[FAQ] How can I force Affinity to use my dedicated GPU? (Windows)

[Leigh]

Even though it's possible to specify which Graphics Card (GPU) is used within our apps by going to Edit > Preferences > Performance and selecting the relevant Graphics Card (GPU) from the Renderer dropdown menu. Sometimes, you may need to use Window's Graphic Performance Preference to force Affinity to use your Integrated Graphics Card (GPU) or Dedicated Integrated Graphics Card (GPU) if Affinity is crashing or failing to start because of out of date Graphics Card drivers. More information can be found here.

You can use Window's Graphic Performance Preference in Graphics Settings to force a specific app to use your Integrated or Dedicated GPU. To do this:

• Open the Settings app and go to System > Display
• Under the Multiple displays section, click Graphics Settings
   
• If you've purchased the Affinity Store version:
  • Select Classic App from the Choose an app to set preference dropdown menu
  • Browse to the location of the Affinity .exe file. For example: C:\Program Files\Affinity\Photo.exe and click Add
     
• If you've purchased the Windows Store version:
  • Select Universal App from the Choose an app to set preference dropdown menu
  • Now select the relevant Affinity app from the list and click Add

• Now select the Affinity app and click Options
• Your Integrated GPU ( Power Saving GPU ) and Dedicated GPU ( High Performance GPU ) will be listed
• Select High Performance and click Save

When you next run your Affinity app it will use the GPU you've just set within Window's Graphics Settings.