Why Don't Motherboard Manufacturers Package Their Drivers?

[Axeoasis]

I've been putting together some rigs recently for test runs and whatnot, and find myself constantly annoyed that manufacturers choose to just put all the drivers a motherboard needs up as separate files rather than putting them all together in a simple application to run that installs all the drivers instead.

 

I'm genuinely curious, is there a reason that motherboard/computer manufacturers don't do this?

[Mira Yurizaki]

Because you actually don't need all of the drivers. The bare minimum you need is the chipset and audio if the motherboard has one and you don't have a sound card.

[Axeoasis]

1 minute ago, Mira Yurizaki said:

Because actually you don't need all of the drivers. The bare minimum you need is the chipset and audio if the motherboard has one and you don't have a sound card.

I get that, but couldn't they package them together and you just install what you wanted to? I know some boards have features beyond chipset and audio, such as raid and other intel utilities, i think it'd be nice to have an option to install all of them/choose which ones to install.

[SenKa]

My motherboard came packaged with single DVD that just installed all the drivers in one go. So, if you wan't that feature go MSI I guess.

[UncleJarvis]

2 minutes ago, Mira Yurizaki said:

Because actually you don't need all of the drivers. The bare minimum you need is the chipset and audio if the motherboard has one and you don't have a sound card.

Yeah I'm old school like that. I build PCs on the side and used to be a lead tech for a major retailer. Once chipsets drivers are onboard everything falls into place. That bundled stuff seems to load enhancement software not needed.

[Mira Yurizaki]

Just now, Axeoasis said:

I get that, but couldn't they package them together and you just install what you wanted to? I know some boards have features beyond chipset and audio, such as raid and other intel utilities, i think it'd be nice to have an option to install all of them/choose which ones to install.

I believe the CD/DVD that comes with the motherboard runs a general installer where you can tell it to pick and choose what you want. But this would be impractical to offer as a download from their website.

[Axeoasis]

Just now, Mira Yurizaki said:

I believe the CD/DVD that comes with the motherboard runs a general installer where you can tell it to pick and choose what you want. But this would be impractical to offer as a download from their website.

Something like that would be a good compromise i think. My particular motherboard didn't come with one so maybe it's a by motherboard maker basis?

[SenKa]

1 minute ago, Axeoasis said:

Something like that would be a good compromise i think. My particular motherboard didn't come with one so maybe it's a by motherboard maker basis?

As I said, my MSI board came with a master DVD for all the MSI drivers and recommended software, and you could select what you want to install

[SansVarnic]

-= Moved to CPU's, Motherboards and Memory =-

[_Hustler_One_]

15 hours ago, SenpaiKaplan said:

My motherboard came packaged with single DVD that just installed all the drivers in one go. So, if you wan't that feature go MSI I guess.

This!

 

MSI ALWAYS include their motherboard with a DVD full of drivers, and you can install whichever you want and leave the rests which you don't need.

[Princess Luna]

15 hours ago, Axeoasis said:

simple application to run that installs all the drivers instead.

I mean that's what Windows Update exists for.

[SenKa]

2 hours ago, Princess Cadence said:

I mean that's what Windows Update exists for.

Windows Update isn't perfect. Some of its drivers are out of date or otherwise broken.

[Princess Luna]

13 minutes ago, SenpaiKaplan said:

Windows Update isn't perfect. Some of its drivers are out of date or otherwise broken.

I didn't even know "motherboard drivers" was still a thing, I have put computers up for ages now and letting Windows figure out every thing and it has always worked just fine.

[SenKa]

51 minutes ago, Princess Cadence said:

I didn't even know "motherboard drivers" was still a thing, I have put computers up for ages now and letting Windows figure out every thing and it has always worked just fine.

Windows 10 has 99% of them, but my MSI board was missing NVME drivers and the wifi/bluetooth card driver was broken.