This NVIDIA Hotfix GPU Driver Solves A Stuttering Issue And A Wonky Discord Bug
NVIDIA rolled out a new 'Game Ready' GPU driver for GeForce owners this week, version 546.29 WHQL, which brings optimizations to Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition (not to be confused with the 2.1 update) and some bug fixes. Since then, however, NVIDIA has made available an optional GPU hotfix—version 546.31—to squash a couple of annoying bugs that managed to survive the latest driver release.
Bear in mind that you only need to apply the 546.31 hotfix if you're experiencing the specific issues it aims to solve. Otherwise, your best bet is to roll with the latest WHQL driver. The same fixes included in the hotfix will be packaged into the next regularly scheduled WHQL driver release anyway.
"Since we have so many changes being checked in, we usually try to align driver releases with significant game or product releases. This process has served us pretty well over the years but it has one significant weakness. Sometimes a change that is important to many users might end up sitting and waiting until we are able to release the driver," NVIDIA explains.
"The GeForce Hotfix driver is our way to trying to get some of these fixes out to you more quickly. These drivers are basically the same as the previous released version, with a small number of additional targeted fixes. The fixes that make it in are based in part on your feedback in the Driver Feedback threads and partly on how realistic it is for us to quickly address them. These fixes (and many more) will be incorporated into the next official driver release, at which time the Hotfix driver will be taken down," NVIDIA adds.
That said, one of the issues the 546.31 hotfix addresses is intermittent stuttering when enabling V-Sync. Before there were variable refresh rate (VRR) technologies like G-Sync (NVIDIA), FreeSync (AMD), and Adaptive Sync (VESA), V-Sync was the go-to option, which caps framerates to your monitor's refresh rate. There are now better solutions available, but if you're using V-Sync and are experiencing game stutters, this hotfix could be the salve you need.
The other issue applies to Discord. NVIDIA's hotfix addresses a but that can cause colors to appear muted when streaming gameplay to Discord.
If you're running into either of those issues and are using a GeForce GPU, give the hotfix a spin. Note that you must download it directly from NVIDIA's hotfix page, as these out-of-band updates are not made available through the GeForce Experience dashboard.
