How to update motherboard drivers (best methods)

We all know that technology advances in both software and hardware, and knowing how to update motherboard drivers becomes something many times necessary to be able to get the most out of the product that we have bought or have installed on our PC for a while..

Index of contents

Downloading drivers for PC is one of the actions that not many users do, simply because they are unaware that various components of their motherboard need an update from time to time, or because they have bought the PC and do not even know the brand and model of their motherboard. base or your PC, in case of laptops.

Why it is important to update the motherboard drivers

Many times it is not only about the motherboard, but also about the complete equipment because they are factory-mounted laptops or miniPCs. In any of the cases there are common elements in them and they need updates for several reasons:

• To maintain maximum compatibility with new hardware that we install Possible problems or bugs that are in previous versions are updated To have better compatibility with updates to the operating system or authentication system Simply because Windows is not able to identify a driver by itself, especially the BIOS, It is especially important to update your installed hardware much more current than it. There are features such as Thunderbolt, Intel Optane, Bluetooth Sound, graphics card or chipset functions that need specific programs not available in Windows.

Where to see all the devices and drivers of the PC

Before continuing, it is worth knowing how to know all or almost all the hardware elements that make up our computer. Thanks to this, we will be able to know which of them are correctly installed and which are not, and we will also be able to know their brand and models.

Method 1: Device Manager

In Windows Device Manager we can see a complete list of the elements that belong to our PC. To access it we will only have to right click on the start button and click on “ device manager ”. We will be shown a window with a huge list of elements ordered in categories.

It is possible that many of them are presented in a generic way or without make and model, so please note that if this occurs, the own driver may not be installed and there is only a generic version. In such a case, we already tell you that it will be highly recommended to install its exclusive driver so we will need a more exhaustive program that gives us information about all the hardware.

Method 2: Software Speccy, CPU-Z or the like

This software comes from Piriform and is completely free. We just have to download and install it on our PC, always deactivating the startup tab so that it does not install extra software.

This program will give us a very complete list of all the hardware that we have on our PC, even if we do not have its official drivers installed. It is a good way to know which of them are correctly installed, comparing the information with the Device Manager.

And what elements are the most important to update

We already know where all the devices are located, now we can say which will be the most important for updating motherboard drivers. We must bear in mind that Windows is a very complete system, and most devices will update and install them without problems.

BIOS

The BIOS is in charge of basically controlling all the components of our PC. It is the basic entry and exit system, hence its initials in the English name. What it does is control elements such as the CPU or RAM memory, its voltage, frequency and communication at the hardware level.

A BIOS must always be up-to-date to avoid possible startup errors and incompatibility with new generation CPUs. In order not to elaborate on the matter, we leave you these tutorials to know how to update the BIOS.

Chipset

The chipset is the chip or set of chips that make it possible to make the board an element or main axis where all the peripherals and hardware work in a synchronized and correct way. Currently it is the south bridge of the boards, which is directly responsible for managing part of the USB connectivity and peripherals, as well as storage and other internal devices to save CPU work.

Having the chipset updated will mean that the programs and operating system are able to work better with all physical hardware. There are Intel and AMD chipsets, so each one needs its own software, in the case of Intel it is called MEI or Intel Managenemt Interface and in the case of AMD, AMD Chipset Driver.

LAN and Wi-Fi and sound card

Normally, these two elements are updated and installed by the operating system itself. What's more, it sometimes takes a reasonable amount of time to do so after installing the new motherboard.

But if after a while we can't get an Internet connection or sound, we will need to download the official drivers.

Graphic card

It is not part of the motherboard, but it is one of the most necessary elements to have updated, either AMD or Nvidia. In this case, we should know that Windows installs a generic driver, and also in the repositories they always have a fairly old version.

USB, SATA and Utilities

Here we can put the rest of the elements of our board, for example, the programs that the manufacturer has designed specifically for your product. They are not strictly necessary, but they give us very useful functions such as fan control, fast USB charging, Intel Rapid Storage, overclocking, etc. The truth is that they are highly recommended.

Methods to update motherboard drivers

Now let's go to see what are the existing or at least the most recommended methods to update the drivers of a motherboard.

Using Windows Device Manager

This is the first method by which we can update the drivers of a motherboard. It is neither the most effective nor the fastest, first because Windows does not usually have the latest versions of the drivers in its repository, and second because the devices that appear as generic or undetected will remain that way almost certainly.

In any case, it is worth briefly commenting on how to do it. So we are going to open the Device Manager again and we are going to go to a device that we want to update, for example, the network interface.

By pressing the right button several options are shown, among which is “ Update driver ”. This will be our objective.

Then a window will appear where we can choose to have the system search for the driver on the Internet or on the hard drive itself. We will press the one that suits us best, in our case the first option. Windows automatically automatically searches for the latest drivers for devices, thanks to Windows Update, so it is not an option that will solve our lives too much.

From the CD-ROM

The next method we will see is through CD-ROM, and the truth is that it does not need much explanation either. When we buy a motherboard or other device, it is tradition to include a CD with the necessary drivers for it. So we are going to look for this CD and we are going to put it in our reader.

We do not have "that thing" anymore, but we should see a menu with everything available on the disk, otherwise, because we just get into it and run each of the applications. And you will say, but these programs are outdated if the CD is long. It is true, but there is almost always a utility for the motherboard among the programs that allows us to install and update the drivers from it.

Using external software

There is another method that from our point of view we do not recommend to a certain extent, which is through external software. And there are many free software on the Internet that allow us to more or less successfully download and automatically install the drivers for our motherboard.

The problem is that these programs normally install advertising and you know that on our team. Also, their repositories are also not completely updated in many cases. A software that works very well and is also quite reliable is Driver Talent, in which we will have a trial version to be able to update the drivers at least for a time.

We just have to install it, and click on Scan, it will immediately look for updated and outdated drivers of the equipment, and your peripherals.

We can download the one we need from the program and install it. Of course, once we click on Install, it will be the moment when it will ask us to start a trial version or buy the software.

But friends, there is always a little trick to skip this test, and that is that in the " Settings " section we will be able to see where the software stores the drivers it downloads, and this we can do with and without a test version.

Well, we just have to go to the place, and unzip the driver with the 7-Zip program, to be able to install it manually.

From the manufacturers pages

For us, the most reliable and effective method, although it is also the longest, due to having to do it manually. The good thing about downloading the drivers directly from the manufacturer's site is that we will have them completely updated and free of viruses and advertising.

For this method, we will obviously have to know the brand and model of our motherboard, since manufacturers differentiate their models and adapt the drivers to each of them. We have a tutorial on how to know how much memory my motherboard supports that will be very useful to know the brand and model of your motherboard.

Once we know this, it will be an easy task since we will only have to go to the manufacturer's website, be it Asus, Gigabyte, MSI or ASRock and enter its " Support " section, but not in the general menu, but in the second menu that belongs to the tab of the motherboard in question.

Next, we will always go to the " downloads " or " drivers and utilities " section in the case of Asus, to select a system and thus obtain all the drivers. Then, it will be as simple as downloading the latest version of each one of them and starting to install them on our computer.

Conclusion and interesting links

Well, these are the main ways to update motherboard drivers, as we can see, there are not many methods, and for us, the most recommended by far is the last one. In this way we choose which component to update, if we really need it.

Remember that many of these drivers are already installed by default by Windows, for example, the network and the sound card. Even the integrated graphics of the processor are updated or installed by the system.

But also always remember, that many of them are not the most current, and this is where this article wants to emphasize and recommend that you download them from the manufacturer and thus obtain the newest and most reliable of all.

Now we leave you with some links of hardware articles of interest:

We hope that everything is clear and explained and is useful to carry out the update. And you know, if you have a problem you just have to ask us