Shared memory with graphics card

[Gudmund Liebach Nielsen]

I don't understand that Windows Vista reports the following for my NVIDIA
7500 LE Graphics card:

Total graphics memory 1023MB
Dedicated graphics memory 256MB
Dedicated system memory 0MB
Shared system memory 767MB

My card is supposed to share only 256MB of the system memory.

 

[Spirit]

The programmers got the wrong data in the columns which is
pretty easy to do.....

 

[Synapse Syndrome]

The programmers got the wrong data in the columns which is
pretty easy to do.....

But it doesn't look like that, as the figures all tally with eachother.

ss.

 

[Spirit]

Exactly so they have the right data in the wrong spots....

 

[Synapse Syndrome]

Exactly so they have the right data in the wrong spots....

No. Look at the figures. They cannot be arranged in any other way that
would make any more sense.

ss.

 

[DP]

I would tend to agree, though I'm certainly not close to being an expert on
graphics issues.
You've got a 256 mb memory card. It's "borrowing" 767MB of system memory.
767 + 256 = 1023.

Question for the OP: Where did you get the information that tells you "My
card is supposed to share only 256MB of the system memory"?

 

[Gudmund Liebach Nielsen]

Before something happened (don't know what) the shared memory was reported
as 256MB.
I don't know what has happened since the shared memory now is 767MB.

 

[DP]

Maybe a video driver got updated or maybe a general Windows update did it.
If it's not affecting system performance, I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[Gudmund Liebach Nielsen]

Ok, but how do I see if it is affecting system performance?

 

[Synapse Syndrome]

Ok, but how do I see if it is affecting system performance?

In Task Manager you will see more RAM being used than before, but this is
hard to see with Vista's caching. You could try to find any processes that
look like your graphics card driver using lots of RAM or something like
that. Basically, if it is causing a problem by using lots of RAM, you will
have less RAM to use.

ss.

 

[Peter Lawton]

Don't know if this helps you but I've got a 64bit Vista system with a 768MB
graphics card, my figures are:-

Total graphics memory 2814MB
Dedicated graphics memory 768MB
Dedicated system memory 0MB
Shared system memory 2046MB

I believe, although I'm not sure about this, that Vista allocates a large
block of memory for the use of the video drivers but that it's still
available for use by programs if the video isn't actually using it.

I expect someone more knowledgeable than me about Vista, DX10 and video
drivers can explain better what Vista is using it for

Peter Lawton

 

[Peter Lawton]

Just found an MS document about it:-

http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/device/display/graphicsmemory.mspx

 

[Gudmund Liebach Nielsen]

Ok, seems that Vista allocates a lot of shared memory. I will try to read
the article you point of. Thank you.

 

[dennis@home]

The programmers got the wrong data in the columns which is
pretty easy to do.....

They may not have..
my nvidia has 128M dedicated RAM and then another 767M of shared system
memory which it can use for texture maps and stuff like that.

 

[Synapse Syndrome]

They may not have..
my nvidia has 128M dedicated RAM and then another 767M of shared system
memory which it can use for texture maps and stuff like that.

No, the textures would be placed in the graphics card's fast memory, and
would be the main use of that memory. The system RAM is used to cache
graphics, like windows and those thumbnails on the taskbar. That is why
that shared system memory goes up and down, depending on how much demand
there is for the memory from applications.

ss.

 

[dennis@home]

No, the textures would be placed in the graphics card's fast memory, and
would be the main use of that memory. The system RAM is used to cache
graphics, like windows and those thumbnails on the taskbar. That is why
that shared system memory goes up and down, depending on how much demand
there is for the memory from applications.

That's not how nvidia describe it.. maybe there are two different types of
shared memory here?

 

[Synapse Syndrome]

That's not how nvidia describe it.. maybe there are two different types of
shared memory here?

nVidia don't have much to do with how Vista caches memory, so you must be
talking about, yes, another type of shared memory.

Onboard graphics solutions on motherboards and laptops, normally do not come
with their own RAM, and use the system RAM instead. Some cheaper discrete
graphics card also do this sometimes to add to the limited amount of RAM on
the card. In these cases the shared system RAM is used for textures, which
is essentially what graphics cards need lots of RAM for.

But this happens in operating systems that use these graphics chips/cards,
and have nothing to do with Vista's caching, which is the basis of this
thread.

ss.

 

[Gudmund Liebach Nielsen]

Well, I have written to Nvidia but they response that I have to contact
Microsoft about this issue....

 

[Synapse Syndrome]

Well, I have written to Nvidia but they response that I have to contact
Microsoft about this issue....

I thought we'd come to the conclusion that there was no issue? It is just
Vista's dynamic caching.

ss.

 

[Gudmund Liebach Nielsen]

Yes I think you are right!

I thought we'd come to the conclusion that there was no issue? It is just
Vista's dynamic caching.

ss.