If you’re a gamer, your graphics card is an absolute necessity, but it can also be a major source of frustration. Indeed, if your PC crashes while gaming, there’s a good chance your graphics card is to blame.
When something goes wrong with your graphics card, it’s almost always a hardware issue. You don’t have to buy a new card every time your current one fails. Cleaning your graphics card can have a significant impact in some cases, as you might be surprised to learn.
In some cases, however, problems with your graphics card may be caused by software. Overclocking your GPU increases the likelihood of a software problem, but you should still perform a software troubleshooting even if you aren’t. A good place to start is to reset your GPU if you’re experiencing issues.
How to reset a graphics card is explained here. You can perform a refresh or even an entire reinstall of the drivers. All of them will be covered in detail in this guide.
How to Restart Graphics Card Drivers?
It’s unlikely that reinstalling the graphics card’s drivers will resolve a persistent issue. It is possible to solve minor issues that appear out of nowhere by restarting the drivers. Restarting the drivers, for example, may help if your monitor suddenly displays artifacts.
You can restart your drivers with a simple shortcut. Simply press Win+Ctrl+B. After a brief display freeze, your computer will resume normal operation. Try resetting the drivers if this doesn’t help you.
How to Reset GPU Overclock Settings?
Before resetting your drivers, you should check to see if the issues you’re experiencing are related to your GPU overclocking. In order to get the most out of your graphics card, overclocking is a great option. However, it can lead to instability and unexpected problems. It’s even more important if you’ve gone all-out with your graphics card overclocking.
To reset your graphics card’s overclock, use the same program you used to overclock it. Either go back to the default settings for all the options and sliders, or look for a “Reset to default” button.
The reset button is located at the bottom of the MSI Afterburner user interface. If you’re using a skin, keep in mind that the button may be located somewhere else.
MSI Afterburner can also be used to lower your GPU’s clock speed. It’s possible that underclocking your GPU could help if you’re experiencing stability issues.
How to Reset Graphics Card Drivers?
If you want your graphics card’s drivers to be reset to factory defaults, simply follow the steps outlined below.
- Open the device manager. Search for “Device Manager” in the search bar or click on “System” in the Control Panel.
- Click on ‘Display Adapters’ in the Device Manager. All of your display adapters, including your GPU, will be listed.
- Right-click on your GPU and select ‘Uninstall.’ Close Device Manager after you’ve confirmed the uninstall.
- Take your computer out of hibernation.
- Your graphics card drivers will be reinstalled automatically by your PC.
Keep in mind that your PC’s GPU drivers may not be automatically reinstalled in rare cases. Because of this, it may be a good idea to keep a copy of the drivers for your GPU on your hard drive or solid-state drive.
How to Reset GPU Software?
In order to keep track of your GPU’s status and make adjustments, a control panel is installed along with the drivers. Resetting all of your GPU’s settings may be all that is needed to fix a problem.
NVIDIA Control Panel is the name of the software for NVIDIA. Right-clicking on your desktop or from the list of installed apps will let you access it. To return to the factory settings, open the 3D Settings panel and select ‘Restore Defaults.’
The AMD Radeon Settings control panel is similar to the NVIDIA Control Panel in that it can be accessed in the same way. It’s as simple as clicking the “Preferences” button and selecting the “Factory Settings Default” option once you have opened the settings. Performing a factory reset will take a few moments after you confirm it.
How to Reset GPU from BIOS?
Your graphics card’s BIOS can also be used to perform a hard reset. Each PC’s BIOS menu may be slightly different (including the method to open BIOS). As a result, we are unable to walk you through the process step-by-step. Still, here are some general instructions on how to reset your graphics card from the BIOS.
Check your PC’s user manual for instructions on how to access the BIOS menu. This is where you’ll want to look for an option called ‘Advanced Chipset Features.’ The ‘Video BIOS Cacheable’ option must then be enabled. Exit the BIOS, if you haven’t done so already. Your computer will restart, and your graphics card will have been reinstalled from scratch.