Nvidia just delivered a major free upgrade for gaming laptops, bringing in AI to extend battery life

3 hours ago 3

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A new version of the Nvidia App is out
It packs new G-Assist features for gaming laptops
That includes AI tuning of battery optimization and Nvidia's WhisperMode

Team Green has updated the Nvidia App with some nifty new features for those running one of the firm's GeForce GPUs on a gaming laptop.

Neowin noticed that the Nvidia App version 11.0.5 is out now, and expands the capabilities of Project G-Assist so that this AI feature now covers laptops.

Nvidia explains in the release notes for its software that: "G-Assist can now control key notebook settings, including BatteryBoost, WhisperMode, and battery Optimal Playable Settings."

The new Nvidia App also packs optimal settings for a few more freshly released games: Borderlands 4, Grounded 2, and Mafia: The Old Country.

A bunch of games also get DLSS override support, and that again includes Borderlands 4, as well as Dying Light: The Beast and Hell Is Us.

As ever, this update involves some bug fixing, and Nvidia has resolved problems with game setting optimizations failing to work after the PC has been rebooted, and applied a number of "stability fixes" (without saying exactly what they are).

Analysis: battery boons

Essentially, Nvidia is getting G-Assist (AI) to help with one of the core issues around any gaming notebook (or any laptop full-stop, really): battery life. That involves optimizing settings to extend battery life – and if you're wondering what 'WhisperMode' is, it's an Nvidia tech that helps tame power consumption with the GPU, again giving better longevity away from a power socket, and also slows fan speeds (hence the name, referring to the laptop running more quietly).

Clearly then, bringing in G-Assist is a useful addition for gaming laptops – or it should be, anyway, though of course we must reserve judgment on any new features until we see them in action.

A more reliable app is always a good thing, too, and these bug fixes are useful to that end. However, I'm still seeing complaints on Reddit about chosen DLSS overrides resetting after the PC is rebooted, meaning they have to be selected every time before you start a game.

Darren is a freelancer writing news and features for TechRadar (and occasionally T3) across a broad range of computing topics including CPUs, GPUs, various other hardware, VPNs, antivirus and more. He has written about tech for the best part of three decades, and writes books in his spare time (his debut novel - 'I Know What You Did Last Supper' - was published by Hachette UK in 2013).

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