NVIDIA has announced that it will be cutting off driver support for certain older GPUs starting with the upcoming driver series 580. Specifically, this will impact the GTX 700, 900, and 1000 series graphics cards, including Maxwell, Pascal, and Volta architecture cards.
These GPUs, which are now 8 to 11 years old, will receive their final driver updates once the new 580 series drivers roll out.
As part of NVIDIA’s typical hardware lifecycle, it’s not uncommon for older components to lose driver support. Previously, the Fermi and Kepler GPUs (GTX 500 and GTX 600 series) were the first to face this cutoff. The Maxwell and Pascal series will follow suit in the 580 series, marking the end of their support. The 580 series driver release is expected soon, possibly before the end of the year, and while updates will continue for a few months, users of these GPUs should expect fewer new features and improvements moving forward.
The decision impacts both Linux and Windows users, but Windows users may still receive driver updates for a little longer, as NVIDIA uses a unified driver codebase across platforms. While this announcement may not come as a surprise to many, it does signal the end of the road for some long-serving NVIDIA cards, and it’s a reminder of the rapid pace of technological advancements in the GPU space.
While some may be disappointed by the cutoff, the older GTX 700, 900, and 1000 series cards still hold up well for many users. However, it’s clear that the future lies in more modern GPUs like the RTX 50 series, which are already starting to gain traction in the market. For those holding onto their older GPUs, it may be time to consider an upgrade as newer, more powerful options take the lead.