Slower; often throttled by "block swapping" and OS restrictions None; the GPU cannot output video to a monitor Required for monitors and Windows desktop tasks GPU Compatibility Professional cards (Tesla, Quadro, Titan) All consumer (GeForce) and professional cards Why TCC is "Better" for Compute
Scenario 3: Multi-GPU SetupsA hybrid approach is often best. Many professionals use a low-power GPU in WDDM mode to drive their monitors, while keeping their high-end GPUs in TCC mode for dedicated rendering or computation. Final Verdict
For Windows-based GPU computing, the choice between NVIDIA’s and Windows Display Driver Model (WDDM) driver modes can significantly impact performance. While WDDM is the standard for consumer graphics, TCC is often "better" for professional compute workloads, offering performance gains that can rival Linux environments. What are TCC and WDDM? tcc wddm better
The Terminal Control Center (TCC) is an older display driver model developed by Microsoft. It was introduced in Windows 2000 and was used as the primary display driver model until Windows Vista. TCC is a kernel-mode driver that provides a set of APIs for graphics rendering, display control, and input management. TCC drivers are typically used for older graphics hardware and are not as efficient as modern display driver models.
TCC vs. WDDM: Why TCC Mode Is Better for High-Performance Compute Slower; often throttled by "block swapping" and OS
For users with supported GPUs, switching is straightforward but requires administrative privileges.
Look for the or Driver Mode section in the output. Step 2: Switch to TCC Mode To change the GPU at index 0 to TCC mode, execute: nvidia-smi -g 0 -dm 1 Use code with caution. (Note: -dm 1 sets the mode to TCC). Step 3: Switch back to WDDM Mode While WDDM is the standard for consumer graphics,
(The -g flag selects the GPU index; -dm 1 sets TCC mode. Use -dm 0 to revert to WDDM.)
NVIDIA restricts TCC to professional and data-center SKUs: typically support TCC. Consumer GeForce cards — including the RTX 3090, 4090, and 5090 — cannot be flipped to TCC mode using official drivers. This restriction has been in place since the Turing era.
Updated for NVIDIA Driver R555+ and Windows 11 23H2.
: Unlike WDDM, which can struggle with "Session 0" isolation, TCC allows the GPU to be used reliably by applications running as a Windows Service. This is essential for enterprise servers and automated compute clusters.