Quick Answer

NVCleanstall trims NVIDIA driver bloat, installing only the GPU driver and PhysX while skipping telemetry, GeForce Experience, and unused components. Download it free from TechPowerUp, run it as administrator, tick only what you need, and let it pull the latest verified driver from NVIDIA's servers.

Step-by-Step Download and Setup

Head to techpowerup.com/nvcleanstall and grab the latest portable build. Right-click and run as administrator, no installer needed. The tool fetches the freshest official NVIDIA driver, then presents a checklist of components. For most SA gamers, tick Display Driver, PhysX, and HD Audio Driver, then untick Telemetry, GeForce Experience, USB-C Driver (unless you use it), and Container. Click Next and let NVCleanstall download the driver, this takes 5-10 minutes on most home fibre lines.

Recommended Tweaks for Gaming PCs

Enable Disable Driver Telemetry and Disable Installer Telemetry under the Tweaks tab for a leaner driver footprint. Optional: enable Allow NVIDIA Driver on All Cards if you're testing legacy hardware or running a homelab with mismatched GPUs. Skip Perform Clean Installation only if you've never had driver issues, otherwise tick it for a fresh slate. Click Install and let it complete, your GPU may flicker mid-install which is completely normal as the driver swaps.

Common Mistakes and SA-Specific Tips

Running NVCleanstall during load shedding without a UPS can corrupt the driver mid-install, leaving Windows in a broken state and forcing a safe-mode rescue. Always plug into a UPS or wait for Eskom calm before installing. Also, don't run DDU and NVCleanstall back-to-back without rebooting in safe mode between them, the leftover registry hooks cause install loops. Evetech-built PCs ship with clean driver stacks already applied so you can skip this whole exercise on a new rig. Local fibre speeds in metro areas comfortably handle the 800MB driver download in a few minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is NVCleanstall safe to use on my gaming PC?

Yes, it pulls the official signed NVIDIA driver and only changes which components install. Nothing modified, nothing risky.

Will NVCleanstall break GeForce Experience features I need?

If you skip GFE during install, you lose ShadowPlay, Game Filters, and auto-optimised settings. Re-tick GFE if you want those.

Does NVCleanstall work on RTX 50 series cards in SA?

Yes, it always grabs the latest driver from NVIDIA, including support for the newest RTX 50-series silicon.

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