NVIDIA's latest move sparks concern among gamers: Is it time to say goodbye to your beloved GTX 900 or GTX 10-series card?
The recent release of the 590 driver branch on Linux has caused a stir in the NVIDIA community. While it brings exciting new features, it also marks the beginning of the end for the GTX 900 'Maxwell' and GTX 10 'Pascal' series. NVIDIA's previous statements indicated that the 580 driver series would be the last to fully support these cards, but the 590 driver seems to be taking that promise a step further. And here's where it gets controversial—community reports suggest that some Pascal-based cards are no longer recognized, despite the official release notes claiming legacy support. This has left users scratching their heads, wondering if the official documentation is outdated or if this is an unexpected bug.
The situation is further complicated by the differing support timelines for Linux and Windows. Game Ready updates for these cards were initially set to end in October but were briefly extended for Windows users with the 581.80 driver. However, the Linux 590 driver appears to be enforcing the deprecation earlier, leaving Linux gamers high and dry. NVIDIA's decision to scale back Volta support is also notable, although its impact is minimal due to Volta's limited consumer releases.
But what does this mean for gamers? NVIDIA assures that these older architectures will still receive security updates quarterly, safeguarding against critical vulnerabilities. However, the days of dedicated Game Ready optimizations for new titles are over. This shift in policy prioritizes new game enhancements over maintaining performance for older hardware. So, if you're a gamer who relies on these cards for the latest gaming experience, it might be time to consider an upgrade. But is this a fair move by NVIDIA, or should they continue supporting these tried-and-true cards? The debate is on!
