The Windows 11 KB5074109 January security update is causing significant gaming performance issues for Nvidia GeForce users, including framerate drops of 15-20 FPS, gaming artifacts, and random black screens. Nvidia has recommended uninstalling the problematic update as a temporary workaround while the company investigates the issues.
Nvidia’s official response and workaround
“Even though it started after a Windows 11 update, we are looking into it. As far as I know, the only way to resolve it appears to be uninstalling KB5074109,” wrote Manuel, a Nvidia representative, on the official GeForce forums.
The recommendation comes after widespread reports from GeForce users experiencing severe performance degradation following the mandatory January security update. The issues don’t appear to affect AMD Radeon users, suggesting the problem is specific to Nvidia’s graphics architecture.
What problems users are experiencing
Affected gamers report multiple issues since installing KB5074109. The most common complaint involves framerate drops of 15 to 20 FPS across various games, significantly impacting the gaming experience. Users also report visual artifacts during gameplay and random black screens that force system restarts.
Initially, many users suspected Nvidia’s drivers were the culprit, as the company released two driver updates (582.28 and 591.86) in January. However, multiple users confirmed that uninstalling the KB5074109 update restored their gaming systems to normal performance.
Microsoft’s response to update issues
The KB5074109 update has caused problems beyond gaming performance. Microsoft acknowledged that the update prevented some systems from booting correctly, forcing affected users to use Windows Recovery to restore normal operation. The company has since released several fixes, including the optional KB5074105 update that addresses black screen issues.
Despite these problems, KB5074109 remains a critical security update that addresses 114 security vulnerabilities and resolves battery drain issues on systems with NPUs. Microsoft considers it mandatory for system security.
How to check and remove the update
Most Windows 11 systems likely have KB5074109 installed automatically unless users have disabled Windows updates. To check if you have the update, navigate to Settings > Windows Update > Update history. The same section contains the option to uninstall the problematic update.
However, Nvidia’s workaround should only be used if you’re experiencing gaming issues. If your system is running normally, it’s recommended to keep the update installed for security reasons. The performance problems don’t affect every GeForce-powered gaming system.