is a kinda hidden special download place that differs from the standard download page.
You download Windows Driver Type: Standard (not DCH). DCH won't install the Control Panel due to whatever strange Microsoft decisions. Don't connect to the Internet during Windows setup (for example remove the LAN cable). When Windows is installed, install the driver. If you have Windows 10 Pro or up, you can disable future driver updates with Group Policy settings: Hit Start menu, type "gpedit.msc", then go "Computer Configuration - Administrative Templates - Windows Components - Windows Update - Do not include drivers with Windows Updates" and set it to "Enabled".
Windows 10 Version 2004
tfouto Old drivers here: https://www.guru3d.com/files-categories/videocards-nvidia-geforce-vista-%7C-7.html
(scroll down, and there's an archive link)
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tfouto Yes, but that's just a gut feeling and not based on evidence. I think having a complete driver set (Standard) is potentially better than having modular drivers (DCH) where Windows Update installs a random(?) version of the Control Panel without us having a choice. I don't like all that forced auto-update stuff.
As for the old drivers (archive), I don't think old drivers would be of much help, as it looks like new drivers are made for current Windows 10 versions, supporting the latest features. I think the most interesting drivers are the ones that currently work with build 2004, and the upcoming 450.xx drivers.
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I just installed 2004 on my NUC and made sure it was up to date, latest Intel Command Center running, etc etc.
From the initial setup it was clear to me that everything was less shaky, fonts look much sharper and still compared to earlier versions. Back in September when I first used W10 on the NUC I could physically see the 'wobbling' on the splash screen/clock. I didn't really notice it this time!
Using it for 30 minutes (web browsing, checking settings etc) everything definitely seems more steady, however I felt after 20 minutes slight heaviness under the eyes and almost like it was trying to reduce my blinking. I also installed ditherig and don't think this made much difference.
I get the feeling with the right Laptop GPU & ditherig (which I have seen work on laptops), it could actually be a good combo.
There could be something going on with my NUC VBIOS, it may be auto-dithering the output regardless of Windows/Driver settings. It's also a DP header on the motherboard which passes through to an HDMI port, whether this makes a difference I don't know. For me it's still a no go (on 'bad' hardware) but on a good machine I suspect this update will be comfortable.
@si_edgey , let us know how you get on with the other machines.
diop Sorry to hear it's not working out for you @diop, perhaps hardware and drivers are also an issue. I guess hoping for an easy fix for everyone is too much! Did you use the machine long enough to get over any placebo effect, or was it so obvious when you look at the screen that it won't work?
After 4 full days on my XPS 9560 with the driver configuration in the original post and ditherig.exe running, I'm confident that it is a completely usable setup for me for the first time in years (without lots of tweaks in build 1511 etc).
I received my new XPS 9500, I'll report back with findings after I get a good run at using it.
diop Hi, I have a NUC5i5RYK. I don't think the hdmi port on it is great, because by default originally intel and MS set it for limited range, so you have to set it in the drivers or windows registry to output full range. That said, on mine I use a displayport adapter, likewise on the work laptop as well.. displayport adapter. Both are connected to the same old monitor I have. The NUC is DP to VGA and the laptop is DP to DVI. I left the hdmi port on the monitor for use of the snes classic toy. I would recommend not using the hdmi port on the NUC unless there is a second monitor to connect it to which I don't have.
Regarding the VBIOS, it's a good question. I'm still on bios version 246 of my NUC, but later versions of the bios had a minor VBIOS update which I have never tested because I just never went beyond 246 because it was stable. That said, one of the nice things about the NUC there is a jumper that will let you reset it and go back to previous BIOS versions, with one caveat, which is the newest versions included updates to the Intel management engine, and other "security" stuff and they won't let you roll back to older versions. The release notes state which versions this occurs on, so anything between a range can be safely upgraded or downgraded.
Video driver version number does matter unfortunately. On Windows 7 which my NUC is on, I left it at 10.18.15.4279 because I noticed earlier or later versions didn't jibe as well and then stopped checking after a certain point. For W10 I would likely have to test with different versions.
Ditherig does work on my NUC, but not very obviously because the monitor is already doing FRC.
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Sunspark Thanks for the info.
I checked the technical info and the motherboard the NUC8 uses doesn’t have a genuine HDMI header on the motherboard, it is a DisplayPort header with a built in converter to HDMI. There is only 1 HDMI port on the NUC8 with no other display ports.
I have never been able to use DP comfortably, even on a sky lake Lenovo USFF machine I have. I installed W7 with the earliest Lenovo supported driver I could find, however I still had symptoms. I suspect the VBIOS is doing something to the DP signal or maybe auto enabling dithering.
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tfouto Too early to judge. The desktop and native programs, they don't seem that bad at least. But today I played a game, "Into the Breach", and had to uninstall it because it was causing heavy eye strain over time (despite having little moving elements). So I think at least the software that's running on the OS is not magically fixed, and we can't expect every browser or game to run without trouble.
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tfouto Yes, it is thank you very much. I am happy to know that we both have the same version. The vbios change increment from v1038 to v1039 happened between 0249 and 0348 (no releases in-between those two). I did ask Intel years ago what the difference between 1038 and 1039 was, but they didn't know. I've always wanted to look and see, but never did. It's interesting because 0348 was listed as a version that worked well with Hackintosh involving certain functions and graphics support and the other versions not as well but 0348 is also a version that has audio issues with Windows 7 (but does not affect 8.1 or 10) in the changelog. Yes, our NUCs can be used with MacOS too. Some assembly required.
The Hackintosh changelog for El Capitan states:
0353: Same shutdown issue as 352. May require "FixShutdown" to be selected in Clover Configurator (ACPI screen) as well as the BIOS settings at the link below.
0352: When you shut down, the NUC turns off, but 5 seconds later it starts up again. Try these settings to fix shutdown.
0348: Perhaps the best choice for now. The only noticeable fix in 0350 is the resolution of the Visual BIOS screens, but the shutdown behavior isn't worth it.
0246: Worked OK, but on the 5i7RYH the graphics were improved by upgrading to 0348.No description of what "graphics improvement" was in the changelog, but there was something in MacOS.