Recent testing has revealed that Nvidia's new app, which replaced GeForce Experience (GFE), can significantly impact gaming performance, with some games showing up to 15 percent slower framerates.
The issue emerged after Nvidia's transition from GFE to the new Nvidia App, which became mandatory with the release of driver version 566.36. Our testing confirms widespread user reports about performance degradation when running games with the Nvidia App installed.
During our benchmark tests using an RTX 4060 graphics card, we observed performance drops ranging from 2 to 12 percent across five different games. The testing involved comparing clean driver installations with and without the Nvidia App, using default settings including the enabled overlay feature.
To put this performance impact into perspective, a 15 percent decrease is substantial - nearly matching the 18 percent performance gap between an RTX 4060 and the more expensive RTX 4060 Ti at 1080p medium settings.
The good news is that users can avoid these performance issues by opting for a driver-only installation, skipping the Nvidia App entirely. While this means foregoing the app's additional features, it currently appears to be the best solution for maintaining optimal gaming performance.
We have contacted Nvidia regarding these findings and anticipate they will investigate and address the root cause of these performance issues. The situation raises questions about the app's release timing, considering it spent nearly a year in beta testing before this mandatory rollout.
For gamers prioritizing maximum performance, we recommend performing a clean driver installation without the Nvidia App until these issues are resolved.