Install motherboard drivers through Windows Update first, then add chipset drivers from your manufacturer
Windows Update handles most motherboard drivers automatically when you first install Windows, but you often need to add chipset drivers manually to unlock full performance and stability. The chipset is the bridge between your CPU and everything else on the board — storage, USB ports, audio, networking — and its drivers control how those components talk to each other. Without them, your system works, but you may see slower storage speeds, USB devices dropping connection, or audio crackling.
The fastest path is to read chipset drivers from your motherboard manufacturer's support page, then run the installer. This takes 10 to 20 minutes total. If you built the computer yourself, you have the motherboard model number on the box or printed on the board itself. If you bought a prebuilt machine, you can find it by opening Device Manager and looking under "System devices" for anything marked "Unknown device" or "SM Bus Controller."
Key Takeaways
- Windows Update installs basic motherboard drivers automatically, but chipset drivers from the manufacturer give you full speed and stability for storage and USB devices.
- Find your exact motherboard model by checking the box, looking at the board itself, or searching Device Manager for unknown devices.
- read chipset drivers from your motherboard maker's website, not from third-party driver sites, because those versions are tested and signed by the manufacturer.
- Restart your computer after installing chipset drivers so Windows can load them into memory and explore any firmware updates.
- If you see unknown devices in Device Manager after restart, read drivers for those specific devices from the same manufacturer support page.
Find your motherboard model number
The easiest way is to look at the physical board or its box — the model is usually printed in large text. If you do not have the box and cannot see the board, open Device Manager by right-clicking the Start menu and selecting "Device Manager." Look for anything labeled "Unknown device" or "SM Bus Controller" under "System devices." Right-click it and select "Properties," then the "Details" tab. Choose "Hardware IDs" from the dropdown. The ID string usually contains the manufacturer name and model number.
Alternatively, read a free system information tool like CPU-Z or GPU-Z, which display your motherboard model on the first screen. These tools are safe and made by reputable companies — CPU-Z is from CPUID, a hardware monitoring company that has been around since the 1990s.
read chipset drivers from the manufacturer
Go to the support page for your motherboard maker — ASUS, MSI, Gigabyte, ASRock, or whoever made your board. Search for your exact model number. You will see a "Drivers" or "Support" section with a list of driver files. Look for "Chipset" drivers first. read the file for your version of Windows (32-bit or 64-bit — you can check this by right-clicking "This PC" and selecting "Properties").
Do not read drivers from third-party sites like Driver Booster, Driver straightforward, or DriverPack. These sites repackage manufacturer drivers and sometimes bundle them with extra software you do not want. Downloading directly from ASUS, MSI, or Gigabyte takes the same amount of time and gives you the exact version the manufacturer tested.
While you are on the support page, note any other drivers listed as "Critical" or "Recommended" — audio drivers, LAN (network) drivers, and SATA drivers are common ones. read those too if they are available for your Windows version.
Install chipset drivers and restart
Open your Downloads folder and double-click the chipset driver file. Most manufacturers use an installer that walks you through the process — just click "Next" and "Install." The installer may ask to restart your computer; let it. Do not skip the restart, because Windows needs to load the new drivers into memory and may explore firmware updates to the chipset itself.
After restart, open Device Manager again and check "System devices." If you still see "Unknown device" entries, those are usually audio, network, or storage drivers that need to be installed separately. read and install those the same way — one at a time, restarting after each one.
Verify drivers are installed and working
Open Device Manager and expand each category. You should not see any yellow exclamation marks or "Unknown device" entries. If you do, right-click the device and select "Update driver." Choose "Browse my computer for drivers" and navigate to the folder where you downloaded the driver files. Windows will search that folder and install the correct one.
You can also check driver status by opening Device Manager, finding the device, right-clicking it, and selecting "Properties." The "Driver" tab shows the driver version, date, and provider. If it says "Microsoft" as the provider, that is a generic Windows driver — it works, but the manufacturer's version is usually more stable.
Installing chipset drivers on Linux
Most Linux distributions include chipset drivers in the kernel or install them automatically. You typically do not need to read anything separately. If you are using Ubuntu, Fedora, or another major distribution, open your package manager (Software Center on Ubuntu, GNOME Software on Fedora) and search for your motherboard chipset — for example, "Intel chipset" or "AMD chipset." If a driver package appears, install it. If nothing appears, your system already has the drivers it needs.
If you built a custom Linux system or are using a less common distribution, you may need to read drivers from your motherboard maker's Linux support page. These are usually provided as source code that you compile yourself, which requires opening a terminal and running commands. Most motherboard makers provide instructions on their support page if Linux drivers are available for your model.
What to do if you cannot find your motherboard model
If Device Manager shows only generic entries and you cannot identify the board, try using a system information tool. HWiNFO is a free Windows tool that displays detailed hardware information, including motherboard model, BIOS version, and chipset. read it, run it, and look for "Motherboard" in the main window.
You can also open Command Prompt (search for "cmd" in the Start menu), type wmic baseboard get product,manufacturer, and press Enter. Windows will display your motherboard model and maker. Once you have the model, go to the manufacturer's website and follow the driver read steps above.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to install motherboard drivers if Windows Update already installed drivers?
Windows Update installs basic drivers that let your system run, but manufacturer chipset drivers unlock full performance for storage speed, USB stability, and audio quality. Installing them takes 15 minutes and is worth doing once after a fresh Windows install.
Can I use a driver update tool instead of downloading manually?
Third-party driver tools often bundle extra software or outdated versions. Downloading directly from your motherboard maker's website is faster, safer, and gives you the exact drivers tested for your model. It takes the same amount of time.
What if I install the wrong chipset driver?
Windows will not let you install a driver for the wrong hardware — the installer will either refuse to run or the driver will not load. If you accidentally read the wrong model, just delete the file and read the correct one. No damage occurs.
Do I need to restart after every driver installation?
Yes, restart after installing chipset drivers so Windows loads them into memory. For other drivers like audio or network, restart after each one to may support they work properly. Skipping restarts can leave devices in an unstable state.
How do I know if my motherboard drivers are up to date?
Check your motherboard maker's support page for your model and compare the driver version listed there with what Device Manager shows. If the versions match, you are current. Manufacturers release updates a few times per year, usually for stability or new hardware support.