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Chipset driver. Do I need one? (self.pcmasterrace)

submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by PeanutsHere to c/pcmasterrace

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Hello!

I'm reinstalling windows 10 on my laptop (MSI GS66 Stealth 10se) from scratch and only enabling security updates therefore I need to install all the drivers on my own.

So far I have installed my Intel integrated graphics driver and a wireless driver and a driver for my dedicated GPU. I got all of these straight from Intel's website and not from my laptops manufacturers website.

On my laptops manufacturer website I can also see a chipset driver. I tried to look for it on Intel's website but only found a "Chipset INF Utility" (driver?). After looking on google and over the interwebs I found out that this INF Utility isn't really a driver but needed for naming some system components in the windows devices settings (devmgmt.msc).

I downloaded this supposed chipset driver form my laptop manufacturer's website and it seemed to be an older version of this INF Utility from Intel. But if this INF Utility is not a driver (laptop manufacturer calls it a driver) do I need a chipset driver? How do I know If I need one anyways? And where do I get a chipset driver if I need one?

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[–] d3Xt3r 5 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

You'd know if you need one if you've got unknown/unidentified devices in the Device Manager. But these days, you should be able to get most of your drivers directly from Windows Update. Since you've got your WiFi working already, you should just run a Windows Update and install any optional updates. You can also go to the Device Manager > Right click on any unknown device > Install Driver and select Windows Update as the source.

Also, ideally it's best to install drivers from the laptop manufacturer's website, as it'll be a better match for your hardware. Only install from Intel etc if the system manufacturer's driver is quite oudated (usually the case if the laptop is a few years old and out of support), or if there's a critical vulnerability in the driver which justifies doing the update.

[–] PeanutsHere 3 points 1 year ago

Thanks for your help!