We've all put driver updates on the backburner at some stage or another. For me, personally, I definitely don't upgrade my drivers as often as I should, and it tends to be the case that I install drivers once I build the PC, and then occasionally I upgrade those drivers whenever a pretty glaring problem is fixed, or a game requires that I do. However, there are definitely some drivers that you can neglect updating, but these are the ones you definitely need to keep on top of.

4 Chipset drivers

Especially for newer CPUs

If you've bought a new CPU and you've installed your chipset drivers, don't forget to keep them up to date. Especially if it's a new CPU, updates can come out over time that might improve stability and performance. While not quite the same thing, a great example of this is the Intel Core i9-14900K, where Intel released a microcode update rolled out in BIOS updates that significantly prevent deterioration.

These updates can typically be found through your motherboard manufacturer, but Microsoft will also update your drivers automatically with Windows Updates to the latest Microsoft certified drivers. You can get faster updates though, and you definitely should.

3 Graphics drivers

Keep your card working at its best

While I'm guilty of not updating these as often as I should, you should try to keep on top of graphics drivers whenever you can. These driver updates will often come with new features, performance improvements, and more for your GPU. Plus, for new games on launch, sometimes you might actually need new drivers, which was the case for both Counter-Strike 2 and Cyberpunk: 2077 when both of those games released.

You can download GPU drivers from your GPU manufacturer, and both AMD and Nvidia make this a really easy process. Just go to either company's site and select your GPU, or use AMD Adrenalin or the Nvidia App. This is also especially important if you have an Intel GPU like the new Battlemage cards, as Intel is a new player in the discrete GPU space and often releases important fixes in driver updates.

2 Peripheral driver updates

Not every peripheral will have them, but they can add new features

If you have any peripherals from the likes of SteelSeries, Logitech, Razer, or more, then you should probably install driver upgrades as they come. Most of the client applications for these peripherals will handle it for you, but these updates can also improve performance, stability, and more. Plus, you can even get new features, like in the case of SteelSeries where Rapid Trigger was introduced after the launch of the Apex Pro TKL. Wooting also added the controversial SOCD feature in an update, following the release of Razer's Snap Tap.

Some peripherals though may not have specific drivers, or may not need them. The likes of the Vaxee XE-S for example don't require them, so be sure to check with your peripherals manufacturer and see if there are any driver updates that you may need.

1 Audio drivers

These can fix some pretty common problems

You may not think it, but one driver you should definitely keep up to date is your audio driver. While audio tends to just work most of the time, sometimes incompatibilities with games or software can be caused by audio drivers that might not be updated. For example, I had this exact problem with Valorant, where my audio channels were swapped when I first built my PC with a Ryzen 7 9800X3D.

I spent a lot of time trying to fix this problem, only to realize that the problem was my audio drivers. Updating them fixed it completely, so I recommend keeping on top of your audio drivers as much as you can, especially if you rely on your audio being at its best for work or gaming. Sometimes your headset might also need its own drivers separate to the Windows audio drivers, so be sure to check that, too.