Nvidia App: Sudden FPS Drops Plague Gamers

The recently released Nvidia App is causing frame rate (FPS) drops in some games and PC configurations. This article explores this performance issue affecting Nvidia's latest game optimization software.

Nvidia App Performance Impact

Framerate Instability Across Games and Systems

PC Gamer's December 18th testing revealed performance inconsistencies with the Nvidia App. Several users reported stuttering. An Nvidia employee suggested a temporary solution: 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 FPS increase (59 fps to 63 fps at 1080p Very High settings) with the overlay off. At 1440p, the difference was negligible. However, enabling the overlay and lowering graphics to Medium resulted in a significant 12% FPS drop.

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

Following user reports on Twitter (X), and utilizing the Nvidia-suggested workaround (disabling the overlay), PC Gamer confirmed the issue. Many users still reported instability, prompting suggestions to revert graphics drivers. Nvidia hasn't yet released a permanent fix beyond disabling the overlay.

Nvidia App's Official Launch

Initially launched in beta on February 22, 2024, as a GeForce Experience replacement, the Nvidia App officially launched in November 2024, coinciding with a driver update. It offers improved features and a new overlay system without requiring account login.

Despite these enhancements, Nvidia needs to address the negative performance impact on certain games and PC configurations. Further investigation is required to identify the root cause and implement a comprehensive solution.