Nvidia App Causes FPS Drops in Some Games and PCs

Nvidia's New App: FPS Drops Reported in Some Games

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

Inconsistent Framerates Across Games and Systems

Testing conducted by PC Gamer on December 18th revealed performance inconsistencies. Several users reported stuttering while using the app. An Nvidia representative suggested a temporary fix: disabling the "Game Filters and Photo Mode" overlay.

Tests with Black Myth: Wukong (Ryzen 7 7800X3D and RTX 4070 Super) showed a slight FPS increase (59fps to 63fps at 1080p Very High settings) with the overlay off. However, enabling the overlay and reducing graphics to Medium resulted in a significant 12% FPS drop. Cyberpunk 2077 testing (Core Ultra 9 285K and RTX 4080 Super) showed no noticeable difference with the overlay enabled or disabled. This suggests the problem is game and system-specific.

PC Gamer's testing, prompted by user reports on Twitter (X), confirmed the temporary fix's partial effectiveness. However, many users still report instability. Some Twitter users suggested reverting to older drivers, but Nvidia hasn't released an official fix beyond disabling the overlay.

Nvidia App's Official Launch and Implications

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, introduced a new overlay system without requiring account login.

Despite its enhanced features, Nvidia needs to address the performance impact on certain games and PC configurations. Further investigation and a dedicated patch are necessary to resolve the reported FPS drops.