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Yes—but only in a limited sense. NVIDIA’s GeForce Game Ready Driver 591.44 WHQL, released on December 4, 2025, includes a fix for lower performance that could affect some games after Windows 11’s October 2025 update, KB5066835.
That does not mean every PC lost FPS, or that 591.44 restores performance universally. NVIDIA’s release notes limit the issue to some games on systems using R580-branch drivers—58x.xx or newer. If you are installing a driver in 2026, check NVIDIA’s current driver selector first: a newer release may already contain the same fix.
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What happened after Windows 11 KB5066835?
Microsoft released KB5066835 on October 14, 2025 for Windows 11 version 24H2 and 25H2. The update brought affected systems to build 26100.6899 on 24H2 or 26200.6899 on 25H2.
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A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11After the update, some GeForce users reported lower gaming performance. Microsoft’s support page does not describe a general GeForce FPS regression as a known issue, but NVIDIA later listed the condition in its own driver notes. That makes NVIDIA’s documentation the direct evidence for the driver-side fix, not proof that the Windows update reduced performance on every NVIDIA system.
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What NVIDIA fixed in driver 591.44
NVIDIA’s release notes identify a fix for lower performance in some games after installing Windows 11’s October 2025 update KB5066835. The note applies to users on the R580 driver branch and newer, meaning 58x.xx and later driver branches.
The wording matters:
- It affects some games, not every title.
- It does not identify a universal FPS loss or recovery percentage.
- It does not guarantee that every GeForce GPU or PC configuration will improve.
- It does not explain every performance problem that began after a Windows update.
One user discussion reported recovering roughly 10–15 FPS in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 after installing 591.44, but that is an individual report rather than controlled benchmark evidence.
What is GeForce 591.44 WHQL?
GeForce 591.44 is an NVIDIA Game Ready driver released on December 4, 2025. “WHQL” means the package passed Microsoft’s Windows Hardware Quality Labs certification process. It does not mean the driver is bug-free or guaranteed to behave identically on every game, GPU, and notebook.
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The release also included Game Ready support for Battlefield 6: Winter Offensive and current DLSS 4-supported games including Call of Duty: Black Ops 7. On GeForce RTX 50-series cards, it added support for 32-bit GPU-accelerated PhysX effects in selected classic games.
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Other listed fixes covered issues including Battlefield 6 stability, Counter-Strike 2 text distortion below native resolution, flickering or corruption in several games, Madden 26 stability, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt character-sword corruption, Adobe Premiere Pro export freezes, and Chromium video playback lines on certain RTX 50-series systems. The KB5066835 performance fix is only one part of the release.
How to check whether your PC is affected
- Press Windows key + R, type
winver, and press Enter. Confirm whether you are running Windows 11 24H2 or 25H2 and note the build number. - Open Settings > Windows Update > Update history and search for KB5066835.
- Check your NVIDIA driver version in the NVIDIA App, NVIDIA Control Panel, or Device Manager.
- Confirm that the performance loss began after the update rather than after a game patch, BIOS change, graphics-setting change, or driver installation.
- Use
dxdiagif you need a broader record of your Windows and graphics configuration.
A before-and-after impression is not enough to establish the cause. Compare the same game scene or built-in benchmark using the same resolution, graphics preset, ray-tracing settings, DLSS or other upscaling mode, frame-generation setting, and frame-rate cap.
Also check for shader compilation, CPU limits, laptop hybrid-graphics mode, power settings, background overlays, recording software, GPU temperatures, clock speeds, Resizable BAR, and game updates. Any of these can produce a similar symptom.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsShould you install 591.44?
| Situation | Recommended action |
|---|---|
| FPS dropped after KB5066835 | Install the latest NVIDIA driver that contains the fix. Use 591.44 if you specifically need that historical release and no later suitable driver is available. |
| No performance problem | Do not downgrade solely because of this issue. |
| Installing a driver in 2026 | Use NVIDIA’s current driver selector first; later drivers may include the same fix and newer game support. |
| Notebook PC | Check the laptop manufacturer’s certified driver before using a generic NVIDIA package. |
| New GPU or newer game | Prefer a current supported Game Ready driver. |
| Non-NVIDIA GPU | This driver is not relevant. |
How to install the driver safely
- Download the package from NVIDIA’s official driver page. Select the correct GPU, desktop or notebook product, Windows 11 64-bit, and Game Ready Driver.
- Close games and GPU-intensive applications.
- Run the installer and choose Custom installation if you want to select components.
- Use Perform a clean installation when troubleshooting persistent profile corruption, failed upgrades, or recurring driver problems. It resets NVIDIA driver profiles and settings; it is not required for every normal update.
- Restart Windows.
- Retest the affected game under the same conditions used for the original comparison.
The standalone package is not the only installation route. The free NVIDIA App can identify and install drivers, but it adds background software and overlay features. Users who want a minimal setup may prefer NVIDIA’s direct driver package.
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How to validate whether performance returned
Record the Windows build, NVIDIA driver version, game version, resolution, graphics preset, upscaling mode, frame-generation setting, and frame cap. Then:
- Use the same repeatable scene or built-in benchmark.
- Restart Windows before testing.
- Record average FPS and frame-time data when possible.
- Repeat the test at least once.
- Test a second affected title before concluding that the fix worked.
Tools such as CapFrameX can capture frame-time data, while a benchmark such as 3DMark can provide a repeatable synthetic comparison. Neither proves that a particular game was affected by KB5066835, so in-game testing remains the more relevant check.
What if FPS does not improve?
- Confirm that KB5066835 is installed and that the driver installation completed successfully.
- Check resolution, graphics settings, DLSS, frame generation, frame caps, and display mode.
- Disable overlays and recording features temporarily.
- Allow shader caches to rebuild after the driver change.
- Monitor GPU utilization, clock speed, temperature, power draw, and CPU usage.
- Test another game to determine whether the issue is title-specific.
- Try a later NVIDIA driver or a known-stable rollback if the problem began with 591.44.
- On a notebook, test the manufacturer’s graphics package.
If the installer fails, reboot, temporarily close conflicting GPU-control utilities, and retry. If a new crash or display problem appears, use Windows’ available driver rollback option or reinstall a known-stable package. If the display, brightness, or hybrid-graphics behavior breaks on a laptop, return to the OEM driver.
Should you uninstall KB5066835?
Usually, no. Installing an NVIDIA driver containing the fix is the preferred first response for an affected GeForce system. Removing a Windows security update can reduce protection and may introduce other problems.
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Uninstalling KB5066835 should be considered only as a temporary troubleshooting step when other options fail. If you do test that route, reinstall the security update after resolving the driver-side issue. Microsoft documents the update’s installation and removal mechanisms, but does not list a general gaming-performance regression among its public known issues.
Verdict
GeForce 591.44 WHQL is a legitimate NVIDIA release that includes a fix for lower performance in some games after Windows 11 KB5066835. It can restore performance for affected systems, but NVIDIA does not promise a specific FPS gain or universal recovery.
Check your Windows build, update history, driver branch, and repeatable game results before blaming KB5066835. For a fresh installation, choose the latest NVIDIA driver that includes the fix rather than automatically installing the December 2025 package. Do not remove a security update or buy new hardware until the driver, game settings, thermals, and other common causes have been ruled out.
