New NVIDIA drivers require immediate adjustment of tools. The arrival of Automatic Shader Compilation forces DDU to revise its shader cache cleaning.
DDU 18.1.5.1 aligns its cleaning with NVIDIA ASC
Wagnardsoft releases Display Driver Uninstaller 18.1.5.1 with a key change related to NVIDIA: the removal of shader cache becomes optional for systems using Automatic Shader Compilation. The goal is to avoid forcing post-driver recompilations when ASC is already handling it.
The NVIDIA shader cache stores precompiled shaders locally on SSD/HDD. Corrupted files can lead to crashes at startup, performance drops, or visual artifacts. NVIDIA still recommends using DDU for targeted cleaning of the shader cache when necessary, but ASC alters the timing of reconstruction.
NVIDIA Auto Shader Compilation: Scope and limitations
The latest version of the NVIDIA application introduces Auto Shader Compilation in beta. The module rebuilds DirectX 12 shaders after a driver update during idle time, or on demand, to reduce delays for subsequent loads. However, games still need to generate their shaders during the first load; ASC comes into play after driver changes.
Technical adjustments in DDU 18.1.5.1
In addition to the option related to the shader cache under ASC, the update adds the removal of NVIDIA Shader Compiler tasks, refines registry exclusions when the NVIDIA application isn’t selected, improves the accuracy of temporary folder cleaning, and revises the methods for removing scheduled tasks.
In a context where GeForce 50 is approaching and driver cycles are intensifying, the coordination between ASC and DDU avoids unnecessary cache invalidations and limits stutters associated with post-update reconstructions. Power users gain more control over when and how to purge.
Source: VideoCardz
