Nvidia Solves Long Shader Compilations with Auto Shader Compilation

Nvidia has released an update to its App utility that brings several improvements to GeForce graphics cards. One of the notable features is Nvidia Auto Shader Compilation (ASC), which aims to solve the problem of long shader compilation in games.

Shader compilation is a time-consuming process that occurs when launching a game for the first time after installation or with every driver update. This can result in a long progress bar while the game compiles its shaders, causing frustration for gamers.

Nvidia Auto Shader Compilation takes over shader recompilation and performs it automatically in the background after every driver installation. The feature is disabled by default but can be enabled in the settings under the Shader Cache section. Users can also set how much system load ASC is allowed to use, which may cause noticeable CPU fan activity.

The effectiveness of this feature depends on several factors, including automatic driver updates and the number of games installed. Nvidia has not stated whether ASC checks which games were played recently to prioritize those, but it would make sense to add a setting that limits ASC to recently launched games in the future.