Users Say Nvidia Neglected RTX 3000 and 4000 While Focusing on RTX 5000 Fixes
The launch of the RTX 5000 series graphics cards from Nvidia should have been a promising technological milestone, but in practice it has caused plenty of headaches for users. From blue/black screen errors (BSOD) to game crashes and system instability, the problems began with driver version 572.16, the release that added support for the new RTX 50 series.
What stands out is that after Nvidia pushed out a string of driver updates to fix things, many RTX 3000 and RTX 4000 users kept running into errors. Meanwhile, the fixes mostly improved the situation only on RTX 5000, leading quite a few people to accuse Nvidia of "ignoring" its older cards.
A post on Reddit (r/hardware) compiled a wave of reports from users of previous-generation RTX cards, showing how widespread and persistent the problem is.
Game Crashes, BSODs and Lower Performance With DLSS Frame Generation Enabled
Specifically, user Scotty1992 said his RTX 4070 Ti Super TUF kept crashing while he played Cyberpunk 2077, taking down the entire system. The only fix was to go back to the older 566.36 driver, which no longer supports some newer features such as Half-Life 2 RTX or the latest DLSS updates.
Many others have seen the same thing when using DLSS Frame Generation together with G-Sync, which causes crashes or a significant drop in performance. Some suggest turning off G-Sync or using an older version of DLSS to avoid the errors. However, that lowers the quality of the gaming experience, especially in demanding titles such as:
- Cyberpunk 2077
- Alan Wake 2
- God of War Ragnarok
- Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Some gamers have even had to cap their display refresh rate at 60Hz to avoid the errors, which runs counter to the whole point of owning a high-end graphics card.
Is Nvidia Focusing on RTX 5000 Fixes and Abandoning Owners of Older Cards?
Since the errors first appeared in February, Nvidia has confirmed it is investigating and has repeatedly released driver updates. However, users quickly noticed that the release notes only highlight improvements for RTX 5000, with no mention of the RTX 4000 or 3000 series.
This has frustrated many people, who argue that Nvidia is putting its new products first to protect sales and the image of the RTX 50 series, while owners of older cards are left behind even though those cards are still within their support window.
The Reddit community, Twitter and tech forums have repeatedly criticized Nvidia for a lack of transparency in its communication and support policy. Some users are even considering switching to AMD Radeon or a previous-generation GPU that has proven more stable.
What Should Users Do if They Hit Errors With the New Driver?
For anyone using an RTX 3000 or RTX 4000 and running into problems while gaming, a few temporary workarounds include:
- Roll back to driver 566.36 or any version before 572.16
- Turn off G-Sync and try running games without DLSS Frame Generation enabled
- Update your BIOS, firmware and Windows to ensure maximum compatibility
However, all of these are "firefighting" measures rather than lasting solutions. Nvidia needs to issue an official response soon, along with a stable driver update for the entire RTX lineup, not just RTX 5000.
In the meantime, users should keep an eye on Nvidia's official forum or reputable tech channels for the earliest word on fixes. The accusation that Nvidia is favoring RTX 5000 is eroding trust among its own longtime loyal user base.
