Should I *unselect* the NVIDIA App when I install or update an NVIDIA graphics driver?

We advise against unselecting it.

The NVIDIA App is technically only an optional component of the NVIDIA driver package. The graphics driver itself will generally work without it.

Nevertheless, we explicitly recommend leaving the NVIDIA App selected when installing or updating the graphics driver.

Unlike the former GeForce Experience, the NVIDIA App has become the central configuration tool for modern GeForce graphics cards and GeForce laptop GPUs. NVIDIA has consolidated both the functionality of GeForce Experience and the actively supported features of the classic NVIDIA Control Panel into the NVIDIA App.

Unlike its predecessor GeForce Experience, most NVIDIA App features no longer require an NVIDIA account. Sign-in is only required for certain online functions where an account is specifically needed.

What does the NVIDIA App offer?

In addition to installing and updating Game Ready and Studio drivers, the NVIDIA App now provides numerous settings and additional features, including:

• Graphics and driver settings
• Display settings such as resolution, refresh rate, G-SYNC, scaling and colour output
• Advanced Optimus on compatible laptops
• DLSS Overrides and additional RTX features on supported GPUs
• RTX Video Super Resolution and RTX Video HDR
• GPU monitoring and optional automatic tuning
• Screenshots, video recording and performance overlay

The classic NVIDIA Control Panel is no longer being actively developed for GeForce Game Ready and Studio drivers. New features and improvements are now focused on the NVIDIA App.

Do I have to actively use the NVIDIA App?

No.

If you do not need the overlay, video recording, game optimisation or any of the other additional features, you can simply leave the NVIDIA App unused. However, we still recommend installing it.

Why do we recommend installing it?

Graphics drivers in modern laptops are closely integrated with display, power and performance management. This is particularly relevant for systems using hybrid graphics, NVIDIA Optimus or Advanced Optimus.

For example, a dedicated NVIDIA GPU must be able to shut down completely and reliably when it is not in use. If the GPU is unintentionally woken up at regular intervals, this can increase power consumption and negatively affect battery life, temperatures and fan activity.

In the past, we observed such a case on a laptop with Advanced Optimus: the otherwise unused NVIDIA GPU woke up several times per minute and temporarily consumed almost 20 watts.

After reinstalling the complete NVIDIA driver package, including the then-current GeForce Experience, the behaviour disappeared. GeForce Experience did not have to be launched or connected to a user account.

This isolated case does not demonstrate a general technical dependency between the additional application and the graphics driver. However, it is a good example of why we advise against unnecessary "debloating" of complex driver packages.

With today's NVIDIA App, there is the additional benefit that the application itself now manages numerous relevant graphics, display and Advanced Optimus settings. We therefore strongly recommend becoming familiar with the app and using it to configure efficiency-enhancing features such as an FPS limiter.

What about other components of the NVIDIA driver package?

For these components, too, we generally recommend that regular users stick to the Standard or Express installation.

Not every component is strictly required on every system. For example, the NVIDIA HD Audio driver is required for audio output through certain HDMI or DisplayPort connections, while the PhysX System Software provides runtime libraries for games and applications that use PhysX.

Experienced users can selectively deselect such components if they understand their purpose and deliberately want to do without them. However, we advise against indiscriminately removing supposedly unnecessary components simply to achieve the smallest possible installation.

See also: Do I need *all* drivers or is it enough to just install the most essential ones?