Here’s a clear breakdown of the situation around pairing the RTX 5090 with an old Intel Core 2 Duo in light of Nvidia’s driver change:
If you have any other questions or want to see older hardware + new GPU benchmarks for curiosity’s sake, let me know!
Source: Yahoo RTX 5090 with Core 2 Duo? Nvidia driver change opens up bizarre system build options
What Changed?
- Nvidia Driver Update: The latest Nvidia drivers (version 576.40 and later) have dropped the requirement for POPCNT (Population Count) instruction support on the CPU. POPCNT is part of the SSE4.2 instruction set—typically not present in Core 2 Duo CPUs and some other older processors.
- Implication: In the past, installing new Nvidia drivers on very old CPUs without POPCNT would fail or cause system instability. Now, these drivers will install and run, making it technically possible to use a modern GPU like an RTX 5090 with a legacy processor such as the Core 2 Duo.
Real World: Will an RTX 5090 Work in a Core 2 Duo System?
- Driver Installation: With the new driver, yes, the RTX 5090 could be installed in a system with a Core 2 Duo.
- Performance Reality: The Core 2 Duo would become an extreme bottleneck. Modern GPUs like the RTX 5090 are hundreds of times faster than what the Core 2 Duo can keep up with. In GPU-bound tests (e.g., very high resolution, synthetic benchmarks), the video card would be limited by the slow CPU performance. In practical terms:
- Even older Core 2 Quad or i7 processors still severely hobble new GPUs in gaming and productivity tasks.
- At best, the system would boot and the display would function, but even older games or benchmarks won’t remotely showcase the card's potential.
- No real-world benchmark or user data currently exists for actual RTX 5090 + Core 2 Duo tests, as this pairing is purely academic and hasn’t been attempted for legitimate performance reasons .
Microsoft Windows 11 24H2: Still Requires POPCNT
- New OS Requirements: The latest Windows 11 24H2 still requires POPCNT and SSE4.2, so you cannot run it on Core 2 Duo or Core 2 Quad (which generally lack those instructions), regardless of the GPU used.
- Practical Limitation: Even if you can install the driver, you may still be restricted to older versions of Windows or Linux that do not require these CPU instructions .
Summary Table
| Nvidia Driver 576.40+ | Windows 11 24H2 | Actual Gaming/Workstation Value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core 2 Duo + RTX 5090 | Driver installs, basic display works | NOT supported, OS will not boot | Severe CPU bottleneck, impractical |
Bottom Line
- Fun experiment? Yes.
- Practical? No. Performance will be vastly limited by the aging CPU.
- Supported OS? Not Windows 11 24H2. Maybe older Windows or Linux.
- Who should care? Tinkerers, retro-hardware Youtubers—not anyone looking for a balanced or high-performing system.
If you have any other questions or want to see older hardware + new GPU benchmarks for curiosity’s sake, let me know!
Source: Yahoo RTX 5090 with Core 2 Duo? Nvidia driver change opens up bizarre system build options
