Unintended features Nvidias new app is causing large frame rate dips in many games Fully disabling optional, AI-powered filters seems to fix the problem. Kyle Orland Dec 17, 2024 4:43 pm | 20 "Frame rate decrease" is pointedly not listed under the "New Features" Credit: Nvidia "Frame rate decrease" is pointedly not listed under the "New Features" Credit: Nvidia Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreWhen Nvidia replaced the longstanding GeForce Experience App with a new, unified Nvidia App last month, most GPU owners probably noted the refresh and rebranding with nothing more than bemusement (though the new lack of an account login requirement was a nice improvement). Now, testing shows that running the new app with default settings can lead to some significant frame rate dips on many high-end games, even when the app's advanced AI features aren't being actively used.Tom's Hardware noted the performance dip after reading reports of related problems around the web. The site's testing with and without the Nvidia App installed confirms that, across five games running on an RTX 4060, the app reduced average frame rates by around 3 to 6 percent, depending on the resolution and graphical quality level.The site's measured frame rate drop peaked at 12 percent for Assassin's Creed Mirage running at 1080p Ultra settings; other tested games (including Baldur's Gate 3, Black Myth: Wukong, Flight Simulator 2024, and Stalker 2) showed a smaller drop at most settings.UnfilteredThis is a significant performance impact for an app that simply runs quietly in the background for most users. The impact is roughly comparable to that of going from a top-of-the-line RTX 4070 Ti Super to an older RTX 4070 Ti or 4070 Super, based on our earlier testing of those cards. A promotional video highlighting some of the benefits of the Nvidia App. The problem, it seems, stems from the Nvidia app's integration of new, optional Game Filters. The company says these "AI-powered" filters can provide "dynamic vibrance" to "better distinguish in-game elements" or virtual HDR color support in games not coded with HDR in mind.Apparently, merely having these optional filters enabled in the app takes its toll on game performance whenever the app is running, even if the filters aren't actively being used in a running game. To fix the problem, you have to turn off the Game Filters feature completely in the Nvidia App itself ("Nvidia App Settings > Features > Overlay > Game Filters and Photo Mode").In a statement to Tom's Hardware, Nvidia acknowledged that it was "aware of a reported performance issue related to Game Filters and are actively looking into it." Hopefully they'll quickly figure out why this inert feature is causing such a noticeable impact on many games. In the meantime, those who don't want to worry about this kind of thing can still manually install the latest GPU drivers by downloading them directly from Nvidia's website.Kyle OrlandSenior Gaming EditorKyle OrlandSenior Gaming Editor Kyle Orland has been the Senior Gaming Editor at Ars Technica since 2012, writing primarily about the business, tech, and culture behind video games. He has journalism and computer science degrees from University of Maryland. He once wrote a whole book about Minesweeper. 20 Comments