The way to check your graphics card (GPU) usage depends on the operating system you're using. Here are the common ways to check GPU usage on Windows and macOS systems.
Open Task Manager: Right-click on the taskbar and select Task Manager, or use the shortcut keysctrl + shift + esc
Check out the Performance tab: If Task Manager opens for the first time in a simplified view, tap "More details" in the bottom left corner to switch to the detailed view. Then, switch to the Performance tab.
Select GPU: In the Performance tab, you'll see one or more GPUs (if your system has multiple graphics cards, such as integrated graphics and discrete graphics). Click on the GPU, and you can see the details of the graphics card's utilization, memory usage, and more.
There are also many third-party software that can provide more detailed GPU monitoring information, such as:
gpu-z: Provides detailed graphics card information and real-time monitoring of GPU temperature and occupancy.
msi afterburnerAlthough mainly used for overclocking, it also provides real-time monitoring of GPU usage, temperature, and other important metrics.
macOS doesn't provide a straightforward way to view GPU usage similar to the Performance tab in Windows Task Manager. However, there are some third-party apps that you can use to monitor GPU usage:
istat menus: This is a system monitoring tool that can display the system usage including CPU, GPU, memory, network, etc. in the menu bar.
Activity Monitor: macOS's built-in Activity Monitor provides a certain degree of system performance monitoring, including CPU, memory, energy consumption, etc., but the monitoring of GPU usage is not as detailed as third-party software.
When using any third-party software, make sure it comes from a trusted source to avoid security risks.
GPU usage monitoring is useful for understanding how your system is performing while running specific applications (e.g., gaming, graphic design software).
For professional graphics card performance analysis and troubleshooting, you may also need to consider other metrics such as the temperature of the graphics card, clock speed, fan speed, etc.
With the above methods, you can effectively monitor and manage your graphics card usage, ensuring good system performance and stability.