Choose the Render GPU

Last updated 31 August 2026

Choose which GPU Backstage renders on. By default Backstage picks the best GPU automatically; use the manual override when you need a specific card.

Changing the render GPU takes effect on the next restart of Backstage.

Before you start

  • Backstage is running. Settings opens from the settings icon in the top bar.
  • If you have more than one GPU installed, confirm that all cards appear in the system's Device Manager before proceeding.

Steps

1. Open the GPU section in Settings

Open Settings > Global Settings > GPU. The section shows an Automatic checkbox, a Render GPU dropdown, and an In use: readout naming the GPU that is currently active.

2. Check the automatic selection

With Automatic ticked (the default), Backstage picks the discrete GPU with the most device-local memory at every startup. When two cards have equal memory, the one with the lowest enumeration index wins. For most single-GPU servers this is all you need — skip to the last step.

3. Select a specific GPU

Untick Automatic to enable the Render GPU dropdown. Each entry is prefixed with an index number (e.g. #0 NVIDIA T1000 8GB). Pick the GPU you want to render on.

The index prefix (#0, #1, ...) matches the startup log line (GPU 0: ...). When two identical cards are installed, the index is the only way to tell the entries apart.

4. Restart Backstage

Close and reopen Backstage. After restart, confirm the In use: readout shows the GPU you chose.

Common Mistakes

  • The dropdown shows fewer GPUs than expected. On a multi-GPU device group (NVIDIA Mosaic or any linked-adapter configuration) the group appears as a single logical device and only its first member is listed. The other members are not missing — they are part of the same device and cannot be selected individually.

  • Changed the GPU but nothing happened. The change takes effect on the next restart. Check the In use: line after restarting — it shows which GPU is actually active.

  • The index number changed after a reboot. Enumeration order can shift between boots. The manual selection is stored by adapter identity, not by index, so Backstage still picks the correct card even when the index moves.

Tips

  • Leave Automatic on unless you have a specific reason to override it. The automatic selection re-evaluates at every startup, so a hardware change is picked up without intervention.

  • The GPU section also contains Affinity and Memory sub-sections for queue assignment and memory pool configuration. These are advanced tuning options that most installations can leave at their defaults.

  • Hover over a GPU entry in the dropdown to see its adapter identifier — useful when troubleshooting a selection that does not stick.

Settings — full reference for the Settings window.

Route Projectors and Displays to Outputs (Video Routing) — route projectors and displays to GPU outputs.

Display and GPU Configuration — EDID, display modes, genlock and Mosaic on the server side.