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To update your GPU driver, identify your graphics card and Windows version, then use the official updater or download page from NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel. If ray tracing still will not start, check that the game supports your active GPU and its required graphics API: a driver update can fix some software problems, but it cannot add missing hardware or API capability.
Before updating, identify your GPU and PC maker
Find the exact graphics adapter and operating system before downloading anything. On a laptop or prebuilt PC, check the computer maker’s support page as well as the GPU vendor’s: OEM driver packages can include system-specific customizations. Intel specifically advises checking with the computer manufacturer before installing a generic Intel package. Intel’s driver installation instructions explain its supported routes.
Use the official vendor source for the card you actually have. Avoid third-party “driver updater” downloads; they are unnecessary for the documented vendor procedures here.
How do I update my GPU drivers?
Choose the route for your GPU. Automatic detection is convenient, while manual selection gives you a chance to confirm the product and operating system. Laptop and prebuilt owners should consider the OEM package first.
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| GPU vendor | Automatic route | Manual route | Important consideration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intel | Intel Driver & Support Assistant | Intel Download Center: identify the product, select and download the driver, then run the installer. | Check the PC maker for an OEM driver that may include customizations. Intel instructions. |
| AMD | AMD’s tool detects the Radeon product and Windows version. | Use the AMD Product Selector to choose the product and driver. | Verify the installed version afterward; in a documented installer-error scenario, Windows Update may revert a driver version. AMD installation guidance. |
| NVIDIA | Use NVIDIA’s official driver tools to locate a driver for the GPU. | Select the Game Ready driver for the card from NVIDIA’s official download route. | The cited clean-install steps address NVIDIA App display-driver installation failures, not every ray-tracing problem. NVIDIA recovery instructions. |
Install and verify
- Download the driver for the exact GPU and Windows version from the vendor or PC maker.
- Close applications if the installer asks, run the downloaded installer, and follow its prompts. Allow any required restart.
- Confirm that the new driver is present rather than assuming the installer completed. In Windows Device Manager, expand Display adapters, open the Intel device, choose Driver, and check Driver Version. Other vendors’ software or Device Manager can also be used to verify the installed version.
- If the version unexpectedly changes after installation, check it again after Windows Update has finished; AMD documents a version-revert scenario associated with an installer error.
When should you use a clean installation?
A clean install is a troubleshooting step for a failed, corrupted, or inconsistent driver installation—not a guaranteed fix for a game crash or unsupported ray tracing. Save open work first: AMD’s Clean Install option triggers a reboot and attempts to remove detected Radeon Software and AMD driver versions before installing selected components. AMD describes that option and its limits.
AMD Radeon
Use the AMD installer’s Clean Install option when you have reason to suspect a broken installation. It removes detected software and driver versions, installs the selected components, and restarts the PC. Verify the resulting driver version after Windows returns.
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NVIDIA GeForce
For an NVIDIA App display-driver installation failure, NVIDIA recommends downloading the Game Ready driver for the card, closing other apps, running the installer as administrator, selecting Custom (Advanced), enabling Perform a clean installation, finishing installation, and restarting. An active Windows Update or background apps can interfere with installation. These steps are specific recovery guidance; they do not establish that driver corruption is the cause of every ray-tracing fault. NVIDIA’s instructions were updated 2026-05-26.
Intel graphics
Intel’s clean-install process removes older drivers, resets Intel settings, and clears the shader cache; it may prompt for a reboot. Check with the PC maker first for compatibility concerns. If the installer has no clean-install option, Intel documents removing the device through Device Manager and also suggests DDU if the ordinary clean method does not resolve the issue. Follow Intel’s steps carefully because removal resets settings and clears the cache. Intel clean-install guidance was reviewed 2026-09-09.
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Why is ray tracing not working in my game?
Separate a driver fault from a capability or game requirement. A current driver can resolve some bugs or installation problems, but it cannot make an unsupported GPU report ray-tracing support. The game must also support the GPU and graphics API in use, and the game’s own requirements govern which hardware and settings it accepts.
Check the game’s requirements and active GPU
- Look up the game’s current requirements and support notes from its publisher, including its stated GPU and graphics API requirements.
- On a system with multiple adapters, confirm which GPU is rendering the game. A laptop may have both integrated and discrete graphics; capability on one adapter does not prove the game is using it.
- Check whether the game exposes ray tracing for your GPU and graphics mode. If the device is unsupported, driver changes alone will not enable the feature.
Use DirectX diagnostics as a clue
For an end-user check, NVIDIA’s guide uses the Windows DirectX Diagnostic Tool. Press Windows key + R, enter dxdiag, and open the Display tab for the screen connected to the discrete GPU when the PC has multiple adapters. Inspect the listed DirectX Feature Levels. Supported feature levels vary by GPU series; this list is a capability clue, not a substitute for the game’s requirements or a direct confirmation that a particular game will enable ray tracing. NVIDIA explains the dxdiag check.
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What “not supported” means
Microsoft’s Direct3D 12 documentation defines D3D12_RAYTRACING_TIER_NOT_SUPPORTED as a ray-tracing tier that is not supported. Applications can query capability through ID3D12Device::CheckFeatureSupport, passing D3D12_FEATURE_DATA_D3D12_OPTIONS5 and inspecting RaytracingTier. That is developer-facing API documentation, not a consumer diagnostic utility. Microsoft’s tier reference and feature-support structure reference were last updated 2024-02-22.
Do I need to reinstall DirectX?
Usually, do not look for a separate GPU-vendor DirectX driver. Intel says DirectX is included with Windows or can be installed through Windows Update, and recommends keeping the graphics driver current for full API support. If Windows or a game reports a missing API, install Windows updates and check the game publisher’s guidance; a package-specific issue may need a fix from the publisher. Intel’s API support article covers this distinction.
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When a model-specific fix may apply
Some troubleshooting steps apply only to particular hardware and symptoms. For example, Intel’s guidance for DirectX or out-of-memory crashes on the Arc A770 lists checking that Resizable BAR is enabled in BIOS, updating BIOS according to the system maker’s instructions, trying Arc driver 31.0.101.4900 or newer, reinstalling with DDU or a clean install, and resetting the PC. The article was reviewed 2024-07-01; do not treat those steps as universal advice for other GPUs or games. Intel Arc A770 crash guidance.
Quick Recap
A practical troubleshooting order
- Identify the GPU, Windows version, PC model, game title, and current driver version.
- Check the PC maker’s support page for an OEM graphics driver; otherwise use the official GPU vendor’s updater or download page.
- Install the appropriate driver, restart if prompted, and verify the installed version.
- Check the game’s requirements and confirm that it is using the GPU expected to support ray tracing.
- Use
dxdiagto inspect feature levels if useful, while treating the result as a clue rather than a game compatibility verdict. - If installation failed or appears corrupted, use the vendor’s documented clean-install method for that GPU.
- If the game still fails, consult the game publisher’s support page for its exact API, settings, and error message. Do not apply BIOS changes or model-specific fixes unless they match your hardware and the maker’s guidance.
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