Want 4K graphics on older Nvidia GPUs? These new drivers make that a reality now

By Adrian Diaconescu October 23, 2014

nvidia driver brings dynamic super resolution to older gpus maingear shift gtx 980 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

It looks like AMD is not the only GPU and CPU manufacturer preoccupied with making older gear attractive this holiday season. Arch rival Nvidia is showing love for its Kepler and Fermi-based desktop GPUs, not by discounting them, but by improving them.

Dynamic Super Resolution, an innovative feature introduced with the sizzling hot Maxwell architecture, is now supported on team green’s 400, 500, 600 and 700-series video cards. And all you have to do is download the 344.48 WHQL drivers from Nvidia. They shouldn’t take long to snag, considering the size of the download is a mere 306MB.

What does Dynamic Superior Resolution (DSR) do? In a nutshell, it gives you 4K-quality graphics on any screen. As long as you’re playing a title that supports 1080p+ resolutions, you can take advantage of the feature.

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So, let’s say you’re in the midst of a Dark Souls II hack and slash session. Through the powers of DSR, 3,840 x 2,160 resolution images are rendered without a hitch, and shrunken down to the resolution of your monitor with no noticeable decline in quality detectable.

The process is generally known as Downsampling or Super Sampling, but Nvidia applies a high-quality filter to make everything crisper and clearer than usual.

Kepler GPUs were the predecessors of Maxwell video cards, and Fermi came ahead of Kepler. Maxwell focuses on energy efficiency, and is built on a 28 nanometer process.

In addition to DSR, the latest GeForce drivers offer support of and the “best possible gaming experience” for upcoming releases Lords of the Fallen, Civilization: Beyond Earth, and Elite: Dangerous. All in all, it’s a must-have, especially considering that it’s free!

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Adrian Diaconescu

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Adrian is a mobile aficionado since the days of the Nokia 3310, and a PC enthusiast since Windows 98. Later, he discovered…

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