New firmware for GeForce RTX 4090/4080 to fix blank screen during boot
NVIDIA releases an updated Firmware Update Tool that should resolve an issue reported by some reviewers.
Some RTX 4090/4080 cards may show blank screens during system boot. This issue has now been identified and fixed by NVIDIA, but unfortunately, it requires a firmware update.
Apparently, this issue cannot be resolved with a driver update, which wouldn’t work anyway since the problem occurs when the operating system is still loading. Therefore, a firmware update was required.
You can now download the firmware from the NVIDIA website here. The tool will check if your GPU is compatible and lead you through the update process with on-screen instructions.
The Update Tool works for GeForce RTX 4090 and for the just-released RTX 4080 GPUs as well. Hopefully, it does not bring any other ‘upgrades’ that we do not know about yet.
NVIDIA GPU UEFI Firmware Update Tool
To ensure compatibility with certain UEFI SBIOSes, an update to the NVIDIA GPU firmware may be required. Without the update, graphics cards in certain motherboards that are in UEFI mode could experience blank screens on boot until the OS loads. This update should only be applied if blank screens are occurring on boot.
Click here to download the NVIDIA GPU UEFI Firmware Update Tool v1.2.
The NVIDIA GPU Firmware Update Tool will detect whether the firmware update is needed, and if needed, will give the user the option to update it.
If you are currently experiencing a blank screen, please try one of the following workarounds in order to run the tool:
- Ensure you are using the latest SBIOS from your motherboard vendor
- Change boot mode from UEFI to Legacy/CSM
- Boot using an alternate graphics source (secondary card or integrated graphics)
Once you have the tool downloaded, please run the tool and follow the on-screen instructions. Ensure all apps are closed before running the tool and make sure no OS updates are pending in the background. This tool can be used with Founders Edition as well as partner cards.
Applicable Products
GeForce RTX 4090, GeForce RTX 4080
Source: NVIDIA