How to choose a graphics card for a specific application

Sometimes we have found the unpleasant surprise that our brand new equipment with a dedicated graphics card does not perform as we expected. But this problem has a simple solution knowing how to choose a graphics card for an application or game from Windows 10. And it is that in many occasions the system detects as the main GPU the one integrated in the processor, usually the Intel HD and the Radeon Vega of the Ryzen, instead of our dedicated Nvidia or AMD Radeon.

Index of contents

Where and when this problem occurs

This problem occurs frequently on notebook computers, since the vast majority have Intel and AMD processors that always have internal graphics (IGPU) implemented in addition to a possible dedicated graphics card. Therefore it will be especially interesting for this type of user.

It rarely occurs on desktop computers, since if we have a dedicated graphics card we will quickly notice it by digesting the rear I / O panel and checking that under the plate we have the dedicated video ports of the graphics card. If we have our monitor connected here, we will automatically be using the dedicated GPU.

These cases often occur due to the fact that the dedicated graphics card drivers are not installed in the system, especially those that concern AMD graphics cards.

So one way to avoid choosing a graphics card for an application is:

• Make sure that the drivers are installed in the system That the GPU is correctly detected by going to the Device Manager That the monitor is connected to the ports of the dedicated GPU and not to the one of the motherboard

Choose graphics card for an application in the system

All of the above in notebooks becomes somewhat more complicated, since the monitor is inevitably connected inside the computer without the possibility of change. So we will see a simple process to choose the graphics card in Windows 10.

First we are going to place ourselves on the desktop for example, and right-click to open the drop-down menu. In it we will choose " Screen Configuration ", so that the system configuration application opens. We can also do this directly from the Start cogwheel. We enter Settings -> System -> Screen.

At this point we are going to go a little lower in the window until we find the option " Graphics settings ". Through this option we enter a submenu where we can choose one by one the applications and games that we have installed.

First of all we can open the drop-down list of " choose an application to set the preference " and select " Universal Application ". But the truth is that the list of available applications is quite small, and honestly, none of them will take advantage of the dedicated graphics card.

So the best thing to do is choose " Classic Application " and then click on the " Browse " button. Now the Windows explorer will open and we will have to go to the hard disk and then to the directory where we have the game installed.

It is certainly a task that can be complicated for users with little knowledge of system directories. In almost any case, Windows by default installs programs and games in "Program Files" (64 bit) or "x86 Program Files (32 bit). Or as in our case, you can have a second hard drive where you can install all the games so that you don't take up space in the system installation. Here we must always choose the executable file of the game or program, which will be an ".exe" and will have the distinctive icon of the application in question.

Let's take an example with the most typical, which are the Steam programs and games. If we install games from this platform, by default they will be in the directory:

C: \ Program Files (x86) Steam \ steamapps \ Common

We access the folder and look for the executable that will almost always be in the main directory. In this way we can already choose a graphics card for the application we want.

Now this application will appear in a list in the graphics configuration window. We are not finished yet, because we must still click on " Options " and thus open a drop-down list of options for this application. Note that the system differentiates the internal graphics card of the CPU for energy saving (AMD Radeon RX Vega 10) and the dedicated one for high performance (Nvidia GeFore GTX 1660 Ti).

• Default value of the system: this option is the one that the program or game uses by default Energy saving: the system chooses the graph that consumes the least, which will always be the one integrated in the CPU High performance: it will be the card that consumes the most, always the dedicated

So we must choose "High performance" to ensure we take the card that performs best. With this we already know how to choose the graphics card for a specific game or application.

If we are on a desktop computer, it will always detect the dedicated card as the only option for low and high performance, since the IGPU is automatically deactivated when installing this on the board and connecting the monitor to it.

Check if the change has taken effect

After doing this process, it's time to see if the dedicated GPU is actually being used for the chosen game or application. For this we are going to open the Task Manager, which we will find by pressing the right button on the task bar. If we see it in small, then we will click on " More details " and we will stay in the processes section.

There we will see a column called " GPU Engine " and another " GPU " where you can see the activity generated by the game, in this case on the graphics card. If we do not see these columns we will right click on the window and activate these.

Here we are going to see if the game or application uses the graphics card, in which case we will see a badge in this column.

Conclusion on how to choose graphics card for a game or application

It is certainly a fairly simple process to carry out, and as we say it usually happens in laptops with AMD or Intel CPUs that also have dedicated cards. Currently in most Steam games and other platforms it is possible to change and choose the graphics card without having to do it from the system, but with the game's own Launcher.

We leave you now with a few interesting tutorials:

We hope you found this tutorial helpful if you were experiencing performance issues with the game. You already know that you can leave your comments at the bottom to solve doubts or problems.