NVIDIA GeForce 621.01 WHQL driver causes black screens and crashes

On October 23, 2024, NVIDIA published the GeForce 621.01 WHQL driver. However, this new driver has caused significant instability issues for GPU users. Users are facing critical bugs like black screen out of nowhere, system crashes, and game performance drops with G-SYNC or VRR enabled.

Skip the update until NVIDIA releases a hotfix for stability issues

Game and workstation users are advised to skip this update until the driver fixes its issues. It's better to stay on your current driver if it works well.

GeForce 621.01 WHQL is a driver update for NVIDIA graphics cards. However, this new driver is currently facing significant communication failures with the hardware. There are numerous instances of nvlddmkm Event ID 153 appearing in the Windows Event Viewer, indicating a driver crash.

In many cases, this results in an unexpected black screen, forcing users to reboot their system. The issue is specific to certain hardware configurations and environments, making it a hazardous driver for general use.

Multiple technical elements in the driver are either broken or performing poorly. G-SYNC or VRR-enabled games are showing micro-stuttering and clear frame drops while playing. The driver's power management system doesn't lock the high frequencies when the user switches to max performance mode.

This results in variable frame rates. For some users, the DLSS Frame Generation Preset C (model) is not available or not selectable in the control panel. This disrupts the intended rendering flow.

NVIDIA has yet to release a hotfix for the 621.01 version of the driver to fix these issues. If you're facing such problems, it's recommended to rollback to an older driver version with the help of Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU) to get a clean installation. This is after the initial announcement of this driver which is optimized for games like Call of Duty Modern Warfare 4 and Phantom Blade Zero.

However, it has a very poor stability record right now. We've covered the initial launch details in our previous Nvidia coverage. But it's best to be cautious right now.

The GeForce 621.01 WHQL driver is currently unstable and should not be upgraded. NVIDIA must provide a patch to fix issues such as black screen error, G-SYNC stuttering, and power management failures. Users should wait for an official hotfix before installing this version of the driver on their system.