WMI Win32_VideoController and differentiating integrated vs discrete graphics

Question

I am trying to do some hardware and config inventory with WMI and I am having trouble with graphics cards in certain circumstances. I
can use something like this (get-wmiobject
-class:'Win32_VideoController' -namespace:'root\CIMV2' -computername:'.').DriverVersion and I will get the driver version
of the currently active card. Works great for a desktop machine, but for a laptop with both integrated and discrete graphics, unless some program that triggers discrete graphics is also running, I get inventory info about the Intel HD only, and in 99% of cases
what I really want is the discrete graphics. I figure there are two possible ways to address it. Either there is a way to use WMI to get all installed cards, not just the currently active one, or there is a PowerShell way to specifically trigger use of the
discrete card. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

Answer 1

jrv, I don't understand the link. I know that the Intel GPU can handle dual monitors, but that's not my issue. My desire is to use PowerShell to inventory the GPUs on the machine, including available RAM and driver number. When I use the WMI based approach
noted above, I ONLY get the active GPU, which is normally the Intel GPU because the script is usually run when other, graphics intensive, programs are not running, so the Intel GPU is active. At least, I think that may be what's happening. But again, the key
is, on a dual GPU system, how does one use WMI to get ALL GPUss, not just one? And failing that, it is the discrete card that I most need to inventory, so is there a way to trigger use of the discrete card so that WMI reports that? As far as I can tell this
may be exclusively an nVidia Optimus issue, and PowerShell/WMI just can't be used due to limitations in PowerShell functionality.