How to force use of the correct GPU (graphics card) for OPTICAM / Using the Correct Graphics Port

How to force use of the correct GPU (graphics card) for OPTICAM / Using the Correct Graphics Port

How to force use of the correct GPU (graphics card) for OPTICAM / Using the Correct Graphics Port

NOTE: IF USING A DESKTOP PC ENSURE THE CORRECT PORT IS CONNECTED TO THE DISPLAY CABLE. DO NOT CONNECT TO THE ONBOARD GRAPHICS CARD PORT (IF ANY). CONNECT TO THE DEDICATED GRAPHICS CARD PORT ONLY.

OPTICAM/OPTICAM Classic must be used with a discrete GPU adapter, officially the NVIDIA Quadro card is the recommended (supported) card.

On most gaming notebook or portable workstation PCs, there will be a dedicated GPU. There will also be an Intel GPU. The Intel one is not up to the necessary specification for our products, and our apps will either not start, crash, or be cumbersome to use. The Intel GPU is often used for displaying non-graphics-intensive apps such as Word, Outlook etc. and uses less power. For CAD/CAM, we need a dedicated GPU like the Quadro.

Option 1: How to set the correct GPU for use with OPTICAM by using the NVIDIA control panel.

Right-click the desktop and select "NVIDIA Control Panel":



... it will open an app similar to this:



- Go to the "Desktop" menu. Check the last option. This will add an icon to the System Tray:



- With OPTICAM Classic already running, open this app and look in the list for "solidcuta.exe".



- If this is listed, OPTICAM is correctly using the NVIDIA GPU. 
- If it is not listed, try adding it to the following section in the NVIDIA Control Panel:



- Click "Browse" then change to the folder where the solidcuta.exe is located, for example:

      C:\Program Files (x86)\OPTICAM_ClassicV8.2\system



Select solidcuta.exe. Close OPTICAM and restart it - look for it in the GPU Activity app as above.

Option 2: How to set the correct GPU for use with OPTICAM by disabling the Intel GPU

Sometimes, doing the steps about in Option 1 does not work - the workaround is to basically disable the Intel GPU so there's no other choice but for OPTICAM (and all other apps) to use the NVIDIA GPU. The only negative outcome for this is when using battery power - the PC will consume more power using the NVIDIA than the Intel. This can be reverted by "enabling" the driver for the Intel card, just as we show below for disabling it:

- In the Windows Search bar, on the taskbar, type: "Device Manager" and open with the resultant icon:



 - Select and expand the "Display adapters" branch. 
- Right-click on the Intel entry.
- Select  "Disable device" and follow the steps.



- Close and restart OPTICAM Classic. The solidcata.exe entry should appear in the GPU Activity app.

- end -

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