A report surfaced this past weekend suggesting that the NVIDIA App could potentially impede gaming performance on PC systems. To investigate this claim, we decided to conduct our tests using our primary gaming rig. The central question we aimed to answer was whether removing the NVIDIA App might enable us to achieve higher performance levels in our games, specifically surpassing the benchmarks set by 20FPS.
For our testing setup, we utilized a powerful AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3DAMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D processor paired with 32GB of high-performance DDR5 RAM running at an impressive speed of 6000MHz. The GPU at our disposal was the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090, renowned for its capabilities in modern gaming scenarios. We performed these tests on a Windows 10 64-bit operating system, employing the latest GeForce driver version 566.14 at the time. It's important to note that the choice of the operating system and driver version can have a significant impact on overall performance outcomes. Additionally, to deliver more controlled and accurate results, we disabled the second CCD (Core Chiplet Die) on our 7950X3D.
The specific games we chose to assess included popular titles such as Path of Exile 2, Red Dead Redemption, STALKER 2, and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. For our testing of Path of Exile 2, we played at native 4K resolution with all in-game settings set to Maximum, ensuring an intensive performance evaluation. Red Dead Redemption was similarly tested at native 4K and Maximum Settings, and we also enabled DLAA (Deep Learning Anti-Aliasing) while unlocking the framerate for an unrestricted gaming experience. On the other hand, both STALKER 2 and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle were run at a resolution of 4K with Maximum Settings, utilizing DLSS 3 Quality along with Frame Generation, which aims to enhance performance and visual quality during gameplay.
With a comprehensive approach in mind, we were eager to uncover whether the NVIDIA App's presence truly has an effect on gaming performance or if it could be eliminated without any detrimental impact on our gaming experience.
Now, let’s review our findings.
As we can observe, there is a minor dip in performance when using the NVIDIA App. However, it’s far from the numbers that have been reported. On our PC setup, it results in about a 4-6% drop, mainly in CPU-intensive areas.
In a way, this is understandable. The NVIDIA App is a software that operates continuously in the background. So yes, it will utilize some CPU resources. This aligns with my long-held belief that you should minimize background programs while gaming. Discord and Chrome (especially with multiple tabs open) can severely impact your performance comparatively more. Even OSD programs can detract from performance. This isn’t a discovery. Once again, we’re discussing a performance decline of 4-6%. So, no. Uninstalling it won’t yield 20FPS. At best, you might see a gain of 3-4FPS unless you’ve enabled something in the NVIDIA App that could negatively affect your performance.
For instance, the NVIDIA App includes several shaders that gamers can utilize. It can also facilitate desktop recording. So, if you inadvertently activated these features, you might experience reduced performance with the NVIDIA App. Some users have reported poorer frame times with the NVIDIA App. We did not experience such issues. Frame times remained consistent with and without the NVIDIA App.
Ultimately, I recommend examining the settings within the NVIDIA App first. You may likely have activated a feature that could influence your performance. The app itself doesn’t impose a significant performance hit, at least on our system.
Before we finish, it’s worth mentioning that this could be an issue exclusive to Windows 11. After all, we’ve already encountered similar CPU performance problems affecting both Intel and AMD CPUs on Windows 11. Therefore, it wouldn’t be surprising if Windows 11 is the primary factor here. On Windows 10, we were unable to reproduce any of the claimed benefits.
So, should you remove it? Ultimately, the choice is yours. If you have no intention of utilizing any of its features, why did you install it originally? If you plan to use it, a difference of 3-4 FPS is unlikely to severely impact the gaming experience.
For what it’s worth, We have already alerted NVIDIA about this issue. It will be intriguing to see how the green team responds. A report surfaced this weekend that claims the NVIDIA App can compromise your PC gaming performance. We decided to put this to the test using our primary gaming system. So, can you surpass 20FPS just by uninstalling the NVIDIA App? Let’s get to the bottom of it.
For our tests, we used an AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D with 32GB of DDR5 at 6000MHz, along with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090. We ran Windows 10 64-bit and deployed the GeForce 566.14 driver. The choice of operating system is crucial to the results. Furthermore, we disabled the second CCD on our 7950X3D.
The titles we tested include Path of Exile 2, Red Dead Redemption, STALKER 2, and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. Path of Exile 2 was played at Native 4K with Maximum Settings, while Red Dead Redemption operated at Native 4K, Maximum Settings, and DLAA (with the framerate unlocked). On the other hand, both STALKER 2 and Indiana Jones were tested at 4K with Maximum Settings, utilizing DLSS 3 Quality and Frame Generation.
Let’s dive into our findings.
The data indicates a slight performance drop when using the NVIDIA App, with the observed performance reduction around 4-6%, mainly in CPU-bound sections. In the case of Indiana Jones, a game that relies heavily on the GPU with Path Tracing, there was no noticeable performance degradation recorded. This information stands in contrast to some claims that have been circulating regarding performance impacts. This makes complete sense. The NVIDIA App operates in the background at all times, consuming some CPU resources. This is why I consistently advise gamers to minimize background applications during gameplay. Programs like Discord and Chrome—especially with multiple tabs—can impose an even greater toll on performance. Even OSD tools can detract from your gaming experience. This is far from new information.
Once again, we find ourselves discussing a performance decrease of approximately 4-6%. To clarify, uninstalling the NVIDIA App is unlikely to result in a significant improvement in 20FPS—you can expect a modest gain of around 3-4 FPS, unless you’ve inadvertently activated a setting within the app that adversely affects your performance.
The NVIDIA App offers features such as shaders for gamers and screen recording capabilities. If you’ve accidentally engaged these features, it may impact your system's performance. While there are claims of worsened frame times with the NVIDIA App, our testing did not support this; our frame times remained stable regardless of the app's installation. In summary, I strongly encourage you to first review your NVIDIA App settings, as it’s possible that you may have toggled an option that affects performance. The app itself does not appear to impose a significant performance hit on our system. It’s also important to consider that these issues may be specific to Windows 11. Previous reports have pointed out CPU performance challenges affecting both Intel and AMD processors on Windows 11, suggesting that this operating system could be a primary contributor to the problems. In our tests on Windows 10, we were unable to replicate any of the reported improvements. So, should you choose to uninstall the app? The choice is yours. If you don't intend to utilize its features, you might want to reassess its initial installation. However, if you do plan to use the app, a 3-4 FPS difference is unlikely to severely impact your gaming experience.