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7 Days to Die Not Using GPU - Fix in 6 Steps

7 Days to Die Not Using GPU – (How To Fix in 6 Easy Steps?)

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Why is 7 Days to Die not using GPU?

 

We can all agree that 7 Days to Die is a game demanding a higher single-thread CPU utilization, meaning in some cases, your GPU may not utilize property at all.

 

We’ve conducted thorough research on what could possibly prevent 7 Days to Die from utilizing your PC’s CPU and came up with more than a few unique solutions!

METHODS:

  1. Adjust the Dedicated GPU Windows Options
  2. Set the 7 Days to Die Quality Preset to “Ultra”
  3. Set the 7 Days to Die CPU Affinity to 4 Cores
  4. Update or Reinstall the GPU’s Graphic Driver
  5. Adjust the Power Plan to High Performance
  6. Host a 7 Days to Die Dedicated Game Server

If 7 Days to Die does not utilize your PC’s GPU at all, ensure you haven’t specified the integrated GPU as a default, set the game’s graphics quality to “Ultra” and update or reinstall the GPU driver. If the fault persists, set the system’s power plan to “High Performance” and reinstall the game.

Why is 7 Days to Die Not Using the PC GPU?

Let’s go through the potential causes why 7 Days to Die is not using your PC’s GPU:

 

  • There has been a problem with the default GPU selection.
  • There’s an interference with your PC’s multi-thread CPU.
  • There’s a problem with the power supply of the components.

Now, let’s review the 6 best-working solutions for GPU issues in 7 Days to Die!

7 Days to Die Not Using GPU - Fix for 0% GPU Utilization!

Note: Have you attempted running 7 Days to Die as an administrator?

1. Adjust the Dedicated GPU Windows Option

Method 1/6

The first possible solution for addressing this issue is manually specifying which GPU 7 Days to Die use through Windows’s “Display” settings. For this purpose, ensure 7 Days to Die is installed on your system, discovered by Windows, and updated to the most current OS version.

 

Here’s how to change the preferred GPU in 7 Days to Die’s Windows options:

 

  1. Open “Settings” and head to the “System” tab right below “Home.”
  2. Click “Display” at the top of the screen and navigate to “Graphics.”
  3. Use the search field to find 7 Days to Die or scroll to find it manually.
  4. Click the game’s field and press “Options” to open the configuration.
  5. Click the “High Performance” option with a label of your PC’s GPU.
The image is showing how to adjust your Windows GPU preferance when 7 Days to Die not using GPU.

The “Let Windows Decide” option will be enabled by default, which could cause your processor’s integrated GPU to be utilized instead. Ensure you’ve made a manual selection as to which GPU should 7 Days to Die utilize when launched on your system.

Tip: Improper GPU selection could even lead to an anti-virus error (30005).

2. Set the 7DtD’s “Quality Preset” to “Ultra”

Method 2/6

If the GPU’s usage is at a minimum but not 0% entirely, then the fault could be with the video settings configuration of 7 Days to Die. An effective way to benchmark your GPU while playing 7 Days to Die is setting the “Quality Preset” option in “Video Settings” → “Quality” to “Ultra” and then starting a game.

 

Here’s how to set the quality preset of 7 Days to Die to “Ultra:”

 

  1. Launch 7 Days to Die on your PC and go to “Settings.”
  2. Enter “Video Settings” and navigate to the “Quality” tab.
  3. Adjust the “Quality Preset” feature at the top to “Ultra.”
  4. Click “Apply” at the right-lower end and test the GPU.
The image is showing how to set all graphic settings of 7 Days to Die to Ultra.

Tip: Keep the task manager opened at all times to track the utilization of 7 Days to Die on your GPU.

3. Set 7 Days to Die’s CPU Affinity to 4 Cores

Method 3/6

If 7 Days to Die is still not occupying any of your GPU’s available resources, you should test the CPU affinity for the game at 4 cores only. As established earlier, 7 Days to Die is a much more demanding single-thread software and a multi-thread CPU may cause a significant performance reduction.

 

Here’s how to adjust the CPU affinity for 7 Days to Die on your system:

 

  1. Open the Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc) and go to “Details.”
  2. Right-click the primary process of 7 Days to Die on your system.
  3. Select “Set affinity” from the drop-down menu to open the tab.
  4. Uncheck the “All Processors” box at the top of the new menu.
  5. Check “CPU 0,” “CPU 1,” “CPU 2” and “CPU 3” before saving.
  6. Re-launch 7 Days to Die and check if the GPU is now utilized.
The image is showing how to set 7 Days To Die core affinity to 4 cores.

If 7 Days to Die’s performance does not improve after allowing only four cores to work, refresh the affinity settings and proceed with the next solution.

4. Update/Reinstall the GPU’s Graphics Driver

Method 4/6

A potentially outdated system graphics driver could be causing a compatibility issue with 7 Days to Die. Hence, the next step is to ensure the latest graphic driver version available for your GPU is installed and applied through the respective GPU’s user interface.

4.1 How to Update NVIDIA Graphics Card Drivers?

  1. Close 7 Days to Die and open the NVIDIA Control Panel.
  2. Navigate to the “Help” menu at the top and press “Updates.”
  3. Next, apply newer updates available for your GPU’s drivers.
The image is showing how to update NVidia GPU drivers.

4.2 How to Update AMD Graphics Card Drivers?

  1. Right-click on your desktop and open the AMD Software Adrenalin.
  2. Go to “Home” and click “Download” if there’s a newer driver version.
  3. Wait until the update is applied and reboot your system when asked.
The image is showing how to update AMD GPU drivers.

4.3 How to Reinstall GPU Graphic Drivers?

  1. Click “Start” and open the “Device Manager” on your computer.
  2. Extend the “Display adapters” section and select your GPU.
  3. Next, go to “Driver” and select the “Update Driver” functionality.
  4. Select “Search automatically for drivers” to check for new versions.
The image is showing how to automatically update your GPU driver when 7 Days to Die not using GPU.

Note: Follow the on-screen steps and reboot your computer when prompted.

5. Set the Power Plan to “High Performance”

Method 5/6

Perhaps, the GPU is failing to utilize properly due to insufficiency of power or interference with the system settings. The right solution would be to set the power plan to “High Performance,” which will allow all hardware components to draw higher amounts of voltage.

 

Follow these instructions to set the power plan to “High Performance:”

 

  1. Open the “Start” menu, type “Edit power plan” and press “Enter.”
  2. Press “Change advanced power settings” in the menu’s bottom.
  3. Extend the functionality slider and click on “High Performance”
  4. Click “Apply” at the bottom, exit the power plan, and test 7DtD.
The image is showing how to set Windows to high performance.

Alert: Track your CPU and GPU’s temperatures and preferably conduct a benchmark to check if there will be a significant temperature difference.

6. Test 7 Days to Die on a Dedicated Server

Method 6/6

Users experiencing the same issue have suggested hosting your own 7 Days to Die dedicated server to test the GPU’s performance offline. For this purpose, you must download an official Steam dedicated server tool and host a server through a PC that has Steam installed.

 

Let’s review the steps!

6.1 Download the 7 Days to Die Dedicated Server

The first step is to access your Steam account’s library, search for “7 Days” in the search field, and download the “7 Days to Die Dedicated Server” application.

The image is showing how to download the 7 Days to Die dedicated server.

The installation file has an average size between 10GB and 12GB, so the installation shouldn’t last longer than several minutes.

6.2 Download & Setup the SteamCMD

Next, navigate to SteamCMD’s official page and download the file. Extract the file in a folder where the 7 Days to Die dedicated server will be installed and create a new text document named “update.bat” within the same directory.

The image is showing how to set up a dedicated server when 7 Days to Die not using GPU.

Open the document and type the following code:

 

  • Steamcmd.exe +login anonymous +app_update 294420 +quit

Finally, run the file and wait until the installation is complete.

6.3 Configure the Server & Start

The final step is to apply custom configurations to your server’s settings and test-launch 7 Days to Die on a dedicated server. For this purpose, right-click the dedicated server app in your Steam library, click “Browse Local File…” and open the “serverconfig.xml” file below.

The image is showing how to cofigure and start the dedicated server when 7 Days to Die not using GPU.

Once the configuration is complete, launch 7 Days to Die on the same computer, click “Join a Game” and click “Connect to IP…” at the bottom.

 

Ensure the “IP” and “Port” fields have the following values:

 

  • IP – 127.0.0.1
  • Port – 26900

Click “Connect” and check if there will be an improvement in the GPU’s performance.

Final Thoughts:

Now you know all the possible causes why 7 Days to Die not using GPU!

 

To solve the issue, make sure to set 7 Days to Die’s CPU affinity to only 4 cores and update the version of the GPU’s drivers. If the fault persists, set the system’s power plan to “High Performance” and host a dedicated 7 Days to Die server for testing purposes.

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7 Days To Die
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Kaloyan Petrov

Hey, I'm Kaloyan Petrov, a seasoned gamer with over a decade of experience. Dive into my world of gaming on GameScopes, where I share insights into the latest releases, industry trends, and the vibrant gaming culture. Join me on a journey through the digital realm, as my firsthand experiences and reviews offer a unique perspective shaped by years of gaming expertise. Let's explore the gaming landscape together!
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