Are Recent Nvidia Drivers Causing Unstable Mouse Movement? A Technical Investigation
Recently, some Nvidia users have reported experiencing jittery and unstable mouse movements after updating their graphics drivers. This phenomenon appears to be correlated with certain driver versions, notably post-566.36, and seems to affect systems equipped with high-end GPUs such as the GeForce RTX 4090 and RTX 5090. This article explores these reports, examines possible causes, and provides insights for troubleshooting and mitigation.
Background and Personal Experiences with Nvidia Driver Updates
Historically, users with Nvidia’s flagship GPUs like the RTX 4090 operated smoothly on driver version 566.36, with no noticeable issues related to mouse responsiveness. However, upon upgrading to newer GPUs, such as the RTX 5090, and updating the driver to version 577.00, some users have begun noticing subtle yet persistent mouse jitter when moving the cursor with slow, micro-adjustments on the desktop.
The user reporting these issues observed the cursor appearing slightly shaky during low-speed movements at 1600 DPI with Windows Enhanced Precision disabled. Although the jitter is minimal and difficult to detect at a glance, it can become especially bothersome for users with sensitivities such as OCD, impacting daily productivity and overall user experience.
Troubleshooting and Tests Conducted
To isolate the root cause of the instability, several troubleshooting steps and environment tests were performed:
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Hardware Variations: Testing with different mice revealed that heavier mice (e.g., a Corsair Scimitar Pro) seem to exhibit less jitter compared to ultra-light models like the Logitech MX Master 2. Despite this, some shaky movement persisted across devices.
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Different Systems: The issue was also observed on a laptop sporting an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile GPU and driver version 576.80, indicating that the problem isn’t exclusive to a single system configuration.
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Alternate Graphics Configurations: Testing on a separate PC equipped solely with an Intel integrated GPU (Intel UHD Graphics 7600) showed no signs of cursor jitter, suggesting a possible link between Nvidia driver updates and the instability.
Key Observation
The common variable across these setups appears to be the Nvidia drivers, hinting at a potential driver-related issue affecting cursor movement smoothness. Specifically, the problem manifests during very slow, micro-movements on the desktop, under conditions like:
- Moving the mouse at 1600 DPI.
- Disabling Windows Enhanced Precision.
- Executing slow, straight-line
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