Nvidia's new app is causing FPS drops in some games and PCs, according to recent reports. This article explores this performance issue affecting Nvidia's game optimization software.
Game Performance Issues with the Nvidia App
The Nvidia app is impacting framerates in specific games and PC configurations. PC Gamer's December 18th testing revealed stuttering problems for some users. In response to user concerns, Nvidia staff 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% frame rate drop. Cyberpunk 2077 testing on a different system (Core Ultra 9 285K and RTX 4080 Super) showed no noticeable difference with the overlay on or off, indicating the problem's selective nature.
This issue, initially reported on Twitter (X), prompted the Nvidia staff recommendation. While disabling the overlay helps some, many users still experience instability. Some users on Twitter (X) have suggested reverting to older drivers, but Nvidia hasn't released an official fix beyond the overlay workaround.
Nvidia App's Official Launch and Ongoing Concerns
The Nvidia app, initially launched in beta in February 2024 as a GeForce Experience replacement, officially debuted in November 2024 alongside a graphics driver update. It offers enhanced features and a new overlay system without requiring account logins.
Despite these improvements, Nvidia needs to investigate the performance impact on specific games and hardware configurations to resolve the reported FPS drops.
