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To check whether a creative app is actually using the NVIDIA GPU on a ProArt laptop, first set that app to High performance in Windows Graphics settings, restart the app, and then watch for active use with NVIDIA GPU Activity or Windows Task Manager. The Windows preference only requests a processor; it does not prove that the app is rendering on the NVIDIA GPU at that moment.
ProArt laptops commonly use hybrid graphics. Windows and the NVIDIA driver can move work between the integrated graphics processor and the discrete NVIDIA GPU, and an external display connected directly to the NVIDIA GPU can change the result. The reliable test is therefore a preference-and-activity check performed while the app is doing GPU-accelerated work.
What counts as proof that the NVIDIA GPU is being used?
There are three different things that are easy to confuse:
- A graphics preference: Windows is configured to request the high-performance processor for an app.
- A driver decision: the NVIDIA driver selects a processor automatically for a particular program, display, or workload.
- Observed activity: the running program or a display is listed as using the NVIDIA GPU while work is occurring.
Only the third item demonstrates current use. Selecting High performance in Windows is an instruction, not a live status report. Conversely, an app that is not permanently assigned to the NVIDIA GPU can still invoke it for supported acceleration under NVIDIA’s Optimus technology. An idle app may also show little or no activity even though it is correctly configured.
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The Windows version matters
On Windows 10 version 2004 and later, including current Windows 11 releases, Windows manages the per-app graphics preference. That Windows setting can override a preferred-GPU selection made in NVIDIA Control Panel. If Windows has no preference configured for an app, NVIDIA’s per-app setting can still be used, but Windows remains the primary place to make the assignment on these versions.
Before changing anything: identify the app and its display path
Creative suites often contain several executables: a launcher, the main editor, a renderer, and helper processes. Set the preference for the executable that performs the work, not only for a launcher. If you are unsure, note the executable shown for the application in Windows Graphics settings and then verify the same running program in the activity check.
Also note whether the app is displayed on the built-in laptop panel or on an external monitor. NVIDIA documents that programs and videos launched on a display connected to the NVIDIA GPU use that GPU regardless of the preferred-processor setting. This means the same app can behave differently when you move its window between the laptop screen and an externally connected display.
Step 1: check current NVIDIA activity
Checking activity before changing settings gives you a baseline and can reveal that the app is already using the discrete GPU.
Enable NVIDIA GPU Activity when the option is available
- Open NVIDIA Control Panel.
- Open the Desktop menu.
- Select Display GPU Activity Icon in Notification Area, if that command is present.
- Open the new NVIDIA GPU Activity icon in the Windows notification area.
The activity list can show programs and displays currently using the NVIDIA GPU. Start the creative app, perform the operation you care about, and look for the app while that operation is running. For example, scrub a timeline, apply an effect, render a preview, or start another operation that is expected to use GPU acceleration rather than checking while the app is merely open.
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NVIDIA exposes this icon only on systems using its power-saving GPU technology. Its absence does not prove that the laptop has no NVIDIA GPU and does not by itself prove that the app is using the integrated processor.
Use Task Manager as a built-in cross-check
ASUS documents a link from ProArt Creator Hub to Windows Task Manager. You can also open Task Manager directly and watch the creative app while the relevant workload is active. Use it as a second observation rather than treating a saved graphics preference as evidence. If the app appears in NVIDIA GPU Activity and Task Manager shows corresponding GPU activity during the workload, the two checks agree.
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Step 2: set the app’s graphics preference in Windows
Windows Graphics settings is the primary per-app control on Windows 10 version 2004 and later and on Windows 11. The labels are similar across the two operating systems, although the layout can vary by build.
Windows 11 procedure
- Open Settings.
- Choose System, then Display.
- Open Graphics (on some builds this is reached through the display-related advanced options).
- Under the app list, choose the correct category: Desktop app for a traditional installed program or Microsoft Store app for a Store-distributed app.
- Select Browse for a desktop app and locate the app’s executable, or select the Store app from the list.
- Select the app entry that you added, then choose Options.
- Select High performance as the preferred graphics processor. On a ProArt laptop this normally requests the discrete NVIDIA GPU.
- Select Save.
Windows 10 procedure
- Search Windows for Graphics settings and open the result.
- Choose the app type, either Desktop app or Microsoft Store app.
- Select the app or use Browse to locate its executable.
- Select the app in the list and open Options.
- Choose High performance, then select Save.
If the app is already listed, edit that existing entry instead of creating multiple entries for different paths. A preference applied to the wrong executable will not necessarily affect the process that performs rendering or encoding.
What the choices mean
- High performance: requests the high-performance processor, normally the NVIDIA GPU on a ProArt configuration that includes one.
- Windows default or Auto-select: leaves the choice to Windows and the NVIDIA driver, which can balance performance and power use.
- Power saving: requests the integrated graphics processor and is generally the opposite of the goal when testing NVIDIA acceleration.
Windows may still allow the driver to select a processor when an application requires a particular one. A saved High performance value therefore has to be followed by a restart and an activity check.
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Step 3: understand NVIDIA Control Panel’s role
Older instructions often begin in NVIDIA Control Panel’s per-program preferred-graphics-processor menu. On Windows 10 version 2004 and later, Windows can override that selection. If you change a per-app choice in NVIDIA Control Panel while Windows has a preference saved for the same app, the Windows choice has priority.
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A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11When you need to change an app’s assignment, make the selection in Windows Graphics settings first. ASUS recommends synchronizing the choices in Windows and the graphics manufacturer’s control panel when you change an app’s selection. If Windows has no preference configured for the app, NVIDIA’s per-app preference remains relevant, but it is still only a requested preference until you verify runtime activity.
Step 4: restart the creative app
Close the app completely after saving the graphics preference, then launch it again. NVIDIA states that a program already running continues to use its current graphics processor until it is restarted. If the app has a background helper or launcher, close those as well when they keep the main process alive; then reopen the creative application from its normal shortcut.
Do not evaluate the result from a window that was open before the setting changed. The restart is the point at which Windows and the NVIDIA driver can apply the new per-app decision.
Step 5: verify use during a real GPU workload
After relaunching, repeat the operation that matters to you and monitor the app at the same time. A useful verification sequence is:
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- Open NVIDIA GPU Activity, if your system exposes the icon.
- Launch the creative app after the preference change.
- Open a project or file that can reproduce the workload.
- Start the GPU-accelerated operation, such as an effect preview, timeline interaction, or render.
- Check whether the app appears as a program using the NVIDIA GPU.
- Cross-check with Windows Task Manager while the operation is still active.
An app can be listed only while a GPU task is in progress. Check during the operation, not several minutes later after the workload has finished. A brief or intermittent appearance is consistent with hybrid graphics: the driver may wake the discrete GPU for supported acceleration and return other work to the integrated processor.
How to interpret the result
| Observation | What it tells you | What it does not tell you |
|---|---|---|
| Windows Graphics settings shows High performance | Windows has saved a request for the high-performance processor for that app executable. | It does not prove that the app is currently rendering on the NVIDIA GPU. |
| NVIDIA GPU Activity lists the app during its workload | The running program is using the NVIDIA GPU at that time. | It does not mean every operation in the app always runs on that GPU. |
| A display appears in NVIDIA GPU Activity | The display is being driven by the NVIDIA GPU. | It does not by itself identify which application workload caused the activity. |
| Task Manager shows GPU activity while the app is working | Windows is reporting graphics work associated with the running system processes. | It is a cross-check, not a replacement for identifying the exact process and display path. |
| The app is not listed while idle | No relevant NVIDIA activity was observed at that instant. | It does not prove that the app can never use NVIDIA acceleration. |
Hybrid graphics: why the app may not stay on one GPU
NVIDIA’s Optimus technology automatically selects either the integrated graphics processor or the high-performance NVIDIA GPU to balance performance and power use. A creative app can therefore be assigned to the integrated GPU for some work and invoke the NVIDIA GPU for supported acceleration. The discrete GPU may wake only when a particular effect, preview, encode, or display path needs it.
This behavior is normal on a hybrid ProArt laptop. The practical question is not whether the app is permanently attached to the NVIDIA GPU, but whether the GPU is being used for the workload you care about. Test the specific operation and observe activity during that operation.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.External displays can change the answer
NVIDIA documents a special case for displays connected to the NVIDIA GPU: apps and videos launched on those displays use that GPU regardless of the preferred-processor setting. If your results differ between the laptop panel and an external monitor, record which display is active and how it is connected.
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For a controlled comparison, close and relaunch the app on the laptop display, run the same workload, and observe activity. Then repeat with the external display connected and the app launched there. A difference between the two tests can be caused by display routing rather than a Windows preference error.
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ProArt Creator Hub’s App Power Priority is not a GPU test
ProArt Creator Hub includes an App Power Priority feature. Its purpose is to make selected apps run at high priority. That is a scheduling or priority choice; it is separate from Windows Graphics settings and does not establish which GPU is rendering the app.
You can use Creator Hub to reach Task Manager or to manage app priority, but use NVIDIA GPU Activity or Task Manager’s runtime observations to answer the GPU question. Do not treat an app listed as high priority in Creator Hub as proof that it is using the NVIDIA processor.
Troubleshooting when the app does not appear to use NVIDIA
The High performance option is saved, but the app is not listed
- Confirm that you selected the executable that performs the work rather than a launcher or updater.
- Close every instance of the app and relaunch it after saving the setting.
- Run an operation that is expected to use GPU acceleration before checking the activity list.
- Check the laptop display and any external display separately, because display routing can determine GPU use.
- Use Task Manager as a second observation instead of relying only on the saved preference.
NVIDIA GPU Activity is missing
The notification-area command is exposed only on systems using NVIDIA’s power-saving GPU technology. A missing icon is therefore not proof that the laptop lacks an NVIDIA GPU. Use Windows Task Manager for the runtime cross-check and confirm that the ProArt configuration actually includes an NVIDIA processor and its driver.
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Intermittent activity can be expected with Optimus. Repeat the check while the effect, preview, or render is active. If the app performs some work on the integrated GPU and wakes NVIDIA for supported acceleration, the activity list may change during the same session.
Changing the NVIDIA Control Panel setting has no effect
Check Windows Graphics settings. On Windows 10 version 2004 and later, a Windows per-app preference can override the NVIDIA Control Panel preference. Synchronize the choices or remove the Windows preference if you intend to let the driver make the decision.
High performance causes problems
NVIDIA warns that choosing the high-performance processor can shorten battery life or cause some programs not to run correctly. If the app becomes unstable, behaves incorrectly, or drains the battery unnecessarily, return its setting to Windows default or Auto-select and test again. The default lets Windows and the driver balance compatibility, performance, and power.
A repeatable diagnostic checklist
- Identify the exact creative-app executable that performs the work.
- Note whether the app is on the laptop panel or an external display.
- Open NVIDIA Control Panel and enable Display GPU Activity Icon in Notification Area when available.
- Search Windows for Graphics settings.
- Choose the correct app category and add or select the executable.
- Open Options, select High performance, and save.
- Close and relaunch the app.
- Run the specific GPU-accelerated operation you want to test.
- Check NVIDIA GPU Activity during the operation.
- Cross-check the result in Windows Task Manager.
- If the result differs by display, repeat the test on the laptop panel and the external display.
- If compatibility or battery life suffers, restore Windows default or Auto-select.
What you can conclude from the test
If the app appears in NVIDIA GPU Activity during the workload after a restart, you have direct evidence that it is using the NVIDIA GPU at that time. If only High performance is shown in Windows, you have established the requested preference but not actual rendering. If the app is absent while idle, repeat the observation during a meaningful GPU operation before drawing a conclusion.
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Menu availability varies by ProArt model, Windows build, NVIDIA driver, and whether the laptop supports a display-multiplexer mode. The procedure is therefore designed around observable runtime activity rather than assuming that every ProArt laptop exposes identical controls.
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