If your performance issues are severe, you're crashing regularly, or you're experiencing the Something went wrong in the Shader Cache Builder process Exit code = 1 error, it’s important to check that your dedicated GPU, as opposed to your integrated GPU (if you have one) is being used when you play Darktide. You can check which GPU Darktide is using by:

1. Press the Windows key + R
2. Enter %appdata% within the search input and select 'OK'
3. Navigate to the appropriate directory listed below:
   • Steam: AppData\Roaming\Fatshark\Darktide
   • Game Pass/Microsoft Store: AppData\Roaming\Fatshark\MicrosoftStore\Darktide
4. Open up the darktide_launcher.log
5. Press CTRL + F
6. Conduct a search for:

AdapterId

7. You should see a line like this:

[SysInfo] AdapterId: 0 (NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060) OutputId: 0 CurrentResolution: 1920x1080

8. If your integrated GPU is listed (e.g. the Microsoft Render Driver or Intel UHD Graphics), please see the solutions listed below.

Solutions

• • Ensure your monitors are plugged in to the dedicated (as opposed to the integrated) GPU ports on the back of your PC
•  
  • Perform a clean re-installation of your GPU drivers using the appropriate instructions below:
    • [PC] How to Perform a Clean Re-Installation of Your NVIDIA GPU Drivers
    • [PC] How to Perform a Clean Re-Installation of Your AMD GPU Drivers
•  
  • For NVIDIA GPUs: Ensure both Steam and Darktide are set to use your dedicated GPU within the NVIDIA Control Panel by:

1. 1. 1. 1. Right-click the desktop and select the 'NVIDIA Control Panel'
         2. Navigate to 'Manage 3D Settings' > ‘Program Settings’
         3. Locate Steam within the list of programs
         4. Within the 'Select the preferred graphics processor for this program:' dropdown, choose the NVIDIA GPU
         5. Then locate Darktide within the list of programs, and repeat the above step

• • For AMD GPUs: Ensure both Steam and Darktide are set to use your dedicated GPU within the Radeon Settings by:

1. 1. 1. 1. Right-click the desktop and select 'Radeon Settings'
         2. Navigate to ‘Preferences’ > ‘Additional Settings’ > ‘Power’ > ‘Switchable Graphics’ > ‘Application Settings’
         3. Locate Steam within the list of programs
         4. In the ‘Graphics Settings’ column, assign the ‘High Performance’ profile
         5. Then locate Darktide within the list of programs, and repeat the above step

• • For Windows 10 users: 

1. 1. 1. 1. Navigate to 'Settings' > 'System' > 'Display'
         2. Select 'Graphics Settings'
         3. Select the 'Browse' button and locate the Darktide executable (Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Warhammer 40,000 Darktide\binaries)
         4. Select the 'Options' button
         5. Choose 'High performance' and save your changes

• • For ASUS Notebook users: 

1. 1. 1. Please refer to: https://www.asus.com/support/FAQ/1038387/