Running programs & games on the wrong GPU is a common mistake.
Youll find your programs sluggish, and games wont even launch if its running on basic Intel HD graphics.
In my case, games were laggy even if I selected high-performance graphics for the games.
It happened because other programs used the discrete GPU simultaneously, leaving small headroom for the games.
What Are The Methods to Check Which GPU is Being Used?
you’re able to easily check which GPU is being used between multiple Graphics via Task Manager.
In TheGPU Enginecolumn, youll findGPU-0andGPU-1to determine which program uses which graphics.
Furthermore, you’ve got the option to use MSI Afterburner for advanced monitoring.
Therefore, Ill share some useful methods to check which graphics are being used for which programs or games.
Youll find four methods in the section below.
Better if you run a GPU-intensive program or game to examine more accurately.
But in this case, youll need to focus on RivaTuner, which comes within the Afterburner package.
see to it you have ticked theRivaTuner Statistics Serverwhile installing Afterburner.
Later, follow the instruction below to monitor two or more GPUs in the system.
To check which one is being used at which percentage.
Note:Remember to check GPU information & Name according to GPU serial.
Youll find your integrated HD/UHD/iGPU asGPU-1and discrete graphics cards asGPU-2and GPU-3 or more if you have more GPUs.
If your discrete GPU reaches 100% or near, its fine and optimized initially.
Check through GPU-Z
Another easy-to-use tool for Graphics cards is GPU-Z.
Launch a game in the background.
Just follow the noise level of the GPU fan if it rises while imposing a heavy load.
How to peek if You Are Running Programs On the Wrong GPU?
Although SLI & Crossfire is the best way to optimize multi-GPU performance, youcant SLI two different GPUs.
However, the crossfire offers better flexibility by allowing a tad of different discrete GPUs together.
You canconfigure different graphics cards to run in crossfire morefor some of the AMD GPUs.
you might use a single graphics unit at a time.
Otherwise, background apps can acquire many GPU resources, leaving little headroom for important programs & games.
Then if you fire up a game without stopping theAdobe client, the game will lag indefinitely.
To overcome such issues, you might end similar tasks from theTask Manager.
But its a hassle.
If you have multiple GPUs, then why not share the load?
Basic graphics-demanding programs should be put on lower-powered GPUs & high GPU-demanding ones to high-tier GPUs.
In the worst case, Ive faced a problem: the game isnt launching suddenly.
After a mild investigation, I found the game was being launched on alower graphicsunit instead of mydedicated GPU.
Ive noticed myGPU usage is so lowwhile running a moderately GPU-intensive game.
Then I switched the GPU affinity to a dedicated GPU and solved the issue.
How to Switch Between Basic & Discrete Graphics?
Dedicated graphics offer better performance than basic HD/UHD integrated graphics.
So, running games on a lower-tier GPU is worthless.
It wont even turn on, let alone well performance.
However, integrated graphics like Vega, RDNA, and iris Xe perform decently.
A mid-tier discrete graphics card will serve better if you compareintegrated graphics Vs. Linux is becoming popular by the time where people are concerned about their privacy.
The Open-source nature has grabbed my attention, and I ended up as a Linux user.
I use Ubuntu on my laptop and also dual-booted POP OS with Windows.
In my experience with Linux, Ive found this OS more stable and efficient on hardware resource utilization.
It can handle multiple GPUs pretty well.
But like Windows Task Manager, Linux System Monitor doesnt show GPU usage so well.
Therefore, I useNVTopto monitor GPU utilization.
It can also show multiple GPU usage or whether a GPU is being used.
I usually check theGPU bottleneckwith NVTop.
Although another option is named (h)top, the NVTop is better in every aspect.
FAQs
Does a graphics card improve FPS?
Yes, the graphics card is an essential factor that increases the gaming FPS significantly.
What gives a PC more FPS?
Although overall components of the computer affect the FPS of the game, RAM is important to extend FPS.
Is RTX better than GTX?
Of course, RTX is better initially.
It has RT cores and more unique features that can present an immersive visual experience.
How much VRAM is needed?
Newer games require at least 8GB of VRAM to 12GB VRAM for a better experience.
Final Words
An unoptimized system of an ignorant user is a waste.
Using the least resources, even if you own better, is idiotic.
Use a properly optimized system and make the most out of it by following the instructions in this article.
