Which nvidia driver to install: standards or international dch

If you have ever been forced or forced to manually install the Nvidia drivers, you may have noticed that there are two main versions: standard and DCH International. If you are interested in knowing a little more about the software we use every day, stay here because we will explain it to you.

Index of contents

What controllers do we use with Nvidia ?

If you have a graph of the green team, you have two main methods to download the drivers that are coming out.

The first and simplest method is through the Nvidia GeForce Experience application . In this program we can do many things like optimizing games, capturing the screen and so on, but also updating drivers.

Official website for downloading Nvidia drivers

The second method is to download them directly from the official website of the company. In the main search engine you have to enter the data of your graph, your Operating System and different options for the driver. Then, you will have to download an.exe file and run it for the system to update automatically.

However, if you look at the web, there are two special options that are not essential, but they are not well understood either. We are talking about "Windows Driver Type" and "Download Type".

These two options are the most recent to join the set of questions to get the drivers, but what do they refer to? Do they serve something special?

Discharge type

We will start by talking about the type of download, since it is the easiest section to explain.

Here we will have two options: the Game Ready Controller (GDR, in English) and Studio Controller (SD, in English). If you are a little smart, you will see where the shots go.

Game Ready controllers are those patches that are released on day zero that a major video game or update comes out. They are used to prepare the graphics and to better support new games and, also, to optimize other older games.

The problem with this is that these drivers can be patched, undone, or unstable. For those users who only play it can be useful, but there is another type of user.

The other type of driver, the Studio Controllers , are designed for those people who are dedicated to graphic design and other similar tasks. For these users it is important that no bugs arise and that the operation of the graph is stable above all else. This is why Game Ready controllers are quite annoying and inefficient for them.

Therefore, it is not uncommon for dozens of Game Ready patches to be released between release and release of Studio Drivers.

Windows driver type

On the other hand, we have the types of Windows drivers , the topic that we will focus on today.

In simple words, Windows drivers are something like that set of rules, orders and others that are installed on the basis, that is, our Operating System . It serves to offer functionalities, optimize actions and others and in the case of Nvidia , so that the graphics work.

But then, what is the point of there being two options: "Standards" and "DCH" ? The existence of these two types of drivers is due to the change that Windows has been making to be a more cohesive environment.

In the beginning, there were only standard drivers, which were known as international drivers at the time. Later, after some changes, we are experiencing a gradual transition to the Universal Windows Platform (UWP).

In general and for the future, it is better to install DCH drivers, but why.

DCH International Drivers

The drivers that we know today as “DCH International” are the adaptation of Nvidia drivers for the Windows platform.

Before, it was common to require certain special data packages, certain specific libraries, and so on, so sometimes it could be chaos. For this reason, Windows has transformed its system into a somewhat simpler and more generalized medium for users and developers.

With this change, the company wants to allow developer programs to be supported across different platforms. It will not be necessary to have auxiliary libraries, nor to expect that there are certain data already installed in according to which Operating System , but rather that everything will be in the same program.

This may be a headache for some developers, but overall it will make Windows a healthier environment and age better. Universal Windows Platform applications will be much easier to adapt to other formats and, in some cases, users will have fewer obstacles.

Of course, a DCH International driver cannot be installed on standardized equipment and neither can the reverse action. To find out what type of drivers you use for your Nvidia graphics card, you can go to Nvidia Control Panel> Help> System Information> Driver Type.

What other types of " DCH International controllers " are there?

The drivers belonging to the Universal Windows Platform go beyond just the DCH International named by Nvidia.

To have a somewhat more solid definition, we will take the same definition from Windows :

A universal driver consists of a primary controller, optional component packages, and optional hardware support applications. The main controller contains all the nuclear functionalities. Separately, the optional component packages may contain additional customizations and configurations.

Also, we have to highlight that DCH is the acronym that Nvidia uses, but the full spectrum does not end there. Actually, we have one more, the U.

As you have seen above, these acronyms refer to:

• Declarative (D): Use only INF directives and do not include co-installers, DLL records etc. Componentized (C): Everything that is not part of the main functionalities must be separated from the important core. In this way we ensure that the functionalities are not subject to parallel installations and others. Hardware Support Applications (H): Any interface associated with a universal driver must be packaged as an HSA (Hardware Support Application) or pre-installed on the device to be installed. It is a type of driver designed for a specific device, so it is intended to be classified as such and unique for that use. Universal API (U) Compliance: Binaries in universal driver packages should only use APIs and DDIs included in Windows 10. This eliminates any compatibility issues due to lack of auxiliary data.

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What Nvidia controllers to install?

Now that you know the two main types of drivers and their limitations, you are a little wiser or wiser before.

As you may have understood, both controllers are for different computers and are not compatible with each other. Therefore, we recommend using Nvidia GeForce Experience to facilitate driver installation. The same application will detect your configuration and search for the type of driver you need automatically.

Although we have started talking about Nvidia drivers, as you can see, the topic is much deeper than it seems.

We don't know how good the future will be as devices transition to the Windows Universal Platform. However, this kind of movement usually improves the working environment for both future developers and users.

We will see how this topic evolves and we will inform you if anything relevant happens in between. Until then, if you have any questions, ask us.

What do you think about the DCH International and UWP drivers? Do you think it will bring improvements? Comment your ideas in the comment box.

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