If you want to force a program to use a specific GPU, you can change Windows settings appropriately. This article will show you two ways you can force a program to use a specific GPU in Windows 10.
What is a GPU?
A modern Graphical Processing Unit or GPU is similar to CPU but makes use of parallel processing and is able to handle many processes and threads at the same time. GPU has many processing cores while a CPU has only a few.
What is a GPU? Why and when should a dedicated GPU be used? How to identify the number of GPUs in your computer Force the program to use a specific graphics card using Windows 10 settings Force an application to use a dedicated GPU i.e., Nvidia, Radeon, etc. using the context menu How do you know if a specific GPU is being used? How do we set the default GPU (system-wide)?
Due to its parallel processing, a GPU is normally used for graphics processing and rendering.
Why and when should a dedicated GPU be used?
GPU should be used for programs and apps that run several threads and processes and require parallel processing. If an app only requires a single processing core to process its data, running it with a GPU will degrade its performance. This is because CPU cores are more powerful than the GPU cores. Running apps with a dedicated GPU will also consume more power. If you are on battery life and want to prolong battery usage time, you should consider not using a dedicated GPU for any app.
How to identify the number of GPUs in your computer
Here is how you can check if you only have an integrated GPU in your computer, or a dedicated one as well, without opening up the hardware. In the DirectX Diagnostic Tool, the number of tabs starting with Display will tell you the number of the graphics cards in your system. You can switch between the tabs to view their details. You can also check the no. of GPUs from the task manager performance tab. Some of the most common and famous GPU manufacturers are:
NvidiaGigabyteAMDAsus
Every GPU from these manufacturers come with their own drivers and software-based control panels so that each user can run and customize how their GPU performs. However, you can still forcefully run an application on a specific GPU on a Windows 10 platform, if it is compatible. Let us continue to see how this can be achieved.
Force the program to use a specific graphics card using Windows 10 settings
Regardless of the manufacturer of the GPU, or its model, every application can be customized to use a dedicated GPU when run by default. The application will now run using the selected GPU by default. You can do this for as many apps as you want.
Force an application to use a dedicated GPU i.e., Nvidia, Radeon, etc. using the context menu
Each GPU manufacturer has their own control panel to customize the behavior of each individual GPU. This can also be used to run an application using a dedicated GPU through the Context Menu. The application will now run using the selected GPU. But note that this will not set the GPU to default, and only execute the selection this one time. Please note that these configuration settings may differ for every manufacturer or graphics card model. If you can’t find this option, look for 3D program settings.
How do you know if a specific GPU is being used?
To make sure that a certain application is using a dedicated GPU while the others are using the integrated one, we can check for it using the secondary GPU’s Control Panel. You can also check the GPU activity in the Windows Task Manager performance tab. This will give you an idea which GPU is being used.
How do we set the default GPU (system-wide)?
If you have a desktop computer, then you can manage your default GPU through the BIOS and set the default GPU to Integrated, PCI or PCI-E. However, in the case of a laptop, the default GPU cannot be managed through BIOS as it does not have any PCI slots. However, it can be managed through the GPU’s control panel. If done intelligently, this application specific graphics processor usage option can optimize system performance to the next level. What applications do you run on your dedicated GPU?
