How Do I Check My Motherboard Drivers?
Motherboard drivers are sometimes called system drivers or chipset drivers, but they’re all the same. The specific file name for individual drivers will differ depending on the manufacturer, model they’re designed for, and the version number of that particular driver. If you have an Intel-based laptop or desktop, you can find your motherboard driver version by following these steps: AMD-based PCs and laptops don’t make it as easy to check your motherboard drivers. The easiest way is to try to update them by downloading the latest version from the manufacturer’s website or using AMD’s auto-detect and update tool.
What Drivers Does My Motherboard Need?
Alongside the base Windows drivers, all motherboards have specific motherboard drivers. These are based on the motherboard’s chipset model, such as X470 and B550 for AMD PCs or B460 and Z590 for Intel PCs. Your motherboard manufacturer will also have individual drivers for specific motherboard models due to differences in performance, components, and features. The proper motherboard drivers for you are the ones that were specifically designed for your motherboard. The best drivers for most motherboards are also the latest ones, so if you think you haven’t updated your drivers in a while, it might be a good idea to update to the latest ones. It can sometimes improve performance and stability or even add features or support for previously unavailable components.
Are Motherboard Drivers Necessary?
They aren’t as necessary as they once were before Windows came pre-installed with most of the bare-bones drivers to get a motherboard and its connected components up and running. However, installing the latest motherboard drivers can improve performance and system stability and ensure you have access to all the latest features and component support.
Where to find Motherboard Drivers
Motherboard drivers, sometimes called chipset drivers, are the software interface between the motherboard—the main circuit board that all of your components plug into—and the operating system and other applications. They make it possible for the entire system to work as intended, and without them, you would miss out on key features and performance at best and have a barely functioning system at worst. Modern operating systems like Windows 10 include some fundamental motherboard drivers to help get the system up and running with bare-bones functionality. However, your motherboard manufacturer will also have chipset drivers that need to be installed to realize the full potential of your motherboard and help other connected components work correctly. Installing drivers can be especially important with high-end motherboards or those at the cutting edge of feature and component development. Motherboard manufacturers also periodically release updates to their motherboard drivers to improve performance, system stability, add compatibility for newer hardware or components or add features that weren’t available at launch. Therefore, it can be beneficial to update your motherboard drivers periodically to take full advantage of these advances.
