If you’ve been around the GPU scene for a while, you probably remember the stir caused by NVIDIA’s Beta Driver 470.05.
On the surface, it was just another Windows driver release — a test build that came out quietly in early 2021.
But for enthusiasts and miners, it quickly became the driver to have.
This was the one that, for a short while, bypassed the LHR (Lite Hash Rate) limit on RTX 3060 cards.
Before NVIDIA patched it, 470.05 allowed full mining performance — something later drivers locked down again.
It wasn’t meant for that purpose, but once people discovered it, forums and Discord groups exploded with excitement.
Even outside the mining community, it was a surprisingly solid beta build: stable under gaming loads, clean in benchmarks, and generally well-behaved for something that wasn’t even meant for public release.
Technical Overview
| Attribute | Detail |
|————|———|
| Platform | Windows 10 (x64) |
| Driver Version | 470.05 Beta |
| Release Type | Developer / Test Build |
| Supported GPUs | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30 Series (Ampere) |
| Main Highlights | Early developer optimizations, full RTX 3060 performance (no LHR) |
| License | NVIDIA Proprietary |
| Risk Level | Moderate — unofficial, no WHQL certification |
| Best Use Case | Testing, benchmarking, and specific legacy use (mining or compatibility) |
What It’s Like to Use
Installing 470.05 feels like unlocking a hidden feature NVIDIA never meant to share.
You run the setup, reboot, and suddenly your RTX 3060 behaves like a different card — full hash rate, no throttling, no artificial limiter kicking in.
For gamers, the difference isn’t huge compared to later official releases, but miners at the time saw almost double the performance overnight.
It also ran surprisingly smooth for a beta: no major stability issues, normal fan behavior, and full support for G-Sync and CUDA workloads.
You just had to install it manually since it wasn’t pushed through GeForce Experience.
Typical Workflow
1. Download NVIDIA 470.05 Beta Driver (originally hosted on NVIDIA’s developer site).
2. Uninstall your current driver with DDU (Display Driver Uninstaller) for a clean start.
3. Reboot and run the 470.05 installer manually.
4. Ignore the missing WHQL warning — it’s a test driver.
5. After reboot, verify installation in Device Manager or NVIDIA Control Panel.
6. If used for mining, set up your software (e.g., T-Rex, NBminer) and confirm full hashrate.
Where It’s Still Useful
– Legacy mining rigs using RTX 3060 cards.
– Compatibility testing for older CUDA or driver-dependent tools.
– Benchmark comparisons with pre-LHR performance.
– Experimental GPU testing environments or driver research.
– Systems where WHQL certification isn’t required.
Important Warnings
– 470.05 is an old beta driver, released for developer testing — use with caution.
– It’s not supported by modern Windows versions or current RTX GPUs.
– NVIDIA later patched the LHR bypass — it no longer works on new drivers or cards.
– Avoid unofficial modified packages; only the original archive is safe.
– For daily gaming or production, newer WHQL drivers are strongly recommended.
It’s funny — years later, people still talk about 470.05 like a piece of GPU folklore.
For a few short weeks, it turned midrange cards into full-power performers, and then it disappeared just as quietly as it arrived.
If you know, you know.
