diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 887a04ea31..85030623a4 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 # Copyright (c) 2020, MegaMol Dev Team
 # All rights reserved.
 #
-cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.19...3.29 FATAL_ERROR)
+cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.24...3.29 FATAL_ERROR)
 
 # Vcpkg setup
 set(MEGAMOL_VCPKG_VERSION "2024.06.15") # Update default-registry baseline in vcpkg-configuration.json when changing!
diff --git a/cmake/megamol_config.cmake b/cmake/megamol_config.cmake
index 2f08d8e4be..b31b15bcaa 100644
--- a/cmake/megamol_config.cmake
+++ b/cmake/megamol_config.cmake
@@ -101,8 +101,10 @@ endif ()
 
 # CUDA
 if (MEGAMOL_USE_CUDA)
+  if(NOT DEFINED CMAKE_CUDA_ARCHITECTURES)
+    set(CMAKE_CUDA_ARCHITECTURES native)
+  endif()
   enable_language(CUDA)
-  set(CMAKE_CUDA_ARCHITECTURES FALSE)
 endif ()
 
 # MPI
diff --git a/plugins/molecularmaps/CMakeLists.txt b/plugins/molecularmaps/CMakeLists.txt
index ae4777a3b4..7948bc3041 100644
--- a/plugins/molecularmaps/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/plugins/molecularmaps/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -21,8 +21,8 @@ if (molecularmaps_PLUGIN_ENABLED)
     message(FATAL_ERROR "Molecularmaps currently only supports CUDA Version 11 or above. The version found was CUDA ${CUDA_VERSION_MAJOR} (${CMAKE_CUDA_COMPILER_VERSION}). Please turn off the Molecularmaps plugin or install a correct version of CUDA." )
   endif()
 
-  set(CMAKE_CUDA_ARCHITECTURES 52)
-  set(CMAKE_CUDA_FLAGS_RELEASE "${CMAKE_CUDA_FLAGS} -O3")
+  set_target_properties(molecularmaps PROPERTIES CUDA_ARCHITECTURES 52)
+  target_compile_options(molecularmaps PRIVATE $<$<AND:$<COMPILE_LANGUAGE:CUDA>,$<CONFIG:RELEASE>>:-O3>)
 
   file(GLOB_RECURSE cuda_source_files RELATIVE "${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}" "src/*.cu")
   file(GLOB_RECURSE cuda_header_files RELATIVE "${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}" "src/*.cuh")
diff --git a/plugins/protein_cuda/CMakeLists.txt b/plugins/protein_cuda/CMakeLists.txt
index fa047f6ef2..89e03ef358 100644
--- a/plugins/protein_cuda/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/plugins/protein_cuda/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -21,15 +21,15 @@ if (protein_cuda_PLUGIN_ENABLED)
     message(FATAL_ERROR "Protein CUDA currently only supports CUDA Version 11 or above. The version found was CUDA ${CMAKE_CUDA_COMPILER_VERSION}. Please turn off the Protein CUDA plugin or install a correct version of CUDA.")
   endif ()
 
-  set(CMAKE_CUDA_ARCHITECTURES 52)
-  set(CMAKE_CUDA_FLAGS_RELEASE "${CMAKE_CUDA_FLAGS} -O3")
+  set_target_properties(protein_cuda PROPERTIES CUDA_ARCHITECTURES 52)
+  target_compile_options(protein_cuda PRIVATE $<$<AND:$<COMPILE_LANGUAGE:CUDA>,$<CONFIG:RELEASE>>:-O3>)
 
   get_filename_component(CUDA_COMPILER_DIRECTORY "${CMAKE_CUDA_COMPILER}" DIRECTORY)
   get_filename_component(CUDA_BIN_DIR ${CMAKE_CUDA_COMPILER} DIRECTORY)
 
   # Suppress CUDA warnings
   if (SUPPRESS_CUDA_WARNINGS)
-    set(CMAKE_CUDA_FLAGS "${CMAKE_CUDA_FLAGS} -Xcompiler \"-w\"")
+    target_compile_options(protein_cuda PRIVATE $<$<AND:$<COMPILE_LANGUAGE:CUDA>,$<CONFIG:DEBUG>>:-Xcompiler -w>)
   endif ()
 
   # Collect source files