Nvidia App Causes FPS Drops in Some Games and PCs

Recent reports indicate the new Nvidia app is causing frame rate drops in some games and PC configurations. This article explores this performance issue stemming from Nvidia's latest game optimization software.

Nvidia App Performance Issues

Frame Rate Instability Affects Specific Games and Systems

Testing by PC Gamer on December 18th revealed the Nvidia app negatively impacts performance in certain games and PC builds. Some users reported stuttering. As a temporary workaround, Nvidia support suggested disabling the "Game Filters and Photo Mode" overlay.

Initial tests with Black Myth: Wukong (Ryzen 7 7800X3D, RTX 4070 Super) at 1080p Very High settings showed a slight framerate increase (59 fps to 63 fps) with the overlay off. At 1440p, the difference was negligible. However, enabling the overlay and reducing graphics to Medium resulted in a significant 12% frame rate drop.

Cyberpunk 2077 testing (Core Ultra 9 285K, RTX 4080 Super) showed stable framerates regardless of overlay status. This suggests the problem is game and system-specific.

These findings corroborate user reports on Twitter (X), prompting Nvidia staff to recommend the overlay fix. Despite this, many users still experience instability. Some Twitter users suggested reverting graphics drivers as an alternative solution. Currently, Nvidia's official response beyond disabling the overlay remains pending.

Nvidia App's Official Release

Initially launched in beta on February 22, 2024, the Nvidia app replaced GeForce Experience, offering GPU optimization, game recording, and more for Nvidia GPU users. Its official November 2024 release, coinciding with a driver update, eliminated the need for account logins and introduced a new overlay.

Despite its enhanced features, Nvidia needs to investigate the performance impact on specific games and PC configurations.