Nvidia App Causes FPS Drops in Some Games and PCs

The newly released Nvidia app is causing frame rate drops in some games and on specific PC configurations. This article explores this performance issue stemming from Nvidia's latest game optimization software.

Nvidia App Impacts Game Performance

Frame Rate Instability Affects Select Games and PC Builds

PC Gamer's December 18th testing revealed performance issues with the Nvidia app in certain games and PC setups. Several users reported stuttering. An Nvidia employee suggested a temporary fix: disabling the "Game Filters and Photo Mode" overlay.

Testing Black Myth: Wukong on a high-end system (Ryzen 7 7800X3D and RTX 4070 Super) showed a slight average frame rate increase from 59 fps to 63 fps at 1080p (Very High settings) with the overlay off. The 1440p test showed no significant difference. However, enabling the overlay and lowering graphics to Medium resulted in a substantial 12% frame rate drop.

Cyberpunk 2077 testing on a Core Ultra 9 285K and RTX 4080 Super showed stable frame rates regardless of overlay status. This suggests the problem is game and/or hardware specific.

PC Gamer's testing, prompted by user concerns on Twitter (X), confirmed the temporary fix (disabling the overlay) proposed on the Nvidia forum. However, many users still report instability. Some Twitter (X) users suggested reverting graphics drivers. Currently, Nvidia's only official response is to disable the overlay.

Nvidia App's Official Launch

The Nvidia app, initially launched in beta on February 22, 2024, replaced GeForce Experience. Both cater to Nvidia GPU users, offering GPU optimization, game recording, and more.

Following beta testing, the official November 2024 launch coincided with a graphics driver update. The new app eliminates the need for account logins and features a redesigned overlay.

Despite improved features, Nvidia needs to address the performance impact on specific games and hardware configurations.