News Nvidia Driver Bug Increases CPU Usage

dk382

Commendable
Aug 31, 2021
52
48
1,560
Got 15 - 20% CPU usage from the Nvidia Container process after the driver update, and my package power went up from ~30 watts to ~50 watts on my 5600X while at 'idle' due to this bug. I'm glad I now know the cause at least. Stopping their telemetry service has fixed the issue for me, and I don't think I'll be turning that back on anytime soon (or ever, if I can help it)
 
D

Deleted member 1353997

Guest
What is "game session telemetry", and why would anybody other than an advertiser want that data?
They're probably collecting information such as the length of a gaming session and assorted GPU statistics during said session.

I suppose they could sell that data to partners to give them an insight in how their GPUs perform under real world conditions. For example, if a GPU's average temperature rises after only 3 months of 4 hours per week of usage, maybe it could need a more dust-proof cooler.

Or they could sell that data to gaming monitor manufacturers. It could be useful to know how long the screen is expected to run in HDR mode at over 60 FPS.

I don't know, just guessing.
 

bigdragon

Distinguished
Oct 19, 2011
1,107
547
20,160
I think it's time to create network rules to block a lot of this telemetry. I didn't pay a ridiculous amount of money for an Nvidia GPU just to have the supporting software send data out to advertisers. Nvidia needs to start writing me checks if they want the data flow to continue. Same goes for Microsoft.
 

Sleepy_Hollowed

Distinguished
Jan 1, 2017
501
195
19,070
This is the kind of stuff I’m used to seeing with nvidia drivers since the 2000 series, definitively terrible, even with the bare bones install.
This is the kind of stuff alpha drivers should have.
 

InvalidError

Titan
Moderator
What is "game session telemetry", and why would anybody other than an advertiser want that data?
Drivers don't really see marketable game data besides how long you played what game.

From a drivers and hardware perspective, the telemetry in question is most likely related to performance and utilization of various features and resources for R&D purposes. If you collect performance data about the drivers and hardware, such as shapshots of what the drivers and hardware are doing when frame time excursions happen, then that can steer your R&D toward driver-side optimizations and future hardware development to minimize those excursions. By knowing how much of what resources each game is using, it also tells Nvidia where they should invest the most software, drivers and hardware R&D in the future.

Put another way, it closes the loop between what development path Nvidia is trying to push with its hardware models and how successful it is at pushing it so it can make whatever corrections to future architectures to ensure it doesn't fall behind in other areas.

Nvidia's biggest incentive is simply leveraging its quasi-monopoly position to reinforce its quasi-monopoly position.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Bamda and KyaraM
Mar 6, 2023
3
2
15
Got 15 - 20% CPU usage from the Nvidia Container process after the driver update, and my package power went up from ~30 watts to ~50 watts on my 5600X while at 'idle' due to this bug. I'm glad I now know the cause at least. Stopping their telemetry service has fixed the issue for me, and I don't think I'll be turning that back on anytime soon (or ever, if I can help it)

Nvidia Container is run as service. I disabled it in Windows "Services" configuration. It never runs since then.
 

AloofBrit

Prominent
Feb 1, 2023
20
7
515
I noticed the other day that Nvidia Container was inexplicably using a lot of CPU (3080)

Google found old posts suggesting ShadowPlay might have something to do with it, so I disabled In-Game Overlay in Nvidia Experience settings (Alt-R still works) - Container hasn't misbehaved since

Edit: noticed this week (end of March '23) that Alt-R now no longer works if Overlay is disabled
 
Last edited:

Giroro

Splendid
They're probably collecting information such as the length of a gaming session and assorted GPU statistics during said session.

I suppose they could sell that data to partners to give them an insight in how their GPUs perform under real world conditions. For example, if a GPU's average temperature rises after only 3 months of 4 hours per week of usage, maybe it could need a more dust-proof cooler.

Or they could sell that data to gaming monitor manufacturers. It could be useful to know how long the screen is expected to run in HDR mode at over 60 FPS.

I don't know, just guessing.
I could see "what game or software every single computer is running, for exactly how long" being extremely valuable to advertisers... and others.
Either way, it sounds like Nvidia feels entitled to freely track some kind of intimate usage of the hardware people have bought, without anybody really knowing about it. Whether they sell it or are just using your personal data for their own purposes, I'm not comfortable with it. It seems underhanded and predatory. All of Nvidia's victims should probably be doing their best to disable their spyware, regardless of if they are suffering a performance hit.
If you buy hardware, then you should own it, not the company who sold it to you. Whatever happened to basic property rights?
 

nightbird321

Distinguished
Sep 15, 2012
28
24
18,535
I ended Nvidia Container in the task manager, it auto restarted but without the CPU usage so this can be a temp fix until it is patched.
 
Fake news!

The internet knows nVidia never has any bugs in their drivers. Never.

This is just AMD or Intel sabotage knowing they can't compete on the superb nVidia flawless quality and delivery. Fake PR smearing campaign!

Bad joking aside, I just don't get why nVidia needs all this telemetry... Does common sense not tell them no one really turns on RayTracing? XD

Sorry. Still throwing bad jokes. It's like they write themselves and I need a new writer.

Regards.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Sleepy_Hollowed

bikemanI7

Reputable
Jan 9, 2020
163
14
4,595
Always installed Geforce Experience on my Nvidia Equipped PC's, helps me be notified when a new driver is out and like Shadowplay off and on when i wanna record in game gameplay easily, of course i could use Windows Game DVR recording as well.

is there a reason why i shouldn't install it in the future?

I'm sure this bug will be fixed relatively soonish, not sure if it i'm gonna rollback driver or not, or just wait patiently, and deal with it for now
 
  • Like
Reactions: KyaraM

TheOtherOne

Distinguished
Oct 19, 2013
220
74
18,670
Thankfully I don't bother updating drivers as soon as released, unless of course it's a major bug fix and I've read the details.

Still on v 528.49 from early Feb and will stay with those after reading this news until they fix it in future version.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Tac 25

bikemanI7

Reputable
Jan 9, 2020
163
14
4,595
Well I'm the type that updates immediately, would drive me nuts if i didn't, knowing new version was out and I was still on old version.

This issue will be solved I'm sure very soon is, then all is well again til next issue props up