NVIDIA Driver Clean Install + Debloat (What I Actually Do)
Driver installs are one of those things people ignore… until something feels off.
Random stutter, weird frametime spikes, input feeling inconsistent.
This is the method I use when I want a clean baseline without extra NVIDIA junk running in the background.
Before you start
Not mandatory, but helps avoid issues:
- Download latest NVIDIA driver beforehand
- Download DDU (Display Driver Uninstaller)
- Download NVCleanstall
Disconnect internet during install (prevents Windows auto-installing drivers).
Step 1 – Clean removal using DDU
This is where most people mess up. Installing over old drivers = leftover junk.
- Boot into Safe Mode
- Open DDU
- Select GPU → NVIDIA
- Click Clean and Restart
After reboot, your system will be using basic display drivers.
That’s what you want.
before doing any of this, i tested whether these tweaks even work or not, the results were honestly mixed
Step 2 – Install driver using NVCleanstall
This is where you strip unnecessary stuff.
Open NVCleanstall → click Next → let it fetch drivers.
For Desktop
- ✔ Display Driver only
For Laptop
- ✔ Display Driver
- ✔ Optimus (if needed)
Now comes the important part.
Enable these options:
- ✔ Disable Installer Telemetry & Advertising
- ✔ Perform Clean Installation
- ✔ Disable Multiplane Overlay (MPO)
- ✔ Disable Driver Telemetry (Expert Tweaks)
- ✔ Use method compatible with Easy Anti-Cheat
- ✔ Auto accept unsigned driver warning
Click install and let it finish normally.
After install – Control Panel settings
Right click desktop → open NVIDIA Control Panel
Go to Manage 3D Settings
- Anisotropic filtering → Off
- Antialiasing gamma correction → Off
- Low Latency Mode → On
- Power management → Prefer maximum performance
- Shader Cache Size → Unlimited
- Texture filtering quality → High performance
- Vertical Sync → Off
Threaded Optimization:
this one is weird
- CPU bottleneck → try Off
- otherwise → leave default
Display settings (quick check)
- Resolution → native
- Refresh rate → max supported
- Output dynamic range → Full
- Color depth → match monitor
Optional:
Increase digital vibrance slightly if colors look dull.
One thing that actually made a difference for me
Disabling MPO.
This is hit or miss depending on system, but on mine it reduced random stutter when alt-tabbing.
Not saying it’s universal, just noticeable in my case.
if your system still feels inconsistent after driver cleanup, check this full windows optimization breakdown where i tested what actually affects frametime
About forcing P-State 0 (advanced)
This forces your GPU to run at full power all the time.
Sounds good… but:
- Higher temps
- More power usage
- Not great for laptops
If you still want it, you can use this command (admin CMD):
for /f "tokens=*" %a in ('reg query "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4d36e968-e325-11ce-bfc1-08002be10318}" /t REG_SZ /s /e /f "NVIDIA" ^| findstr "HK"') do (reg add "%a" /v "DisableDynamicPstate" /t REG_DWORD /d "1" /f)
Then use NVIDIA Profile Inspector:
- Find “CUDA – Force P2 State”
- Set → OFF
- Apply changes
- Restart PC
what actually changed for me
Not huge FPS gains.
But:
- less random hitching
- more consistent frametime
- cleaner system (less background junk)
That’s the main point.
i also ran full frametime tests comparing different tweaks, you can see the results here if you’re curious how much difference it actually makes
what i wouldn’t mess with blindly
- removing too many driver components
- forcing P0 state without good cooling
- copy-pasting “pro settings” from random guides
Most issues come from over-tweaking, not under-tweaking.