Last month Nvidia released a beta version of a new self-titled app, intended to completely replace GeForce Experience and incorporate at least some of the features of the long-running Nvidia Control Panel. PCWorld’s Will Smith goes hands-on with the new Nvidia App in our latest YouTube video.
Will, and no doubt a few other Nvidia users, appreciate that you don’t need to log into this app in order to access its features, which is more than you can say for GeForce Experience. But it’s also pretty decent on its own. The homescreen includes your most often-played games and a selection of links to relevant Nvidia services like GeForce Now and Nvidia Broadcast, though these remain discrete programs.
The Drivers page is probably where a lot of people will find the most utility. Like GeForce Experience, this is an integrated system. But the new version gives some great, easy-to-read info on the latest patch notes. This at-a-glance presentation is great for people who want to know why they should update.
The new Graphics page is especially user-friendly. While you can manually adjust most of the major settings within the high-end games, a simple optimization slider lets you change all of the broad settings, going from performance to quality with a single slider. It’s a great presentation if you’d rather not dive into the deep end of modern visuals. The Settings page gives you info on your GPU and Windows version.
The custom performance overlay on 3D games is especially handy. While it’s missing a 1% FPS value (which is relevant if you’re aiming for maximum stability), the option to add info like GPU clock and temperature is appreciated. The overlay app can record clips and screenshots just like it used to, though the option to stream to Twitch and YouTube is gone, presumably because few users were actually taking advantage of it.
The Nvidia App still can’t replicate all the functions of Nvidia Control Panel, which remains the place to find advanced settings like G-Sync or Nvidia Surround. But for the vast majority of users, it looks like a marked improvement over the fractured status quo. For more deep dives into the latest in PC hardware and software, be sure to subscribe to PCWorld on YouTube.
Author: Michael Crider, Staff Writer, PCWorld
Michael is a 10-year veteran of technology journalism, covering everything from Apple to ZTE. On PCWorld he's the resident keyboard nut, always using a new one for a review and building a new mechanical board or expanding his desktop "battlestation" in his off hours. Michael's previous bylines include Android Police, Digital Trends, Wired, Lifehacker, and How-To Geek, and he's covered events like CES and Mobile World Congress live. Michael lives in Pennsylvania where he's always looking forward to his next kayaking trip.