Nvidia App Causes FPS Drops in Some Games and PCs

Nvidia's New App Causes FPS Drops in Some Games

Nvidia's recently launched application is causing performance issues for some gamers. PC Gamer's testing revealed significant frame rate drops in certain games on specific hardware configurations. Let's delve into the details of this framerate problem affecting Nvidia's latest game optimization software.

Performance Impact Varies Across Games and Systems

Testing by PC Gamer on December 18th showed inconsistent results. While Cyberpunk 2077 remained unaffected, Black Myth: Wukong experienced a notable frame rate decrease when the Nvidia App's overlay ("Game Filters and Photo Mode") was enabled. A high-end system (Ryzen 7 7800X3D and RTX 4070 Super) saw a 12% drop at medium settings. Disabling the overlay yielded a modest performance improvement (59 fps to 63 fps at 1080p Very High settings). The 1440p tests showed less impact. This suggests the problem is specific to certain game titles and hardware combinations.

The issue was initially reported on Twitter (now X), prompting an Nvidia staff member to suggest disabling the overlay as a temporary workaround. However, even with this fix, some users continue to report instability. Some users have suggested reverting to older drivers, but no official fix from Nvidia has been released beyond disabling the overlay feature.

Nvidia App: Successor to GeForce Experience

Launched in beta on February 22nd, 2024, the Nvidia App replaced GeForce Experience in November 2024, coinciding with a graphics driver update. The app offers streamlined features and a new overlay system, eliminating the need for account logins.

While the new app boasts improvements, Nvidia needs to address the performance inconsistencies it's causing for some users. Further investigation is needed to pinpoint the root cause and deliver a comprehensive solution.