Switching to your dedicated GPU

Many laptops — and some desktop PCs — have two graphics cards: an integrated GPU (built into the CPU) and a dedicated GPU (designed for gaming).

If a game accidentally uses the weaker integrated GPU, you might see low FPS, stutters, or other performance issues.

You can check whether your PC has multiple GPUs by opening Device Manager > Display adapters.

How to force a game to use your dedicated GPU

Windows 10 & Windows 11 (recommended method)

Windows now lets you choose the GPU for each app directly through system settings:

1. Open Settings (Windows search works).
2. Go to System > Display > Graphics (on Windows 10: Graphics settings).
3. Click Browse, then find the game’s executable (Steam default path: C:/Program Files (x86)/Steam/steamapps/common/YourGame/YourGame.exe).
4. Select the game, click Add, then choose Options.
5. Set it to High performance (this selects the strongest GPU).
6. Save and launch your game.

---

NVIDIA (alternative method)

1. Right-click your desktop → NVIDIA Control Panel.
2. Go to 3D Settings > Manage 3D settings > Program Settings.
3. Select your game, or click Add → browse to the game’s .exe.
4. Under Preferred graphics processor, choose High-performance NVIDIA processor.
5. Save and start your game.

---

AMD (alternative method)

Using AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition:

1. Open AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition.
2. Go to Settings (gear icon) → Graphics.
3. Scroll down and select Advanced.
4. Find GPU Workload or Switchable Graphics (exact name varies by version).
5. Open Switchable Graphics Settings.
6. Locate your game under Running Applications or choose Browse to add the game’s .exe file.
7. Set the game to High Performance (this assigns it to the dedicated GPU).
8. Save if needed, then start your game.

---

Keep your GPU drivers updated

Updated drivers improve performance and compatibility, so make sure you’re on the latest version:

• Nvidia
• AMD
• Intel