Introducing NVIDIA WhisperMode: Quiet, Efficient Gameplay For GeForce GTX Laptops

NVIDIA has raised the bar for mobile gaming for many years, improving performance and efficiency, and launching BatteryBoost, GPU Boost, Optimus and G-SYNC, new technologies and advancements that enhance your mobile gaming experience. This year at Computex, we announced a new breed of thin gaming notebooks (learn more here), and unveiled a new mobile gaming technology called “NVIDIA WhisperMode”.

NVIDIA WhisperMode is an ultra-efficient mode designed to minimize the fan noisefrom laptops while still providing an excellent gaming experience. This is achieved through the intelligent pacing of frame rates and efficient selection of game settings. Combined, these methods reduce the amount of heat generated by the GPU which reduces the amount of heat that a laptop must dissipate. This means that the laptop fans can run at lower speeds and produce less noise – resulting in a more pleasant gaming experience for you, and anyone else in earshot.

To determine WhisperMode settings we measure GPU power consumption at various detail levels in games, looking for the most efficient high-quality settings. For example, as you increase the graphics settings in Overwatch, power consumption and GPU utilization increase. At a certain point, cranking up graphics settings higher results in significantly more power consumption, causing fans to spin ever faster, and acoustics to worsen. In order to achieve maximum efficiency while providing an excellent visual experience, we’ve profiled the top 400 games and selected the sweet spot of game settings and GPU power consumption.

Having determined optimal settings for a quieter experience we apply an intelligent frame rate limit: 60 FPS for fast paced competitive games, like Overwatch and League of Legends, and 40 FPS for graphically-demanding cinematic blockbusters such as Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands and The Witcher 3. This frame pacing is done automatically when WhisperMode is enabled in GeForce Experience. If however you wish for a higher or lower frame rate in any game you can override the defaults.

WhisperMode is enabled through GeForce Experience and intelligent frame pacing may be modified on a per-game basis in the NVIDIA Control Panel. WhisperMode comes preconfigured with intelligent frame pacing levels and efficient game settings specifications selected by NVIDIA, but as always, these specifications are fully user customizable.

1. Ensure that your laptop supports the WhisperMode feature.
2. Open GeForce Experience and click the Gear Icon to gain access to the settings screen



3. Click the GENERAL link on the left side and look to the FEATURES section to see if WhisperMode is marked READY.



4. On the left navigation pane, select GAMES, then observe WhisperMode on the right side of the screen.
5. Click the toggle switch to enable WhisperMode. This switch will turn green



6. An activation message will appear in the lower left corner of the GeForce Experience window.
7. Click OPTIMIZE, to apply WhisperMode optimized settings to game settings that have not been previously altered.