Windows PC is using CPU instead of GPU [Fix]

If your Windows PC is using a CPU instead of a GPU, this can ruin your gaming experience, resulting in lower FPS, stuttering, and poor gaming performance. Some users encountered this issue. This article lists working fixes for this problem.

PC is using CPU instead of GPU

Use the following suggestions if your Windows PC is using the CPU instead of the GPU:

1. Reseat your GPU
2. Check your monitor connections
3. Install required updates
4. Check your power plan
5. Disable the Link Power State Management setting
6. Force Windows to use the dedicated GPU
7. Reinstall the graphics card driver
8. Update your BIOS and chipset driver
9. Upgrade your hardware

All these fixes are explained in detail below.

1] Reseat your GPU

If a GPU is not seated properly, Windows cannot detect it, and your games cannot use the dedicated GPU. This can be the case with you. Completely turn off your computer and open its case. Unplug the GPU, clean it, and reinstall it properly. Also, clean the GPU slot before installing it.

2] Check your monitor connections

This fix is for PC users. If your monitor is connected to the motherboard instead of the dedicated GPU port, your games will not use the dedicated GPU. This happens because when you connect a monitor to your motherboard, your system uses the iGPU for the display. As a result, Windows treats the iGPU as the primary GPU and may run games on it instead of the dedicated GPU. Check this and connect your monitor to your GPU port.

3] Install required updates

The next fix is to install all the required updates. Your game should be updated to the latest version, and your system should have the latest Windows Updates. Check for Windows Updates manually and install them (if available).

4] Check your power plan

The next step is to check your power plan. If the Balanced power plan is selected, switch to the High Performance power plan.

Follow these steps:

1. Open the Control Panel.
2. Type power in the Control Panel search bar.
3. Select Power Options.
4. Select the High Performance power plan.

If the High Performance power plan is not available, you can restore it by running the required commands in the Administrative Command Prompt.

If the commands to restore the missing default power plans do not work, and you see only the Balanced Power Plan in the Control Panel, your system might be in Modern Standby Mode S0. In this case, you have to disable the Modern Standby Mode S0.

5] Disable the Link Power State Management setting

The Link Power State Management feature on Windows 11 puts the PCIe devices to low power state when the system remains idle for a required time. Windows do this to save power. This can be creating this issue.

Check and disable this feature. The following steps will guide you on this:

1. Open the Control Panel.
2. Search for power and select Power Options.
3. Click Change plan settings for your current power plan.
4. Now, click Change advanced power settings.
5. Expand the PCI Express branch and then expand the Link Power Management branch.
6. Select Off in the drop-down.
7. Click Apply and then click OK.

6] Force Windows to use the dedicated GPU

If this issue occurs in some specific games, you can force Windows to use the dedicated GPU for those games. Follow these steps:

1. Open Windows 11 Settings.
2. Select System > Display > Graphics.
3. You will see your game there. Click on it and select the High Performance option in the drop-down.

If your game is not available there, add it manually. For this, right-click on the desktop shortcut of your game and select Open file location. This will open the game’s .exe file in File Explorer. If this opens the game’s shortcut in File Explorer, right-click on that shortcut and select Open file location again. This time, Windows will show you the .exe file of the game. Now, copy the path to the .exe file.

Go back to System > Display > Graphics in Windows 11 Settings and click Add desktop app. The File Explorer pop-up window will appear. Click on the address bar and paste the copied path there. Hit Enter after that. Select the .exe file of the game and click Add. Now, you can change the GPU preference option for that game.

7] Reinstall the graphics card driver

The problem might be associated with your graphics card driver. Perform the clean installation of the Graphics card driver if the issue still persists. You can use the dedicated GPU software based on your GPU vendor (NVIDIA or AMD) to perform the clean installation, or use a third-party tool like DDU.

First, download the latest version of your graphics card driver from the official website. Download and install DDU (Display Driver Uninstaller). Boot your computer in Safe Mode and run DDU to completely remove your graphics card driver and all its components from your system. Now, exit Safe Mode and restart your system in normal mode. Run the installer file to install your GPU driver from scratch.

8] Update your BIOS and chipset driver

Installing a BIOS update is mandatory to improve system stability and hardware compatibility. Open System Information and check the current BIOS version. Now, visit the official website of your computer manufacturer and view the latest BIOS version available there. If the version is newer than the one currently installed on your system, download and update your BIOS.

Connect your system to a continuous power supply during the BIOS update and ensure the power supply remains uninterrupted until the BIOS is updated. If the power supply is interrupted during the process, your motherboard may be damaged.

I also suggest you update your chipset driver.

9] Upgrade your hardware

If your games are using your CPU instead of the GPU, this might be a case of a bottleneck. A bottleneck occurs when a hardware component stops another capable hardware component from delivering the optimum performance. Bottlenecks are fixed by upgrading the required or weak hardware.

You can check your PC bottleneck by using free bottleneck calculators. If you find the bottleneck issue on your system, consider upgrading the required hardware.

That’s it. I hope this helps.

Also read: PC using integrated graphics instead of GPU.

How to get my PC to use my GPU instead of the CPU?

To force your system to use the GPU instead of the CPU, you can modify the graphics settings in Windows. Select the High Performance mode for the required program in Windows 11 Display Settings.

Is CPU usage 90% bad?

CPU usage of 90% is not a problem while playing heavy games or using heavy software. However, it may become a problem if its temperature is high as well. Monitor your CPU temperature. If your CPU usage remains high in the idle state, that is a concern.

Read next: How to fix high Ping in Games on PC.