Nvidia’s dropping support for Kepler, Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 this August
Nvidia’s dropping support for Kepler, Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 this August
From August 31st, Nvidia will no longer be releasing GPU driver updates that support these older OS’ and graphics cards, a change that will move the focus of Nvidia’s QA teams to newer technologies and software solutions. Thankfully, Nvidia’s older drivers will still be functional on older OS’ and graphics card.Â
Nvidia has promised to patch any critical security flaws in their Kepler, Windows 7 drivers and Windows 8.1 drivers until September 2024. Still, outside of that situation, Kepler users should not expect new driver releases from Nvidia.Â
Kepler Series FAQ
Nvidia has released the following FAQ to explain why they are dropping Kepler with their future driver releases.Â
Q: Why is NVIDIA dropping support for Kepler desktop GPUs?
A: Kepler-based desktop GPUs initially launched in March of 2012. Since then, gaming technology has evolved dramatically with technologies like DirectX 12 Ultimate and NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling). Moving forward, NVIDIA’s software QA team will be focusing on hardware that supports newer technologies.
Q: When will the final Game Ready Driver that supports Kepler-based desktop GPUs go public?
A: August 31, 2021 (R470 GA5)
Q: When will the first Game Ready Driver that doesn’t support Kepler-based desktop GPUs go public?
A: October 4, 2021 (R495 GA1)
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Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 FAQ
Nvidia has released the following FAQ to explain why they are dropping support for Microsoft’s legacy OS’.
Q: Why is NVIDIA dropping support for Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 8.1?
A: Microsoft has officially ended support for Windows 7 and Windows 8, with Windows 8.1 nearing the end of its lifecycle as well. The vast majority of our GeForce customers have migrated to Windows 10 OS. In order to ensure GeForce owners experience the best possible security, support, and functionality, NVIDIA will now focus on Windows 10 operating system.
Q: When will the final Game Ready Driver that supports Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 8.1 go public?
A: August 31, 2021 (R470 GA5)
Q: When will the first Game Ready Driver that doesn’t support Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 8.1 go public?
A: October 4, 2021 (R495 GA1)
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As wealthy as Nvidia is, it does not have the required resources to support its hardware forever. Eventually, companies need to stop supporting their hardware, as there comes a point where it simply isn’t worthwhile anymore.Â
Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 are no longer supported by Microsoft, making it easy to see why Nvidia wants nothing to do with those legacy operating systems. If Microsoft won’t support it, why should there. Additionally, few PC gamers are using these OS’ anymore, giving Nvidia little incentive to put any time and effort into supporting them.Â
Nvidia’s Kepler architecture is old. The Kepler architecture was launched in 2012, and it has enjoyed over 9 years of mainstream driver support. That’s almost a decade of driver support and a longer lifespan than should be expected from most graphics cards. Not many gamers use the same graphics card for over 9 years, and Nvidia’s efforts are better spent on newer architectures and technologies.Â
You can join the discussion on Nvidia’s plan to drop support for Kepler GPUs and Windows 7/8.1 on the OC3D Forums.
Kepler Desktop GPUs
– NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN Z
– NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN Black
– NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN
– NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti
– NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780
– NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770
– NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760 Ti
– NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760
– NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760 (192-bit)
– NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760 Ti OEM
– NVIDIA GeForce GT 740
– NVIDIA GeForce GT 730
– NVIDIA GeForce GT 720
– NVIDIA GeForce GT 710
– NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690
– NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680
– NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670
– NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 Ti
– NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660
– NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost
– NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 Ti
– NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650
– NVIDIA GeForce GTX 645
– NVIDIA GeForce GT 640
– NVIDIA GeForce GT 635
– NVIDIA GeForce GT 630
