Nvidia's New App Causes FPS Drops in Some Games
Nvidia's recently released application is causing frame rate (FPS) drops in specific games and on certain PC configurations. This article explores this performance issue affecting Nvidia's latest game optimization software.
Performance Issues Across Games and Systems
PC Gamer's December 18th testing revealed inconsistent framerates in some games when using the Nvidia App. Several users reported stuttering. An Nvidia employee suggested temporarily disabling the "Game Filters and Photo Mode" overlay as a workaround.
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. However, enabling the overlay and lowering graphics to Medium resulted in a significant 12% FPS drop. Cyberpunk 2077 testing on a different high-end system (Core Ultra 9 285K and RTX 4080 Super) showed no noticeable difference with the overlay enabled or disabled. This suggests the problem impacts specific games and hardware configurations.
These findings, corroborated by user reports on Twitter (X), highlight the instability. While disabling the overlay offers a partial solution, many users still experience performance problems. Some users on Twitter (X) suggest reverting to older drivers, but Nvidia has yet to release an official fix beyond the overlay workaround.
Nvidia App's Official Launch and Implications
Launched in February 2024 as a beta replacement for GeForce Experience, the Nvidia App officially debuted in November 2024. This release, timed with a graphics driver update, introduced a new overlay system and eliminated the need for account logins. Despite improved features, Nvidia needs to address the performance impact on specific games and hardware to ensure a smooth user experience.
