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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →For most NVIDIA gaming PCs, leave Shader Cache Size on Driver Default. Choose 10 GB when you play several modern games and have comfortable free space on the drive that stores the cache. Consider 100 GB only for a very large library that repeatedly rebuilds or evicts shaders. Use Unlimited only when you actively monitor storage. A larger cache can prevent eviction-related shader compilation, but it cannot stop first-run compilation in a new game or the temporary rebuild after a graphics-driver update.
What NVIDIA Shader Cache Size controls
Modern games use shaders: small programs that tell the GPU how to draw lighting, materials, shadows, post-processing effects and other parts of a frame. The game or graphics API may provide shader code that the NVIDIA driver must compile into a form your GPU can execute efficiently. NVIDIA stores those compiled results on disk in a shader cache.
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The Shader Cache Size setting is the maximum disk space the driver may use for that cache. It is a storage limit, not a graphics-quality preset and not a direct frame-rate setting. A persistent cache lets later launches reuse compiled shaders instead of compiling the same work again.
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NVIDIA documents these choices: Disabled, Unlimited, 128 MB, 256 MB, 512 MB, 1 GB, 5 GB, 10 GB and 100 GB. As the cache approaches its selected limit, the driver removes older entries to make room for newer ones. NVIDIA warns that a limit that is too small can remove shaders still needed by games and lead to gameplay stutter.
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The best setting for each type of gaming PC
| Setting | Best fit | Storage behavior | Main trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Driver Default | Most players; the lowest-maintenance choice | Uses the capacity selected by the current driver. NVIDIA support currently describes the NVIDIA App’s Driver Default as 16 GB. | The default can change with driver versions, and an unusually large library may still cycle through entries. |
| 10 GB | Several modern games on a system with adequate free space | Provides a finite ceiling larger than the small legacy limits. | Very large libraries can still evict older shaders. |
| 100 GB | Large libraries that repeatedly rebuild or evict shaders | Leaves room for substantially more compiled data before eviction. | Consumes more reserved space and is unnecessary for many players. |
| Unlimited | Users who have abundant storage and monitor the cache | Removes the configured ceiling; the cache can continue growing as games use more shaders. | Storage use is unbounded. NVIDIA says the limit should be large enough for your games without exceeding available drive space. |
| 1 GB or 5 GB | Only when free space is severely constrained or for a deliberate test | Small finite limits cause older entries to be removed sooner. | Higher chance of recompilation and recurring stutter in a broad game library. |
| 128 MB, 256 MB or 512 MB | Rarely appropriate for a current multi-game installation | Very little room for compiled shaders. | Eviction is likely; these values can undermine the reason for keeping a persistent cache. |
| Disabled | Troubleshooting or a system where persistent cache storage is intentionally forbidden | No persistent shader cache is retained by the driver. | Games may need to compile shaders again on later runs, increasing stutter risk. |
If you do not have a specific storage problem, start with Driver Default. If you deliberately want a fixed ceiling, 10 GB is the practical first step. Move to 100 GB only after observing that your library is actually reaching the smaller limit. Unlimited is a storage-management decision, not an automatic performance upgrade.
Why shader cache size can affect stutter
Compilation is work the game must perform
When a required compiled shader is not available, the game and driver have to compile it. Depending on the title and when the shader is encountered, that work can briefly interrupt frame delivery. NVIDIA’s stuttering-analysis material identifies shader compilation as one source of gameplay stutter.
A cache hit avoids repeated compilation
After a shader has been compiled and stored, a later run can reuse the cached result. This is why the cache generally helps consistency between sessions rather than increasing the maximum FPS your GPU can render. A cache that is too small can evict older entries; returning to a game later then causes some of that compilation work again.
A larger limit does not eliminate every hitch
Some stutter occurs because a title is compiling a shader for the first time. No existing cache entry can cover a brand-new game, a previously unseen effect or a new content path. Other causes include game-engine scheduling, asset streaming, CPU contention and driver behavior. Raising Shader Cache Size addresses only cache capacity and eviction; it is not a universal stutter fix.
Driver Default, 10 GB, 100 GB or Unlimited?
Choose Driver Default for low maintenance
Driver Default is the sensible baseline when you play a modest number of games, keep ample free space and do not want to manage a storage budget. NVIDIA’s support documentation currently lists the NVIDIA App’s Driver Default as 16 GB. Treat that number as the value described for that support page and app state, not as a promise that every future driver will use exactly 16 GB.
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This choice also avoids guessing how much space your particular mix of games needs. It is appropriate when you would rather let the driver set a general-purpose ceiling and investigate only if you see repeated shader rebuilds.
Choose 10 GB for a deliberate finite ceiling
Ten gigabytes is a useful middle option for a player with several modern titles and a system drive that can spare the space. It gives the cache a clear boundary, making storage consumption predictable while providing more room than 128 MB, 256 MB, 512 MB, 1 GB or 5 GB.
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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesUse 10 GB when your priority is a controlled setting rather than the largest possible cache. If you later notice that a large collection is repeatedly rebuilding shaders after you switch between games, reassess the limit instead of assuming the setting itself is defective.
Choose 100 GB for a genuinely large library
One hundred gigabytes favors a player who keeps many large games installed and frequently rotates among them. The extra headroom reduces the chance that the cache has to discard older entries simply because the user changed games.
Do not select 100 GB solely because the number is larger. The space is reserved on the drive that holds the cache, and that same drive may also contain Windows, game installations, save files and updates. A high ceiling is useful only when the storage budget can absorb it comfortably.
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Choose Unlimited only with storage oversight
Unlimited removes the configured ceiling, so it offers the strongest protection against eviction caused by the selected limit. It also removes the guardrail that tells the driver when to stop growing the cache. NVIDIA’s guidance is to make the limit large enough for the games you use without exceeding available drive space; Unlimited requires you to enforce that rule yourself.
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Unlimited is therefore reasonable on a spacious drive when you check free capacity periodically. It is a poor fit for a nearly full system SSD or a shared machine where unbounded growth could interfere with updates and other applications.
How to change Shader Cache Size
- Open NVIDIA Control Panel.
- Open Manage 3D settings.
- On the global settings page, locate Shader Cache Size.
- Select Driver Default, 10 GB, 100 GB, Unlimited or another documented value.
- Select Apply, then launch the game normally.
Changing the ceiling does not instantly compile every shader in every installed game. Existing valid entries remain available; games compile and add missing entries as you play. If the cache was already emptied or invalidated, the first sessions can still hitch while it is rebuilt.
What happens after an NVIDIA driver update
A new driver installation deletes the existing shader cache. The first launch after an update can therefore stutter while games and the driver compile shaders again. This behavior does not necessarily mean the new driver is broken or that your selected capacity is too small; the cache simply has to be repopulated.
Allow a title to run through the areas you normally play before judging post-update smoothness. If stutter continues well beyond the rebuilding period, investigate the individual game, its graphics settings and other system causes rather than repeatedly increasing the cache limit.
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Using NVIDIA’s Auto Shader Compilation beta
NVIDIA has announced Auto Shader Compilation, a beta feature that rebuilds previously compiled DirectX 12 shaders while the PC is idle. It is off by default and is enabled from NVIDIA App > Graphics settings.
- Open the NVIDIA App.
- Open Graphics settings.
- Find the Auto Shader Compilation beta option and enable it.
- Leave the PC idle so the app can rebuild eligible previously compiled DirectX 12 shaders.
This automation can shorten the period of shader rebuilding after an event that invalidates the cache, but it does not remove first-time compilation for a new title or a shader the system has never built. It also does not change the need to choose a cache capacity that fits your available storage.
When clearing the shader cache makes sense
NVIDIA support documents deleting shader-cache files as a troubleshooting action. After deletion, the next game launch recreates the cache. Clearing is most appropriate when you suspect corrupted or stale cache data, when a game began stuttering immediately after a driver or game change, or when support instructions for a particular title specifically ask you to reset it.
Safe reset procedure
- Close all games and graphics-intensive applications.
- Save work and close the NVIDIA App or other GPU-management utilities that may be using the cache.
- Use NVIDIA’s current support-documented method for deleting the shader-cache files rather than removing unrelated driver folders.
- Restart the game and expect a rebuilding period during the next run.
- Play long enough to recreate the normal scenes before deciding whether the reset helped.
A reset is not a guaranteed performance upgrade. It removes reusable compiled data, so the immediate result can be more stutter until the game rebuilds its cache. If the same hitch returns after rebuilding, the underlying cause may not be cache corruption.
A decision framework based on your system
Check available disk space first
- On a nearly full system drive, stay with Driver Default or a smaller finite value and preserve room for Windows updates and game patches.
- With comfortable free space, 10 GB is a reasonable controlled choice.
- With a large secondary SSD and many installed games, 100 GB can be justified if you have observed eviction.
- Use Unlimited only when you are willing to monitor the drive and remove games or cache data if capacity becomes tight.
Count the games you actually rotate through
The number and size of installed games matter more than the number of games you own. A small active rotation is less likely to pressure a finite cache than dozens of large modern titles that you launch throughout the month. Size alone does not prove that a game will consume a particular amount of shader-cache space, so use observed behavior rather than a library count as the reason to move from 10 GB to 100 GB.
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Account for driver-update frequency
Frequent GPU-driver updates mean more occasions when the cache is cleared and rebuilt. A larger limit cannot preserve entries across the update that deletes them, but it can reduce eviction between updates. If your complaint is specifically “stutter returned immediately after updating,” wait for the normal rebuild before changing the capacity.
Separate steady-state tuning from troubleshooting
For steady-state use, choose the smallest limit that comfortably holds the games you play without repeated eviction. For troubleshooting, temporarily clearing the cache can test whether stored data is corrupted. Do not treat a troubleshooting reset as evidence that Unlimited is the best permanent setting.
Common mistakes and how to correct them
- Assuming Unlimited is always fastest: Unlimited mainly prevents limit-based eviction; it can consume unbounded storage. Use it only with monitoring.
- Choosing a tiny limit to save space: Very small limits can evict useful shaders and recreate the stutter you were trying to avoid. Prefer Driver Default unless storage is genuinely constrained.
- Blaming the cache for every hitch: Shader compilation is one stutter source, not the only one. A cache change cannot repair engine, streaming or CPU-related problems.
- Judging immediately after a driver update: The update clears the cache. Give games time to rebuild before comparing smoothness.
- Clearing the cache repeatedly: Each reset discards reusable work and creates another rebuilding period. Reset only for a troubleshooting reason.
- Expecting Auto Shader Compilation to cover new games: NVIDIA’s beta rebuilds previously compiled DirectX 12 shaders while idle; it cannot precompile content the system has never encountered.
- Ignoring the physical drive: The cache occupies disk space. Keep enough headroom for the operating system, game updates and normal use, especially with 100 GB or Unlimited.
Is a larger SSD a solution?
If storage is the only reason you cannot choose a larger finite cache, adding capacity can make the decision easier. A 1 TB NVMe SSD provides room for games and cache data, but it is an optional capacity upgrade, not a guaranteed stutter fix. The cache still has to rebuild after a driver update, and a larger SSD does not correct stutter caused by a game engine or another system bottleneck.
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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchInstall or relocate games and cache storage only when the drive has a clear capacity advantage and your system supports the required interface. Do not buy storage solely on the expectation of higher FPS from Shader Cache Size.
Practical recommendations
| Your situation | Recommended choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| One or a few games, ample free space, no recurring cache symptoms | Driver Default | Lowest maintenance and aligned with NVIDIA’s general-purpose behavior. |
| Several current games, predictable storage budget | 10 GB | A practical finite expansion that limits disk use. |
| Many large installed games and observed repeated rebuilding between titles | 100 GB | More headroom before older shaders are evicted. |
| Very large library, abundant monitored storage | Unlimited | Minimizes limit-based eviction while you accept unbounded growth. |
| Stutter began after a driver update | Keep the existing setting initially | The update clears the cache; allow rebuilding before retuning. |
| Suspected corrupted cache | Clear it using NVIDIA’s support procedure | A reset tests the cache while preserving a clear recovery path. |
Bottom line for most players
Set NVIDIA Shader Cache Size to Driver Default unless you have a reason to manage it manually. Select 10 GB when you want a predictable finite ceiling and have the space. Escalate to 100 GB only after a large library demonstrates that the smaller limit is causing eviction. Reserve Unlimited for systems where free capacity is plentiful and monitored. If stutter follows a driver update, expect a temporary rebuild; if you are troubleshooting corrupted data, clear the cache once and let it repopulate rather than treating the reset as a permanent performance upgrade.
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