You might want to hold off installing the latest Game Ready Nvidia GeForce driver if you're using Corsair iCUE or Bluestacks
Nvidia's latest Game Ready GeForce driver (566.03) is out and should optimise your rig for some new and upcoming games and DLC, but Corsair iCUE or Bluestacks users might want to hold off on pressing that shiny green update button.
In its release notes (PDF), Nvidia reports (via Overclock3D) "higher than normal CPU usage" as an "open issue" for iCUE and Bluestacks software. The former is software that allows for centralised control for all your Corsair hardware—you know, for that sweet, sweet RGB sync—and the latter is Android emulator software.
It's a little strange that a GPU driver update could cause high CPU usage, but all these components are interconnected, I suppose. We don't know exactly how much "higher than normal" the CPU usage will be for users of these programs, either. However, if you use either of them and you won't be playing the new games the update's targeting, it might be best to skip the 556.03 driver or wait for a hotfix.
According to Nvidia, the latest DLSS 3-supporting games that this driver should benefit include:
- Dragon Age: The Veilguard
- Alan Wake 2: The Lake House
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
- Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered
- No More Room In Hell 2
- Red Dead Redemption
- The Axis Unseen
Of biggest note might be the first three of these. Black Ops 6 is set to launch tomorrow and will be coming to Game Pass, Dragon Age: The Veilguard will launch on the spookiest of dates (October 31), and the Alan Wake expansion is available right now.
Gamers wanting to play any of these titles who also use Bluestacks or iCUE might have a decision to make, then. After all, the driver could increase performance in these games more than enough to offset any increase in CPU usage alongside iCUE or Bluestacks.
You could, of course, install the driver and then roll it back to uninstall it if it's causing too many problems. Or you could temporarily uninstall iCUE or Bluestacks, depending on how necessary it is. Uninstalling the former might be difficult for some systems, though, given that Corsair can sometimes make its software a requirement for control of its fans and so on.
Whatever the case, if you use either of these pieces of software, at least take the time to decide whether the latest Nvidia driver update is worth it, because it might not be.
Best CPU for gaming: Top chips from Intel and AMD.
Best gaming motherboard: The right boards.
Best graphics card: Your perfect pixel-pusher awaits.
Best SSD for gaming: Get into the game first.