How do I force a program to use GPU when I run it?

wildcard · 7 December 2021 20:40

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I just installed Google Earth Pro using yay, but I realized that when I start it up it doesn’t use the GPU. I know that I can open up a terminal and use prime-run google-earth-pro to start the app with the GPU. How can I make it so that the app runs with the GPU when I click on the icon?

Mirdarthos · 8 December 2021 06:53

Hi @wildcard,

To do that, I believe you’d need to Right-click on the shortcut, and select Edit Application…. Then browse to the Application tab and insert prime-run in the front of the Command field.

Note: These instructions are based on KDE, so will not be the same for Gnome. However, the general gist would be the same.

wildcard · 8 December 2021 07:02

Unfortunately, in Gnome there is no Edit Application when I right-click the shortcut.

By the way, how do you do write that in the little box thing?

Mirdarthos · 8 December 2021 07:03

What little box thing?

Edit:

Please see https://www.addictivetips.com/ubuntu-linux-tips/edit-program-shortcuts-in-gnome-shell/. Personally I’d go with the terminal option.

Edit 2:

Oh these:

Just wrap your text in <kbd></kbd> tags. Like this:

so that it’s displayed like this:

Text

wildcard · 8 December 2021 07:10

In your reply the words “Edit Application…” are in a little box. How do you format that?

Thanks for the link. I did try to edit the .desktop file but I’m not sure how to edit the exec line. I’ve tried adding in prime-run but nothing seems to work.

Mirdarthos · 8 December 2021 07:15

Have you restarted? Either the session or your computer? Because, I might be wrong, but I almost think that’d be neccessary to rebuild the cache…otherwise, provide us with the contents of the .desktop file, wrapped in three backticks (```) before and after the text, for proper render formatting.

wildcard · 8 December 2021 07:18

Hmm, no I haven’t tried restarting. Maybe that’s it. But I’m still not sure how to format the exec line properly.

[Desktop Entry]
Version=1.0
Name=Google Earth
GenericName=3D planet viewer
Comment=Explore, search and discover the planet
Exec=/opt/google/earth/pro/google-earth-pro %f
Terminal=false
MultipleArgs=false
Icon=google-earth-pro
Type=Application
Categories=Application;Network
MimeType=application/vnd.google-earth.kml+xml;application/vnd.google-earth.kmz;application/earthviewer;application/keyhole

Mirdarthos · 8 December 2021 07:24

In all theory you should just be able to change this line

to

Exec=prime-run google-earth-pro

Or, well, that’s how I understand it, anyway.

wildcard · 8 December 2021 07:25

I tried that, but I did not restart. I’ll try it again with restart this time.

Edit: I just tried it again, with a reboot this time, and still nothing.

Mirdarthos · 8 December 2021 07:30

If it still doesn’t work, then there could be another .desktop somewhere, probable in you home directory. You could check with:

find ~ -name '*google*.desktop'

Or well, that’s my thoughts anyway.

Edit:

If it’s not this, well, then I have no idea what else it could be. Sorry.

wildcard · 8 December 2021 07:40

That did it! It was in /.local/share/applications/ the whole time. I completely forgot about that. Changed the exec line and reboot and it works now! Thanks a lot!

pobrn · 8 December 2021 16:00

I would like to mention another option:

If you install switcheroo-control from the AUR and start the service (systemctl start switcheroo-control), then GNOME shell will show an option to select a different GPU when right clicking the icon in the dock or in the application grid.

wildcard · 8 December 2021 19:15

Awesome! Thanks!

system · 11 December 2021 09:16

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