How to Update Motherboard Drivers

Updating motherboard drivers can make a motherboard perform better but how does one update them? Updating drivers seems like a tedious and complicated process with the risk of permanently bricking up the motherboard.

Therefore, in this article, I will present an easier method that will allow you to update your motherboard’s drivers without any fear. 

This guide applies to amateurs as well as semi-seasoned PC gamers alike. I will try to keep the guide as simple as possible and explain each step comprehensively so that you can follow along with relative ease.

With that being said, let’s jump straight into the article.

To update the motherboard drivers, you will need to know which motherboard is installed in your computer. 

Fortunately, it is straightforward to find out which motherboard you have in your PC. All you need to do is the following.

• Navigate to the Windows search bar found at the bottom left of the screen next to the Windows button. 
• In the Windows search bar, type in cmd and press the Enter key on your keyboard
• In the command prompt Window type wmic baseboard get product, manufacturer and hit Enter
• Subsequently, your motherboard name, make, and model will be displayed on the command prompt window. 
• Copy the whole name and then close the command prompt Window

For your reference, a motherboard name will look something like this Asus Rog Strix Z690. The first word of the series will represent the manufacturer, followed by the motherboard model and the chipset’s name. 

If you have got a name like this, you are good to go to the next step.

A motherboard has many drivers that allow the different components of the motherboard to function. For example, a motherboard consists of audio, video, CPU, USB, etc. 

All these drivers are distinct and require separate installations in most cases. In order to find out which motherboard driver you need to update, do the following.

Test out all the major components of the PC like audio, video, etc. Unfortunately, there isn’t a process for singling out drivers that need to be updated; therefore, you have to do it the hard way. 

That being said, I much rather recommend updating all the motherboard drivers in one go. Updating all the motherboard drivers will not only save you time and headache, but your PC’s performance may also improve.

The complete name that we just found out in the previous step will help us download the latest motherboard drivers.

It is extremely important to get the name right because the same manufacturer has multiple motherboards in its lineup; therefore, using drivers not meant for your motherboard can be risky. 

The following is how you can download the latest drivers for your motherboard. 

• Head over to your motherboard manufacturer’s website. 
• Search for the exact motherboard with the same model and chipset on the website. 
• Once you have the exact motherboard model found, open its page.
• Navigate to the driver or support section
• Filter through the drivers and download the latest release for your motherboard
• Save the download file in a folder that you can easily access later on because we’ll need this folder frequently in the next few steps.

Before we proceed further, I would like to point out that some motherboard drivers can be installed directly on the PC without requiring any special setups. 

On the contrary, some drivers might require you to install via a USB flash drive. They will give an error when installed directly. Therefore, you will need to go through the special installation process for these sorts of drivers. 

This section will tell you about the updating process of drivers that don’t require any prior setups and can be directly downloaded and used. The installation process for these drivers goes like this.

• Navigate to the folder in which you downloaded the motherboard drivers
• Click on the download file 
• Windows prompt will greet you, click on ok
• Now follow the install procedure to the step where it says you choose the location
• Always install your motherboard drivers in the C drive, so select the C drive for this installation
• Now navigate through the rest of the process 
• Once the installation starts, it is important that you don’t interrupt it until finished completely
• If the PC boots, let it do so because restarts and reboots are normal when installing motherboard drivers on a PC
• After the whole process is finished, your motherboard drivers will be ready to use

This simple process is used to install motherboard drivers. If you have followed it along, it only takes 5-10 minutes at max and is not difficult at all to execute. 

Unlike the drivers mentioned previously, these drivers cannot be updated directly but instead require a string of complex processes to complete their installation.

Examples of such drivers include BIOS, chipset, and SATA Raid/AHCI drivers. Their method of installation is as follows:

Prepare Your Downloaded Drivers for Installation

It is not possible to use the raw downloaded file to update the motherboard; therefore, to make the raw download file usable, we need to do a bit of converting first. 

To do that, get an 8GB or more USB flash drive, ideally the one that does not contain any useful data. 

If any useful data is present in the USB, make a backup for it because the USB will be formatted. It is a requirement for updating the motherboard drivers, so as much as I want to, I can’t dodge that, unfortunately.

To format the USB drive, do the following.

• Plugin the USB drive into the computer
• Open the This PC tab
• Right-click on the USB drive and click on the format option
• Keep all the settings default and hit the Ok button. 
• Your USB drive will subsequently be formatted as a result

Ok, that is all there is to do with the USB drive. After the format is done, you can close the window and proceed further. 

Now, to convert the raw download file into something usable, we will need to convert it. We can do that by using the Rufus tool. This tool will allow us to burn the driver file on the USB and make the USB bootable. 

The whole process for using this tool goes like this, 

• Download Rufus from the official website
• Once downloaded, extract the package to install Rufus on your PC
• Make a new folder on the desktop and install Rufus in that folder
• After the installation is complete open the Rufus
• Now select the add file option and click on the drop-down menu
• This will open the Windows directory, from here locate the driver download file and open it
• Leave all the other settings of the Rufus on their default mode and click on the start button
• Let the process run until it says ready, which is the indication that your USB is now ready to use

Upon completing this step, we are almost 70% done in the updating motherboard driver endeavor, and all that is left to do now is use the USB drive that we have created to update the motherboard drivers.

Update Drivers With the Prepared USB Drive

Using the USB flash drive for motherboard driver updates may be pretty simple, but it can easily be messed up. Therefore, I recommend paying close attention to the following steps. 

• By keeping the USB plugged into the computer, restart the PC
• After restarting, immediately when the screen comes on, select the option to update motherboard drivers (in some motherboards, this may not be necessary, and you will be automatically taken to the update process)
• On the installation window, read the instructions carefully and then click on next
• Proceed through the rest of the setup screen until the installation of the drivers start
• Now, you have to be careful not to restart your PC or pull the power plug because that will corrupt the drivers, and it may also brick the motherboard.
• You might encounter a couple of restarts along the way, so don’t interrupt them. Just let the installation process do its job until it is finished completely. 

After a successful install, let your PC restart for the last time, and after it boots up, the new motherboard drivers are ready to be used.

Nowadays, you aren’t only bound to update drivers by manually downloading their latest versions. Software developers have gotten smart lately, and therefore today, we have applications that can take care of the whole driver update process for you with a single button. 

These applications have made things very convenient for end-users. We all can agree on how difficult it is to update motherboard drivers manually. First, we had to fish for the latest drivers, download them, and install them on our PC.

In all fairness, this took quite some time, but now, the 3rd party applications have simplified the whole process. 

While many applications allow you to perform this task, the one I and so many other tech enthusiasts in the PC industry like is Driver Easy. This free-to-use application, developed by the folks over at IObit, works like a charm. 

It has a relatively standard and basic layout that is easy to work with. The software program is not cluttered with countless menus, which is a good thing as it makes it more intuitive to use for an amateur that doesn’t possess a wealth of knowledge.

The following is how you can update motherboard drivers with the driver easy application.

• Download the Driver Easy application by heading over to the official website
• Install the Driver Easy application in C drive
• Once installed, open the application
• Click on the Scan Now button
• The application will subsequently begin the search for all updated drivers of your PC, and that includes motherboard drivers as well
• Let the application finish its search and then select the drivers you want to update

I recommend downloading all the outdated drivers that the Driver Easy software has found and not just motherboard drivers. While it may take some time, your PC will be much better off in the long run.

Related Guides

Check out some of our related motherboard buying guides.

• Best Motherboard for Ryzen 5 3600
• Best Motherboard for Ryzen 5 5600X
• Best Motherboard for Ryzen 7 5800X
• Best Motherboard for Ryzen 9 5900X
• Best Motherboards for Gaming
• Best B550 Motherboard

Check out some of the other related motherboard guides.

• How to Reset Motherboard
• How to Check What Motherboard Do I Have
• How to Update Motherboard BIOS
• What Is a Motherboard
• How to Install Motherboard
• How to Upgrade a Motherboard
• What Does a Motherboard Do
• Do Motherboards Have Bluetooth?
• What Does PCIe x16 Mean?
• Does It Matter Which PCIe X16 Slot I Use?

In this article, I have told you multiple methods that you can use for updating drivers. Now it is your call if you want to take things by the traditional method or take a faster approach by using a 3rd party software for updating motherboard drivers. 

To conclude, while being faster, the 3rd party software method is less precise and accurate. At times these applications may not be fully able to pick the drivers that your motherboard needs. This is not just the case with Driver Easy, but all the other similar software applications as well.

Therefore, I suggest that you use the Driver Easy application first to run a scan. Then once it detects the motherboard drivers that need updating, manually download their update file by heading to your motherboard manufacturer’s website. 

Incorporating both the automatic and the manual methods will pave the way for much better results. 

Before I wrap up the article, I would like to know which method you prefer for updating motherboard drivers. Do you still follow the tried and tested manual installation process, or have you transitioned to 3rd party applications for updating not just motherboard drivers but also other computer drivers.