NVIDIA to officially end driver support for Kepler GPUs and Windows 7/8/8.1 on August 31

NVIDIA GeForce 600/700 Game Ready driver support ends on August 31

NVIDIA R470 branch drivers will be the last to support Kepler architecture. 

NVIDIA has today confirmed it will no longer support Kepler-based GeForce graphics cards and Windows 7/8/8.1 operating system starting August 31. On this day the last R470 driver will be released supporting these GPUs and OSes. This does not mean that Kepler GPUs will no longer receive patches for critical bugs and security updates, but there will be no more Game Ready drivers for these graphics cards.

NVIDIA introduces the GeForce GTX 600 series back in 2012, which was then followed by GeForce GTX 700 series. The 700 series were the first to feature the TITAN-class GPU series (which are somehow forgotten with the Ampere series). While some of these cards are still more than capable to provide good framerates in older titles, most of these cards should now belong to the GPU museum (like the one just opened recently by Colorful).

The manufacturer has confirmed that the R495 driver, which appears to be planned for October 4th, will no longer support Kepler GPUs as well as non-Windows 10 operating systems. NVIDIA did make a small mistake though, their Kepler GPU SKU list includes GTX 750 and GTX 750 Ti, both were the first Maxwell GPUs. Thus, we are not sure why they are included in the upcoming ‘drop’ list. It would probably make more sense to say that NVIDIA ends GeForce 600 and 700 series support instead.

Update: NVIDIA has removed GTX 750 series (Maxwell-based), which implies that those SKUs will still receive driver support.

Effective October 2021, Game Ready Driver upgrades, including performance enhancements, new features, and bug fixes, will be available for systems utilizing Maxwell, Pascal, Turing, and Ampere-series GPUs. Critical security updates will be available on systems utilizing desktop Kepler-series GPUs through September 2024. A complete list of desktop Kepler-series GeForce GPUs can be found here.

Effective October 2021, Game Ready Driver upgrades, including performance enhancements, new features, and bug fixes, will be exclusively available for systems utilizing Windows 10 as their operating system. Critical security updates will be available on systems utilizing Windows 7, Windows 8, or Windows 8.1 through September 2024.

— NVIDIA

NVIDIA has also provided a short FAQ regarding both changes.

Q: Why is NVIDIA dropping support for Kepler desktop GPUs?
A: Kepler-based desktop GPUs initially launched in March of 2012. Since then, gaming technology has evolved dramatically with technologies like DirectX 12 Ultimate and NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling). Moving forward, NVIDIA’s software QA team will be focusing on hardware that supports newer technologies.

Q: Why is NVIDIA dropping support for Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 8.1?
A: Microsoft has officially ended support for Windows 7 and Windows 8, with Windows 8.1 nearing the end of its lifecycle as well. The vast majority of our GeForce customers have migrated to Windows 10 OS. In order to ensure GeForce owners experience the best possible security, support, and functionality, NVIDIA will now focus on Windows 10 operating system.

Q: When will the final Game Ready Driver that supports Kepler-based desktop GPUs go public?
Q: When will the final Game Ready Driver that supports Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 8.1 go public?
A: August 31, 2021 (R470 GA5)

Q: When will the first Game Ready Driver that doesn’t support Kepler-based desktop GPUs go public?
Q: When will the first Game Ready Driver that doesn’t support Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 8.1 go public?
A: October 4, 2021 (R495 GA1)

Q: What GeForce GPUs are based on the Kepler architecture?
A: List includes:

Source: NVIDIA, NVIDIA