NVIDIA Sunsets Fermi GeForce GPU Support In Game-Ready Drivers

Driver updates, with the exception of critical security updates, will no longer support Fermi-class GPUs from the 400- and 500-series.

Driver updates, with the exception of critical security updates, will no longer support Fermi-class GPUs from the 400- and 500-series.

Unfortunately all good things must come to an end, and that’s the case this week for long-term NVIDIA Fermi-class GeForce GPU driver support. NVIDIA have now announced that Fermi GeForce GPUs, i.e. those from the 400 and 500-series of 2010-2012 vintage, will no longer be included in driver updates going forward.

It’s been a long old run for Fermi, an architecture which was launched in 2010 to a decidedly mixed response. As the GTX 480 it garnered a reputation for being hot and power-hungry, but the mid-range entrants (notably the GTX 460) cemented NVIDIA’s stranglehold on mainstream PC gaming. Released that same year, the GTX 580 grabbed the performance end of the market by the scruff of the neck and was the fastest single GPU until AMD’s Radeon HD 7970 ushered in the 28nm GPU era.

Critical security updates for the GTX 400-series and 500-series will continue until January 2019, at which time all formal consumer support will end.

The announcement comes on the heels of NVIDIA also suspending Game Ready Driver and GeForce Experience support for 32-bit Operating Systems. Critical security updates for the driver’s 32-bit version will also continue to be issued until January 2019.

Sunsetting support for legacy hardware lets NVIDIA concentrate their resources on more modern hardware and software configurations, but it’s a delicate balance. Hopefully, given the GPUs in question are over eight years old, NVIDIA have struck the right balance between optimal use of developer time and legacy support for consumers.

Affected GPUs

· NVIDIA GeForce 410M
· NVIDIA GeForce 510
· NVIDIA GeForce 605
· NVIDIA GeForce 610M
· NVIDIA GeForce 620M
· NVIDIA GeForce 705A
· NVIDIA GeForce 705M
· NVIDIA GeForce 710A
· NVIDIA GeForce 710M
· NVIDIA GeForce 720A
· NVIDIA GeForce 720M
· NVIDIA GeForce 800M
· NVIDIA GeForce 810M
· NVIDIA GeForce 820A
· NVIDIA GeForce 820M
· NVIDIA GeForce GT 415M
· NVIDIA GeForce GT 420
· NVIDIA GeForce GT 420M
· NVIDIA GeForce GT 425M
· NVIDIA GeForce GT 430
· NVIDIA GeForce GT 435M
· NVIDIA GeForce GT 440
· NVIDIA GeForce GT 445M
· NVIDIA GeForce GT 520
· NVIDIA GeForce GT 520M
· NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX
· NVIDIA GeForce GT 525M
· NVIDIA GeForce GT 530
· NVIDIA GeForce GT 540M
· NVIDIA GeForce GT 545
· NVIDIA GeForce GT 550M
· NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M
· NVIDIA GeForce GT 610
· NVIDIA GeForce GT 620
· NVIDIA GeForce GT 620M
· NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 (OEM)
· NVIDIA GeForce GT 625M
· NVIDIA GeForce GT 630
· NVIDIA GeForce GT 630M
· NVIDIA GeForce GT 635M
· NVIDIA GeForce GT 640
· NVIDIA GeForce GT 645
· NVIDIA GeForce GT 705
· NVIDIA GeForce GT 710M
· NVIDIA GeForce GT 720A
· NVIDIA GeForce GT 720M
· NVIDIA GeForce GT 730
· NVIDIA GeForce GT 820M
· NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450
· NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460
· NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 SE
· NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 v2
· NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460M
· NVIDIA GeForce GTX 465
· NVIDIA GeForce GTX 470
· NVIDIA GeForce GTX 470M
· NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480
· NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480M
· NVIDIA GeForce GTX 485M
· NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti
· NVIDIA GeForce GTX 555
· NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560
· NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE
· NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 Ti
· NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M
· NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570
· NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570M
· NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580
· NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M
· NVIDIA GeForce GTX 590
· NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670M
· NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675M

SOURCE: Support Plan for Fermi GeForce GPUs, Support Plan for 32-bit and 64-bit Operating Systems