Shared GPU Memory is one feature offered by some modern graphics cards, especially those based on NVIDIA Turing or AMD RDNA architecture. This feature allows the graphics card to use a portion of the system memory (RAM) in addition or reserve to the video memory (VRAM) attached to the graphics card itself.
Thus, the graphics card can have more space to store graphics data, such as textures, shaders, and frame buffers, which can improve graphics performance and quality in some scenarios.
However, this feature also has some drawbacks and limitations that you need to know before using it. In this article, we’ll explain what shared GPU memory is, how it works, when you should use it, and what are its advantages and disadvantages.
How Does Shared GPU Memory Work?
To understand how shared GPU memory works, we need to know some basic concepts about memory and graphics cards. In simple terms, memory is the place where data is stored and accessed by the processor, both the CPU and the GPU. There are different memory, such as DRAM, SRAM, GDDR, HBM, and others, which have different characteristics and functions.
System memory, or RAM, is the most common type of memory used by the CPU to store and retrieve data. RAM typically uses DRAM technology, which means dynamic memory with random access. This means that data can be accessed randomly from any location in memory without having to follow a specific sequence. However, this also means that data will be lost if no power flows into the memory.
Video memory, or VRAM, is a type of memory specifically used by GPUs to store and retrieve graphics data. VRAM typically uses GDDR or HBM technology, which are variants of DRAM optimized for high speed and bandwidth. This means that data can be moved quickly between the GPU and VRAM, which is important for producing images with high resolution and frame rates. However, this also means that VRAM is more expensive and harder to produce than RAM.
The graphics card is the hardware responsible for processing graphics data and sending it to the monitor. Graphics cards usually have GPU, VRAM, and some other components attached to a circuit board. The GPU is the brain of the graphics card, which performs complex mathematical calculations to produce images. VRAM is the place where the GPU stores the graphics data needed to produce the image, such as textures, shaders, and frame buffers.
Now, let’s see how shared GPU memory works. By default, the GPU can only use the VRAM attached to the graphics card as a memory source. The amount of VRAM available depends on the model and specifications of the graphics card. For example, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 graphics card has 10 GB of VRAM, while the AMD Radeon RX 6800 graphics card has 16 GB of VRAM.
However, there are cases where the available VRAM is not enough to store all the graphics data required by the GPU. For example, if you run a game or graphics application that is very demanding, or use very high resolutions or graphics settings, you may experience a phenomenon called VRAM bottleneck. This means that VRAM becomes full and cannot hold more data, which can lead to decreased performance and graphics quality, such as stuttering, popping, or artifacts.
To solve this problem, some modern graphics cards offer a shared GPU memory feature, which allows the GPU to use a portion of RAM in addition or reserve for VRAM. Thus, the GPU can have more space to store graphics data, which can improve performance and graphics quality in some scenarios.
The way shared GPU memory works is as follows:
- First, the GPU will try to store all the graphics data it needs in VRAM, as usual.
- Second, if the VRAM becomes full and cannot hold more data, the GPU will pick up less important or rarely used graphics data, and move it to RAM. Graphics data that is transferred to RAM is called shared GPU memory.
- Third, if the GPU needs graphics data that has been moved to RAM, it will retrieve it from RAM and move it to VRAM. This process is called memory swapping.
In this way, the GPU can use RAM as an alternative memory source, which can increase the amount of graphics data that the GPU can store and access.
When Should You Use Shared GPU Memory?
The shared GPU memory feature can be beneficial in some scenarios, especially if you have a graphics card with limited VRAM, or if you’re running games or graphics applications that are very demanding. In these cases, this feature can help you improve performance and graphics quality, by reducing the chances of a VRAM bottleneck.
However, this feature also has some drawbacks and limitations that you need to know before using it. Here are some of them:
- First, the shared GPU memory feature cannot increase the actual amount of VRAM installed on the graphics card. This feature can only use RAM as an additional memory source, which is not as fast or as bandwidth as VRAM. Therefore, this feature cannot replace the actual VRAM, but rather only as a temporary or emergency solution.
- Second, shared GPU memory features can affect performance and graphics quality, depending on how often and how much graphics data are moved between VRAM and RAM. The memory swapping process can be time and resource-consuming, which can lead to decreased performance and graphics quality, such as lag, stuttering, or artifacts. Therefore, this feature is best used as a last resort, if VRAM isn’t enough.
- Third, shared GPU memory features can affect overall system performance and quality, depending on how much RAM is being used by the GPU. If the GPU uses too much RAM, it can reduce the amount of RAM available to the CPU and other applications. This can cause a decrease in overall system performance and quality, such as lag, crashes, or blue screens. Therefore, this feature should be used wisely, and not exceed the limits set by the operating system or graphics card.
How to Enable or Disable Shared GPU Memory?
The shared GPU memory feature is usually enabled automatically by the operating system or graphics card driver, depending on memory requirements and availability. You do not need to manually enable or disable this feature unless you want to change the settings or preferences associated with this feature.
Here are some ways to enable or disable shared GPU memory, or change settings related to this feature:
- First, you can use Task Manager to monitor GPU memory usage by GPU. To do this, you can open the Task Manager by pressing Ctrl+Shift+Esc, then click the Performance tab, and select GPU. Here, you can see various statistics about GPUs, including Dedicated GPU memory, Shared GPU memory, and GPU memory usage. Dedicated GPU memory is the amount of VRAM installed on the graphics card. Shared GPU memory is the amount of RAM used by the GPU besides or reserved for VRAM. GPU memory usage is the total amount of memory used by the GPU, both VRAM and RAM. You can use this information to find out how much shared GPU memory is being used by the GPU, and whether it affects graphics or system performance and quality.
- Second, you can use NVIDIA Control Panel or AMD Radeon Software to change settings related to shared GPU memory. To do this, you can open the NVIDIA Control Panel or AMD Radeon Software by right-clicking on the desktop, then select NVIDIA Control Panel or AMD Radeon Software. Here, you can change some settings that can affect the use of shared GPU memory by the GPU, such as Texture Quality, Anisotropic Filtering, Anti-Aliasing, and others. The higher the graphics setting, the more graphics data is required by the GPU, which can increase the use of shared GPU memory. Therefore, you can try to lower the graphics settings, if you want to reduce the use of shared GPU memory by the GPU, or improve performance and graphics quality.
- Third, you can use Windows Settings to change settings related to shared GPU memory. To do this, you can open Windows Settings by pressing Windows+I, then click System, and select Display. Here, you can change some settings that can affect the use of shared GPU memory by the GPU, such as Resolution, Scale and layout, Graphics settings, and others. In general, the higher the resolution or scale of the screen, the more graphics data is required by the GPU, which can increase the use of shared GPU memory. Therefore, you can try to lower the resolution or scale of the screen, if you want to reduce the use of shared GPU memory by the GPU, or improve performance and graphics quality.
What are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Shared GPU Memory?
The shared GPU memory feature has several advantages and disadvantages that you need to consider before using it. Here are some of them:
Advantage
- The shared GPU memory feature can increase the amount of memory available to the GPU, which can improve performance and graphics quality in some scenarios, especially if you have a graphics card with limited VRAM, or if you’re running games or graphics applications that are particularly demanding.
- Shared GPU memory features can reduce the possibility of VRAM bottlenecks, which can cause performance and graphics quality degradation, such as stuttering, popping, or artifacts.
- The shared GPU memory feature can provide flexibility and adaptability to the GPU, which can adjust memory usage according to memory needs and availability. This can improve GPU efficiency and optimization in managing graphics data.
Loss
- The shared GPU memory feature cannot increase the actual amount of VRAM installed on the graphics card. This feature can only use RAM as an additional memory source, which is not as fast or as bandwidth as VRAM. Therefore, this feature cannot replace the actual VRAM, but rather only as a temporary or emergency solution.
- Shared GPU memory features can affect graphics performance and quality, depending on how often and how much graphics data is moved between VRAM and RAM. The memory swapping process can be time and resource-consuming, which can lead to decreased performance and graphics quality, such as lag, stuttering, or artifacts.
- Shared GPU memory features can affect overall system performance and quality, depending on how much RAM is being used by the GPU. If the GPU uses too much RAM, it can reduce the amount of RAM available to the CPU and other applications. This can cause a decrease in overall system performance and quality, such as lag, crashes, or blue screens.
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Conclusion
Shared GPU memory is a feature offered by some modern graphics cards, especially those based on NVIDIA Turing or AMD RDNA architecture. This feature allows the graphics card to use a portion of RAM in addition or reserve for VRAM, which can improve performance and graphics quality in some scenarios.
However, this feature also has some drawbacks and limitations that you need to know before using it. This feature cannot increase the actual amount of VRAM and may affect graphics or system performance and quality, depending on memory usage.
Therefore, this feature should be used wisely, and not exceed the limits set by the operating system or graphics card. You can also change some settings related to this feature, to optimize memory usage by the GPU.