NVIDIA points finger at Windows update — Microsoft patch blamed for PC gaming issues

Microsoft cannot seem to catch a break lately. After a recent Windows update prevented some users from shutting down their PCs, the company is now being blamed for PC gaming issues as well.

NVIDIA has pointed the finger at Microsoft over reported performance problems affecting games on NVIDIA GPUs. According to reports from users and comments from NVIDIA staff, the issues appear to be linked to a Windows update released in January.

Let’s go over just what was, who said it, and what it means for Windows users dealing with the issue.

What NVIDIA is saying about the Windows update

NVIDIA staff have confirmed on its forums that it is actively investigating the issue. According to the company, January update KB5074109 appears to be the root cause, and uninstalling it does seem to resolve the problem for affected users.

I have also been running into issues since updating my own PC today, including unusual graphical behavior on my monitor and generally slower performance (Windows be damned!).

As far as NVIDIA can tell, the issues are not linked to graphics drivers, and many users are reporting dropped frames of up to 20fps, as well as graphical issues. NVIDIA has stressed that its investigation is still ongoing.

For those experiencing these problems, you can either try installing the latest updates from Microsoft or rolling back KB5074109 and pausing Windows Updates temporarily.

To do this, follow these steps:

1. Open the Start menu
2. Search Settings and open it.
3. Go to Windows Update.
4. Select Update history.
5. Choose Uninstall updates and remove KB5074109

This is intended as a temporary workaround until a permanent fix is made available.

Microsoft is also working on fixing the woes of last month’s disastrous update, rolling out updates addressing users' concerns, and they have recently committed to ensuring Windows is a better OS overall, and rolling back on some of their AI pushes as of late, after the company lost over $400 billion in market cap, mind you.

NVIDIA pointing to a Windows Update as the source of gaming instability puts the spotlight squarely back on Microsoft’s patching pipeline. Windows is the backbone of PC gaming, and when an update disrupts performance, it ripples across the entire ecosystem. Until Microsoft addresses what went wrong here, players and partners alike are left wondering how a routine patch turned into yet another avoidable setback.

Have you been affected by the January Windows update? Share your experience and let us know in the comments and make sure you take part in our poll below:

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