NVIDIA Control Panel Quick

Start Guide
DU-05479-361_v01 | December 18, 2015

Users Guide

TABLE OF CONTENTS
1 Introduction.......................................................................... 1
About the NVIDIA Control Panel ..................................................
Overview ..........................................................................
Supported Operating Systems..................................................
Supported NVIDIA Products.....................................................
Supported Languages............................................................
Other NVIDIA Software Applications ..........................................
Getting Support and Information ................................................

2
2
3
3
3
4
5

Online Help ....................................................................... 5

Technical Support................................................................ 5
System Information.............................................................. 5
2 Understanding the NVIDIA Control Panel....................................... 6
Opening and Closing the New NVIDIA Control Panel ........................... 7
Opening the NVIDIA Control Panel ............................................ 7
Closing the NVIDIA Control Panel.............................................. 8
About the NVIDIA Control Panel Interface....................................... 9
Using the Main Task Area ...................................................... 10
Using the Select a Task Pane .................................................. 11
Using the Tool Bar .............................................................. 12
Using the Menu Bar ............................................................. 12
3 Accomplishing NVIDIA Control Panel Tasks....................................17
NVIDIA Control Panel Feature List ............................................... 17
NVIDIA Control Panel Groups.................................................. 25

NVIDIA Control Panel Quick Start Guide

DU-05479-361_v01 | i

LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 2.1 NVIDIA Control Panel (Windows XP Example) ................................. 9
Figure 2.2 NVIDIA Control Panel (Windows Vista Example) ............................. 10
Figure 2.3 NVIDIA Control Panel Select a Task pane ..................................... 11
Figure 2.4 Navigation History Menu ........................................................ 12

NVIDIA Control Panel Quick Start Guide

DU-05479-361_v01 | ii

LIST OF TABLES
Table 2.5 File Menu Commands ............................................................. 12
Table 2.6 Edit Menu Commands ............................................................. 13
Table 2.7 Desktop Menu Commands ........................................................ 13
Table 2.8 Help Menu Commands ............................................................ 15
Table 2.9 Display Menu Commands ......................................................... 15
Table 2.10 3D Settings Menu Commands................................................... 15
Table 2.11 Workstation Menu Commands.................................................. 16
Table 3.1 NVIDIA Control Panel Features .................................................. 17

NVIDIA Control Panel Quick Start Guide

DU-05479-361_v01 | iii

01 INTRODUCTION

This quick start is addressed to users of the NVIDIA Control Panel software. This guide
focuses on getting you up and running with your NVIDIA software.
For technical details on the features and benefits of the NVIDIA Control Panel software
and details about supported products, drivers, and other software, refer to the NVIDIA
web page www.nvidia.com.
This chapter discusses the following major topics:
About the NVIDIA Control Panel on page 2
Getting Support and Information on page 5

NVIDIA Control Panel Quick Start Guide

DU-05479-361_v01 | 1

Chapter 01 : Introduction

About the NVIDIA Control Panel

Welcome to the NVIDIA Control Panel, designed for Microsoft Windows XP and later
operating systems. You can use NVIDIA Control Panel to control your NVIDIA hardware
and access other NVIDIA software installed on your system.

Overview
In addition to setting up basic display configurations such as display resolution, refresh
rate, and multiple display use, you can:
Tune your 3D settings with real-time preview to maximize performance or image

quality
Customize how 3D applications work in your system
Adjust your screen colors and contrast
Set custom timings
Control video image settings
Change your HDTV format
Control your notebook system power using PowerMizer
Control special workstation features such as Frame Synchronization.

NVIDIA Control Panel Quick Start Guide

DU-05479-361_v01 | 2

Chapter 01 : Introduction

Supported Operating Systems

NVIDIA Release 361 Graphics drivers are available for the following Microsoft
Windows operating systems:

Windows XP Media Center Edition 2004/2005/2005 Update Rollup 2

Windows XP Professional/Professional x64 Edition
Windows XP Home Edition
Windows Server 2003 x64 Edition
Windows Vista 32-bit and 64-bit Editions
Windows 7 32-bit and 64-bit Editions
Windows 8 32-bit and 64-bit Editions
Windows 8.1 32-bit and 64-bit Editions
Windows 10 32-bit and 64-bit Editions

Supported NVIDIA Products

Refer to the release notes and NVIDIA driver download site for the list of products
supported by the driver version that you have installed on your computer.

Supported Languages
The NVIDIA Graphics Driver supports the following languages in the NVIDIA Control
Panel:
English (USA)
English (UK)
Arabic
Chinese (Simplified)
Chinese (Traditional)
Czech
Danish
Dutch
Finnish
French

German
Greek
Hebrew
Hungarian
Italian
Japanese
Korean
Norwegian
Polish
Portuguese (Brazil)

NVIDIA Control Panel Quick Start Guide

Portuguese (Euro/Iberian)
Russian
Slovak
Slovenian
Spanish
Spanish (Latin America)
Swedish
Thai
Turkish

DU-05479-361_v01 | 3

Chapter 01 : Introduction

Other NVIDIA Software Applications

If installed, other NVIDIA software that you can access from the NVIDIA Control Panel
includes:
NVIDIA System ToolsPerformance group and System Update
NVIDIA Stereoscopic 3D
NVIDIA MediaShieldTM
NVIDIA Network Access Manager

See the respective user documentation for information about these applications and
instructions on how to use them.

NVIDIA Control Panel Quick Start Guide

DU-05479-361_v01 | 4

Chapter 01 : Introduction

Getting Support and Information

Online Help
To open the online help, either :

Press F1 on your keyboard, or

Select Help from the NVIDIA Control Panel menu bar and then select NVIDIA
Control Panel Help.
Help on various topics can be viewed using the Contents, Index, or Search tabs.

Technical Support
To access the NVIDIA Technical Support web page go the following web address:
http://www.nvidia.com/page/support.html

System Information
You can get detailed information about your system and the NVIDIA Control Panel
configuration as well as version and copyright information.
To view copyright and version information about the NVIDIA Control Panel:

From the Help menu, select About NVIDIA Control Panel.

To view detailed system information:

Open the System Information dialog box by either selecting System Information from
the Help menu, or by clicking the System Information link at the lower left corner
of the NVIDIA Control Panel.
Click any of the tabs in the System Information dialog box.

NVIDIA Control Panel Quick Start Guide

DU-05479-361_v01 | 5

02 UNDERSTANDING THE NVIDIA

CONTROL PANEL

This chapter describes the NVIDIA Control Panel in the following sections:
Opening and Closing the New NVIDIA Control Panel on page 7
About the NVIDIA Control Panel Interface on page 9

NVIDIA Control Panel Quick Start Guide

DU-05479-361_v01 | 6

Chapter 02 : Understanding the NVIDIA Control Panel

Opening and Closing the New NVIDIA Control Panel

Opening the NVIDIA Control Panel
You can open the NVIDIA Control Panel in several ways:
Right-click the Windows desktop, then click NVIDIA Control Panel from the

context menu, or

Windows Vista/Windows 7
From the Classic View of the Windows Control Panel, click the NVIDIA Control Panel

icon, or

From the Control Panel Home view of the Windows Control Panel, click Additional

Options and then click NVIDIA Control Panel from the Additional Options page.

Windows 8
From the Desktop, go to Settings->Control Panel->Appearance and Personalization, then

click NVIDIA Control Panel.

Windows 10
From the Desktop, click the Start icon, then click All Apps->Windows System->Control

Panel. From the Control Panel, click Hardware and Sound->NVIDIA Control Panel, or
Click the NVIDIA Settings icon from the Windows taskbar. You may need to click the

Show hidden icons arrow.

NVIDIA Control Panel Quick Start Guide

DU-05479-361_v01 | 7

Chapter 02 : Understanding the NVIDIA Control Panel

Closing the NVIDIA Control Panel

To close the NVIDIA Control Panel,
From the File menu, select Exit, or
Click the Close box in the upper right corner of the program window.

NVIDIA Control Panel Quick Start Guide

DU-05479-361_v01 | 8

Chapter 02 : Understanding the NVIDIA Control Panel

About the NVIDIA Control Panel Interface

The NVIDIA Control Panel provides an easy-to-use interface for managing your system.
When you start the program for the first time, the NVIDIA Control Panel opens to the
first page listed in the navigation tree. On subsequent visits, the control panel reopens to
the last page visited. The NVIDIA Control Panel user interface consists of these main
areas, as shown in Figure 2.1 and Figure 2.2:
Main Task Area
Select a Task (Navigation tree)
Menu bar
Toolbar .
Tool Bar

Menu Bar

Select a Task Pane

Control Panel Main Task Area

Figure 2.1

NVIDIA Control Panel (Windows XP Example)

NVIDIA Control Panel Quick Start Guide

DU-05479-361_v01 | 9

Chapter 02 : Understanding the NVIDIA Control Panel

.
Tool Bar

Menu Bar

Select a Task Pane

Figure 2.2

Control Panel Main Task Area

NVIDIA Control Panel (Windows Vista Example)

Using the Main Task Area

The main task area, in the right pane, displays the application task pages. This area of the
screen is where you will focus most of your attention as you use the NVIDIA Control
Panel to accomplish your goals. You can access specific pages using the navigation tree in
the Select a Task pane.
Depending on your PC manufacturer, there is a Welcome page that appears the first time
you open the NVIDIA Control Panel after installing the driver. On subsequent visits, the
control panel reopens to the last page visited.

NVIDIA Control Panel Quick Start Guide

DU-05479-361_v01 | 10

Chapter 02 : Understanding the NVIDIA Control Panel

Using the Select a Task Pane

The navigation tree in the Select a Task pane shows all the primary NVIDIA Control pages
that are installed on your system.
The pages are grouped according to the same categories that existed in the previous
version of the NVIDIA Control Panel.

Click to expand
or collapse the
group list.

Figure 2.3

Click to open the

corresponding page
in the main task area.

NVIDIA Control Panel Select a Task pane

NVIDIA Control Panel Quick Start Guide

DU-05479-361_v01 | 11

Chapter 02 : Understanding the NVIDIA Control Panel

Using the Tool Bar

The Toolbar provides quick back and forth navigation between pages. The back and
forward buttons let you navigate sequentially among pages that you have visited.
You can also navigate directly to a previously visited page by clicking the list arrow next
to the back button. The drop-down menu lists all the previously visited pages in the
queue. Click the page that you want.

Figure 2.4

Navigation History Menu

Using the Menu Bar

The Menu bar contains standard Windows menus and menus specific to the NVIDIA
Control Panel, such as the View and Profiles menus.
Menus that are available on the menu bar may vary, depending on the NVIDIA Control
Panel group (such as, Display, Mobile, 3D Settings, or other group) you are using.

File Menu
Commands related to printing, applying changes, and exiting the program are available
on the File menu.

Table 2.5

File Menu Commands

File Menu
Command

Description

Page Setup ...

Set up the current task page for printing. This control may not
be available.

Print...

Print the current task page. This control may not be available.

Print
Preview....

Preview the page before sending it to the printer. This control

may not be available.

Exit

Close the NVIDIA Control Panel program.

NVIDIA Control Panel Quick Start Guide

DU-05479-361_v01 | 12

Chapter 02 : Understanding the NVIDIA Control Panel

Edit Menu
Commands related to cutting, copying, pasting, and selecting items are available on the
Edit menu.

Table 2.6

Edit Menu Commands

Edit Menu
Command

Description

Cut

Cut the selected text and place in the clipboard. This control
may not be available.

Copy

Copy the selected text and place in the clipboard. This control
may not be available.

Paste

Paste the text currently in the clipboard to the location of the

Windows cursor. This control may not be available.

Select All

Select all items on the current page. This control may not be
available.

Desktop Menu
Commands related to viewing the various pages in the NVIDIA Control Panel
application modules are available on the Desktop menu.

Table 2.7

Desktop Menu Commands

View Menu
Command

Description

Add Desktop
Context Menu

This is selected by default, and adds the NVIDIA Control Panel

menu item to the desktop context menu.

Enable Video
Editing Mode

Select this option to improve the video playback experience

for some video editing applications.

NVIDIA Control Panel Quick Start Guide

DU-05479-361_v01 | 13

Chapter 02 : Understanding the NVIDIA Control Panel

Table 2.7

Desktop Menu Commands (continued)

View Menu
Command

Description

Add "Run with

graphics
processor"
Option

Select this option to add "Run with graphics processor" to the

program context menu.
When this option is selected, you can choose which graphics
processor to use when starting a program as follows:
1. Right-click the program icon.
2. Click Run with graphics processor and then click the
graphics processor to use.
The selection applies only at the time the program is
launched.
NOTE: This menu option appears only with systems using
NVIDIA Optimus technology.
NOTE: Some programs require elevated user privileges in
order to use the "Run on graphics processor" option from the
program's right-click menu. A pop-up dialog will let you know if
that is the case. In this case, use the controls in the NVIDIA
Control Panel->Manage 3D Settings page to select the graphics
processor.

Display GPU
Activity Icon in
Notification
Area

Select this option so that the GPU Activity icon appears in the
Windows notification area of the taskbar. You can then click
the icon to see which programs and displays are using the
NVIDIA GPU.
NOTE: This menu option appears only with systems using
NVIDIA Optimus technology.

Show
Notification
Tray Icon

Select to show the NVIDIA Control Panel notification tray icon

in the Windows taskbar notification area.
Clicking the NVIDIA Control Panel notification icon offers a
quick way to configure key NVIDIA Control Panel settings.

NVIDIA Control Panel Quick Start Guide

DU-05479-361_v01 | 14

Chapter 02 : Understanding the NVIDIA Control Panel

Help Menu
Commands related to accessing help, system information, and copyright and version
information are available on the Help menu.

Table 2.8

Help Menu Commands

Help Menu Command

Description

NVIDIA Control Panel

Help

Access the NVIDIA Control Panel online help.

System Information

View detailed information about your system and the

NVIDIA Control Panel configuration.

About NVIDIA Control

Panel

View NVIDIA Control Panel version and copyright

information.

Group-Specific Menus
These menus appear only when pages from a specific group are open.
Display Menu
This menu item appears only when a Display group page is open.

Table 2.9

Display Menu Commands

Display Menu Command

Description

Identify Displays

Select to identify the displays configured with your

system.

Show G-SYNC Visual

Indicator

Select to verify that NVIDIA G-SYNC is being used.

3D Settings Menu
This menu item appears only when a 3D Settings group page is open on an SLI system.

Table 2.10 3D Settings Menu Commands

3D Settings Menu
Command

Description

Show SLI Visual Indicator

Select to verify that SLI rendering or SLI antialiasing

is enabled and working.

Show Multi-GPU Visual

Indicator

Select to verify that multi-GPU rendering or multiGPU antialiasing is enabled and working.

Show PhysX Visual

Indicator

Select to verify the type of PhysX acceleration the

game is using - CPU or GPU - or if PhysX acceleration
is being used at all.

NVIDIA Control Panel Quick Start Guide

DU-05479-361_v01 | 15

Chapter 02 : Understanding the NVIDIA Control Panel

Workstation Menu
This menu item appears only when a Workstation group page is open.

Table 2.11 Workstation Menu Commands

Workstation Menu
Command

Description

Refresh View

Select to refresh the graphical representation of the

displays and graphics cards installed on your system.

NVIDIA Control Panel Quick Start Guide

DU-05479-361_v01 | 16

03 ACCOMPLISHING NVIDIA CONTROL

PANEL TASKS

The NVIDIA Control Panel provides an intuitive layout for locating graphics driver
controls, including most of the controls that were available with the Classic NVIDIA
Control Panel.
NVIDIA Control Panel Feature List on page 17 lists the current features available in

the NVIDIA Control Panel.

NVIDIA Control Panel Groups on page 25 provides an overview of the NVIDIA

Control Panel pages by group.

NVIDIA Control Panel Feature List

Note: With Optimus systems under Windows 10, the Display controls are not available if no display is connected to the NVIDIA GPU.
This is because clone mode across display adapters is handled by
the Windows OS and not by the NVIDIA driver.

Table 3.1

NVIDIA Control Panel Features

Feature

Values (Default in bold)a

Notes

Display/TV Controls
Mode control

NVIDIA Control Panel Quick Start Guide

DU-05479-361_v01 | 17

Chapter 03 : Accomplishing NVIDIA Control Panel Tasks

Table 3.1

NVIDIA Control Panel Features

Feature

Values (Default in bold)a

Resolution

Non-HD display - the

native resolution or the
highest safe resolution
from the monitor EDID is
the default.

Notes

HD display - the highest

progressive resolution is
the default.
Refresh rate
Color depth/quality
Custom timings/resolutions
TV Signal Format Selection

M/NTSC, PAL, M/PAL, N/

PAL, Select by country

Connector Selection

Auto-select
DVI
VGA

Available values depend

on the actual
connection.

S-Video - SDTV
Component
Composite - SDTV
HDMI - HDTV (Vista and
later)
DisplayPort - HDTV (Vista
and later)
LVDS - laptop display
Dynamic Range

Full (0255)
Limited (16235)

Digital color format selection

RGB, YCbCr

For HDMI and

DisplayPort connections

Color Control
Brightness

0 - 100%, (50%)

Contrast

0 - 100%, (50%)

Gamma

0.50 - 1.50, (1.00)

Digital Vibrance

0 - 100%, (0%)

Image sharpening

0 - 100%, (0%)

Not available with

GeForce 8 series and
later GPUs.

Hue

0 - 359 degrees (30)

For GeForce 8 series

and later GPUs

Flicker Filter

0 - 100%, (50%)

For analog TVs

NVIDIA Control Panel Quick Start Guide

DU-05479-361_v01 | 18

Chapter 03 : Accomplishing NVIDIA Control Panel Tasks

Table 3.1

NVIDIA Control Panel Features

Feature

Values (Default in bold)a

Notes

Gray border option

Disabled

For analog TVs;

presents unused black
TV borders as gray

Content type (ITC) reported to the

display

Auto select, Desktop

programs, Full-screen
videos, Photos, Movie,
Games

Window Vista and later;

NVIDIA G-SYNC

Enable

Rotation

0, 90, 180, 270 degrees

Some HDMI displays

only - available values
dependent on display
support

Desktop Size and Position - Windows XP

Move CRT screen position
Flat panel scaling

For VGA displays

NVIDIA scaling
NVIDIA scaling with fixedaspect ratio

For non-HD display

modes on DVI/HDMI/
DisplayPort connection

Displays built-in scaling

No scaling
Adjust screen size and position

For analog TVs

Resize HDTV desktop

For HD display modes

(over DVI/HDMI/
DisplayPort/Component
connections) that
support underscan or
desktop resizing.

Pan HD desktop when not resized

For HD display modes

(over DVI/HDMI/
DisplayPort/Component
connections) that
support underscan or
desktop resizing.

Desktop Size and Position - Windows Vista and later

Scaling mode

Aspect ratio
Full-screen

TV, VGA (with EDID),

Digital displays, LVDS

No scaling
Scaling performed on

GPU
Display

Application Scaling override

Off, On

Resize

TV, Digital displays

Position

TV, VGA

NVIDIA Control Panel Quick Start Guide

DU-05479-361_v01 | 19

Chapter 03 : Accomplishing NVIDIA Control Panel Tasks

Table 3.1

NVIDIA Control Panel Features

Feature

Values (Default in bold)a

Notes

Multi-display Options
Single-display mode
Dualview (extended mode)
nView Clone Mode
Smart Clone (including Smart Clone
Properties)

Windows 7 and later,

select Quadro products

nView Spanning Mode

Windows XP only

Video Controls

Use video player settings is the default. If Use

NVIDIA settings is selected, the following values
apply.

Color Settings
Brightness

0 - 100%, (50%)

Contrast

0 - 100%, (50%)

Hue

0 - 100%, (0%)

Saturation

0 - 100%, (50%)

Gamma (including separate RGB)

0.3 - 3.00, (1.00)

Advanced Color Settings

Dynamic Range

Full (0255)
Limited (16235)

Dynamic Contrast Enhancement

Disabled

GeForce 9 series and

later GPUS

Color Enhancement

Disabled

GeForce 9 series and

later GPUs

Image Settings
Edge Enhancement

0 - 100%, (0%)

Noise Reduction

0 - 100%, (0%)

Inverse Telecine option

Disabled

Internet Video Enhancement option

Disabled

Select GeForce 8 series

and later GPUs

For each audio-capable

display, select the display
or select Turn off audio.

Windows Vista and

later. For GPUs that
support digital audio
when an HDMI or
DisplayPort connection
is made.

Digital Audio
Verify displays that will appear as
audio devices in the Windows Sound
Settings

Portal to the Windows Sound Settings

panel

NVIDIA Control Panel Quick Start Guide

DU-05479-361_v01 | 20

Chapter 03 : Accomplishing NVIDIA Control Panel Tasks

Table 3.1

NVIDIA Control Panel Features

Feature

Values (Default in bold)a

Notes

HDCP
Capability verification page

For GPUs that support

HDCP.

3D Application Controls
Preferred graphics processor

High-performance NVIDIA
processor,

Optimus systems

Integrated graphics,
Force high-performance
NVIDIA processor use,
Force integrated graphics
use,
Auto-select
Ambient Occlusion

Off, Performance, Quality

Windows Vista and

later; GeForce 8 series
and later GPUs

Anisotropic filtering

Application-controlled,
Off, card-specific settings

Antialiasing - Mode

Application-controlled,
Off, Enhance the
application setting,
Override any application
setting

Antialiasing - Setting

Application-controlled,
card-specific settings

Antialiasing - FXAA

Off, On

Antialiasing line gamma

Off, On

Antialiasing - gamma correction

Off, On

Antialiasing - transparency

Off, Multisampling,
supersampling

Buffer-flipping mode

Auto-select,
Block transfer

NVIDIA Quadro cards

CUDA - GPUs

[All CUDA-capable
GPUs]

GeForce 8 series and

later GPUs

DFR - Factors
DFR - Smoothness
Deep color for 3D applications

NVIDIA Control Panel Quick Start Guide

Allow, disable

DU-05479-361_v01 | 21

Chapter 03 : Accomplishing NVIDIA Control Panel Tasks

Table 3.1

NVIDIA Control Panel Features

Feature

Values (Default in bold)a

Notes

DSR Factors

OFF
Available factors depend
on system capability.

Fermi-based and later

desktop GPUs.
Windows 7 and later

Examples:
1.20x (native resolution)
1.50x (native resolution)
2.00x (native resolution)
etc.
DSR Smoothness

OFF
0 - 100%

Fermi-based and later

desktop GPUs.
Windows 7 and later

Enable Overlay

Off, On

NVIDIA Quadro cards

Windows XP only

Exported pixel types

8-bpp and/or RGB555

format, None

NVIDIA Quadro cards

Maximum pre-rendered frames

0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

Limits frame prerendering

Monitor Technology

G-SYNC, ULMP, Fixed

Refresh

Multi-display/mixed-GPU
acceleration

Single, Compatible, or
Multiple display
performance modes

Multi-GPU performance mode

single-GPU, alternate
frame rendering 1 & 2,
split frame rendering, or
multi-GPU antialiasing

OpenGL Rendering GPU

Auto-select,

NVIDIA Quadro FX or
NVS cards

Power management mode

NVIDIA driver
controlled,

GeForce 9 series and

later GPUs; Windows
Vista and later

Adaptive, Prefer maximum

performance, Prefer
consistent performance
Preferred Refresh Rate

Application-controlled,
Highest available

Shader Cache

On, Off

SLI performance modes

single-GPU, alternate
frame rendering 1 & 2,
split frame rendering, or
SLI antialiasing

NVIDIA Control Panel Quick Start Guide

Windows Vista and later

DU-05479-361_v01 | 22

Chapter 03 : Accomplishing NVIDIA Control Panel Tasks

Table 3.1

NVIDIA Control Panel Features

Feature

Values (Default in bold)a

Notes

Stereo - Display mode

Select to match stereo

viewing hardware

NVIDIA Quadro cards

Stereo - Enable

Off, On

NVIDIA Quadro cards

Stereo - Force shuttering

Off, On

NVIDIA Quadro cards

Stereo - Swap eyes

Off, On

NVIDIA Quadro cards

Stereo - Swap mode

Application controlled,
Per eye,
Per Eye-pair

Texture filtering - anisotropic mip

filter optimization

Off, On

Texture filtering - anisotropic sample

filter optimization

Off, On

Texture filtering - Negative LOD bias

Allow, Clamp

Texture filtering - Quality

High quality, Quality,

Performance, High
performance

Texture filtering - Trilinear

optimization

Off, On

Threaded optimization

Off, On

Triple buffering

Off, On

Unified back/depth buffer

Off, On

Balance between
quality and
performance

For systems with

multiple CPUs
NVIDIA Quadro cards
Windows XP only

Vertical sync

Use the 3D application

setting, Off, On,
Adaptive, Adaptive (half
refresh rate), G-SYNC

Adaptive settings are

available only on
Windows Vista and
later.

Surround Configuration

For systems with SLI

ready GPUs.

PhysX Configuration

For systems with PhysXcapable GPUs, a

minimum of 256MB
dedicated graphics
memory, and a
minimum of 32
processor cores

SLI/Multi-GPU Configuration

For systems with SLI or

multi-GPU ready GPUs.

NVIDIA Control Panel Quick Start Guide

DU-05479-361_v01 | 23

Chapter 03 : Accomplishing NVIDIA Control Panel Tasks

Table 3.1

NVIDIA Control Panel Features

Feature

Values (Default in bold)a

Notes

3-way SLI Mode

Quad SLI Mode
a. Defaults for the 3D application controls are for the Global Settings tab. Under the Program Settings tab, Use global setting is typically the default setting.

NVIDIA Control Panel Quick Start Guide

DU-05479-361_v01 | 24

Chapter 03 : Accomplishing NVIDIA Control Panel Tasks

NVIDIA Control Panel Groups

This section provides an overview of the NVIDIA Control Panel groups.
Using the Display Pages on page 25
Using the Video Pages on page 26
Using the 3D Settings Pages on page 26
Using the Stereoscopic 3D Pages on page 26
Using the Mobile Pages on page 27
Using the Workstation Pages on page 27
Using the Networking Pages on page 27
Using the Storage Pages on page 28
Using the Performance Pages on page 28
Using the System Update Pages on page 28

Using the Display Pages

The actual tasks available on your system depend on your system hardware, such as the
number and type of displays connected. Use the Display group pages to:
Run the wizard to optimize your display configuration.
Change the display resolution.
Change the scaling on your flat panel display.
Adjust desktop color settings.
Rotate the display.
Adjust custom timings.
Configure multiple displays, including Spanning or Clone modes.

Spanning modes are available only with Windows XP.

Adjust your television picture quality and video color settings for the best possible

viewing in its environment.

Change the position and size of the desktop/video to best fit your television or HDTV

(high definition television) screen.

Change the signal format to use for your standard television or HDTV as well as

change country-specific signal or the HDTV format.

Verify the HDCP capability of your system.
Access digital audio controls.

NVIDIA Control Panel Quick Start Guide

DU-05479-361_v01 | 25

Chapter 03 : Accomplishing NVIDIA Control Panel Tasks

Using the Video Pages

The actual tasks available on your system depend on your system hardware, such as
whether or not you have a TV connected and enabled. Use the Video page to:
Adjust video and image color settings.

Using the 3D Settings Pages

The actual tasks available on your system depend on your system hardware, such as
whether or not you have an SLI-ready system. Use the 3D Settings page to:
Change the image and rendering settings of your 3D applications and games that

utilize Direct3D and OpenGL technology.

Assign specific 3D settings to a game so that these settings automatically load when a

game is launched (available under Advanced view).

Set up your SLI or multi-GPU configuration as well as PhysX configuration.

GPU temperature monitoring and GPU overclocking features are not included in the 3D
Settings page. To use this functionality you must install NVIDIA nTune software.

Using the Stereoscopic 3D Pages

The Stereoscopic 3D pages are part of the NVIDIA 3D Vision software for viewing 3D
programs and games in stereoscopic 3D. Use the Stereoscopic 3D pages to:
Control stereoscopic 3D settings.

Enable stereoscopic 3D, adjust 3D depth, select a 3D laser sight, view and set the
keyboard shortcuts, and run the setup wizard and various tests.
View game compatibility.

See a stereoscopic 3D compatibility rating for a number of games, along with possible
issues and recommendations for each game.
Control 3D Vision Pro settings.

NVIDIA 3D Vision Pro is the professional version of the 3D Vision stereo glasses
and emitter. While the 3D Vision kit uses infrared (IR) communication from the
emitter to the stereo glasses, the 3D Vision Pro kit uses radio frequency (RF) bidirectional communication between the stereo glasses and 3D Vision Pro hub. This
allows multiple 3D Vision Pro hubs to be used in range of each other without conflicts.

NVIDIA Control Panel Quick Start Guide

DU-05479-361_v01 | 26

Chapter 03 : Accomplishing NVIDIA Control Panel Tasks

Using the Mobile Pages

The Mobile group is available if the NVIDIA software is installed on a notebook
computer under Windows XP.
Use the Mobile page to extend your notebook computers battery life using NVIDIA
PowerMizer technology

Using the Workstation Pages

The Workstation group is available if you have an NVIDIA Quadro FX graphics card
installed.
The actual tasks available depend on which NVIDIA Quadro FX product you have
installed. Use the Workstation page to:
Synchronize your displays using frame sync or genlock technology.
View a graphical representation of the displays and graphics cards installed on your

system.
Manage serial digital interface (SDI) output (requires NVIDIA Quadro FX SDI

solution.)
Configure Mosaic mode to combine multiple displays into a larger virtual canvass.
Overlap the edges of adjacent displays.

Display edge blending is no longer available.

Using the Networking Pages

The Networking group pages are part of the nForce drivers Networking software for
NVIDIA nForce-based PCs.
Use the Networking pages to optimize your network performance and increase your
network bandwidth with the following technologies:
NVIDIA FirstPacket offers a new way to manage the traffic on your personal

computer, allowing you to more effectively manage and improve the performance of
networked games and other applications that are sensitive to network delay (latency),
such as Voice-over-IP (VoIP).
NVIDIA TCP/IP Acceleration technology is a networking solution that moves the

processing of TCP/IP network traffic from your computers CPU to its nForce
hardware resulting in greatly improved system performance.
NVIDIA Teaming technology combines all the NVIDIA Ethernet interfaces on your

system to form a team, resulting in increased bandwidth and network redundancy.

Alert Standard Format (ASF) controls lets you set up alerts and remote system

management in an OS-present or OS-absent environment.

NVIDIA Control Panel Quick Start Guide

DU-05479-361_v01 | 27

Chapter 03 : Accomplishing NVIDIA Control Panel Tasks

Using the Storage Pages

The Storage group pages are part of the nForce drivers MediaShield Storage software for
NVIDIA nForce-based PCs.
Use the Storage pages to
Create and manage RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 0+1, RAID 5, and spanning arrays.
Run SMART tests on your RAID array disk drives.

Using the Performance Pages

The Performance group pages are part of the nForce drivers System Tools software for
NVIDIA nForce-based PCs.
Use the Performance pages to:
Manage system tuning and profiles for nForce MCP clocks, voltages, timings, and

fans.
Manage Enthusiast System Architecture (ESA) components.
View detailed system information for your nForce-based PC.
Overclock your GeForce GPU.

Using the System Update Pages

The System Update pages are part of the nForce drivers System Tools software for
NVIDIA nForce-based PCs.
Use the system update pages to:
Automatically check for nForce and GeForce driver updates.
Update your system BIOS.
Update firmware for the Enthusiast System Architecture (ESA) components.

NVIDIA Control Panel Quick Start Guide

DU-05479-361_v01 | 28

Notice
ALL NVIDIA DESIGN SPECIFICATIONS, REFERENCE BOARDS, FILES, DRAWINGS, DIAGNOSTICS, LISTS, AND
OTHER DOCUMENTS (TOGETHER AND SEPARATELY, "MATERIALS") ARE BEING PROVIDED "AS IS." NVIDIA MAKES
NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESSED, IMPLIED, STATUTORY, OR OTHERWISE WITH RESPECT TO THE MATERIALS, AND
EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF NONINFRINGEMENT, MERCHANTABILITY, AND FITNESS
FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
Information furnished is believed to be accurate and reliable. However, NVIDIA Corporation assumes no
responsibility for the consequences of use of such information or for any infringement of patents or other
rights of third parties that may result from its use. No license is granted by implication of otherwise under
any patent rights of NVIDIA Corporation. Specifications mentioned in this publication are subject to change
without notice. This publication supersedes and replaces all other information previously supplied. NVIDIA
Corporation products are not authorized as critical components in life support devices or systems without
express written approval of NVIDIA Corporation.

HDMI
HDMI, the HDMI logo, and High-Definition Multimedia Interface are trademarks or registered trademarks of
HDMI Licensing LLC.

Macrovision Compliance Statement

NVIDIA Products that are Macrovision enabled can only be sold or distributed to buyers with a valid and
existing authorization from Macrovision to purchase and incorporate the device into buyer's products.
Macrovision copy protection technology is protected by U.S. patent numbers 5,583,936; 6,516,132;
6,836,549; and 7,050,698 and other intellectual property rights. The use of Macrovision's copy protection
technology in the device must be authorized by Macrovision and is intended for home and other limited
pay-per-view uses only, unless otherwise authorized in writing by Macrovision. Reverse engineering or
disassembly is prohibited.

OpenCL
OpenCL is a trademark of Apple Inc. used under license to the Khronos Group Inc.

Trademarks
NVIDIA and the NVIDIA logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of NVIDIA Corporation in the United
States and other countries. Other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective
companies with which they are associated.

Copyright
2015 NVIDIA Corporation. All rights reserved.

www.nvidia.com