Microsoft Windows 10 is set up to use certain configuration settings that can have a negative impact on your PC’s overall performance. While this has been done to save computing power and preserve battery life for longer, it could mean that you’re not getting the most from your GPU. Regardless of how powerful your GPU is or whether you are plugged in or run on battery power, it’s set to ‘off’ by default, which means that you are not automatically getting the most from your high-performance components. The good news is that if you use Windows 10, you can change this default setting and make sure that you are getting the best performance from your GPU.
How to change the settings
If you’ve invested in a new GPU from Lenovo.com, then you will want to make sure that you are getting the most from it in your device. The first step is to locate the Windows 10 Graphics settings, which you can easily do by typing ‘graphics settings’ into the desktop search box, before finding and selecting the correct result. You can also use the navigation menu to access the configuration screen by clicking through to a link in Display settings, which you’ll be able to find in the System settings. Once you have reached the Graphics settings, all you need to do is toggle the setting called ‘Hardware accelerated GPU scheduling’ to On.
What does changing the setting do?
When you change this setting, this will then allow your GPU to become a more active participant when it comes to how screen content is displayed on your Windows 10 or Windows 11 PC. If you are using a dedicated graphics card as part of your system, then this could make a significant positive difference to the performance of your computer’s operating system. Bear in mind that in order for these changes to come into effect, you will need to reboot your system. If you don’t want to reboot the entire system, then you can use the keyboard shortcut Win+Ctrl+Shift+B to reset the graphics subsystem.
Optimising your GPU
Once you’ve toggled Hardware-Accelerated GPU Scheduling to On, you can move to the second part of improving PC performance, which involves specifying preferences for certain applications. This could include popular apps such as Microsoft Word or Excel, CAD programs, video editing software programs, or databases. To do this, simply click on Options and select how you want your graphics cards to be optimised.
The default setting allows Windows to decide, which means that your PC will actively switch between GPUs depending on the performance requirements at the time. You can change this by choosing the GPU with the most power in your system to be active all the time, increasing performance for each application you specify. However, bear in mind that doing this will take up more power, which may not be an issue if you’re using a PC but may impact battery life if you’re on a laptop.
Whether you’ve just invested in a new computer with a powerful GPU or have upgraded the GPU, changing this simple setting can make all the difference in terms of overall power and performance.