Is it a big issue to have out of date drivers/software?

[Fuzzball]

So I've been having some issues with updating my laptop's software recently. If I update my graphics driver (my GPU is a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675MX) to anything dated after last September, BioShock Infinite stops running properly with the same settings that normally work. If I update my web browser to Internet Explorer 11, the Windows Startup Sound doesn't play, and I like to hear that. I'm weird with technology, and little things like this bother me.

So I'm gonna stick with the current drivers and software I have, which I know work as I like. I wonder though, how much is this going to affect me in the long-run? We're always being told to update our drivers and software, but does keeping them static really have much effect on the running of programs? Will games be released in the future that just won't work on my hardware unless I have the most up to date drivers? Or is hardware ultimately the more important factor in a computer's performance? Just trying to get a sense of things.

 

[vanthus]

I seldom bother about updating drivers unless having problems,so my advice would be to stick with what works best for you.

 

[ubuysa]

No, it's not a big issue to stick with outdated drivers/software. Remember, the purpose of software is to provide you with a set of tools and/or functions, as long as you're getting the tools and functions you require it matters not whether the software was written 50 years ago or yesterday. It's the same with drivers, all they do is interface the hardware to Windows, so as long as they do that job for all of the hardware features you use whether they're the latest version or 10 generations old doesn't matter. All that matters is that your software and drivers do the job you need.

The only exception to that is of course security updates. Software (and possibly drivers) might be found to have security vulnerabilities within them that are closed by an update. In those cases it's wise to apply the update so that you're not exposed to the issue.

That said, there are excellent reasons for running old code. For one thing it's been executed several billion times by several million users and so it's pretty much bug free. And unlike most other products, software doesn't wear out. It wil execute as well now as it did 20 years ago.

 

[Fuzzball]

Thanks for the responses! That's been very reassuring to hear!

 

[Neumie]

I dont obsess over updating drivers either. Once it works i tend to leave it alone. I may update my GPU drivers once every 6 months just cause..but thats it.

However i would be concerned as to why updating the drivers is causing problems with bioshock. Is it just bioshock or other games also? Has it happened with every driver since the working one or have you only tried one driver? Its possible that that particular update has introduced a regression for bioshock and waiting for a newer release could solve the problem. but if its happeneing with all newer GPU drivers then thats something that should be looked at.
The drivers may be fine now but you may buy a game later this year that wont work well with your current driver.