A graphics card is essential for many of today’s most basic computer functions. These activities range from using a word processor to watching or editing movies and video games.
On the other hand, integrated GPUs struggle with some tasks as they are more demanding than others. This is especially true for GPUs with little VRAM (Random Access VRAM).
On Windows 10 or 11, you can increase VRAM. The default video memory is typically 128 MB. Think of it as an increase in VRAM to 256Mb or 512Mb.
What is dedicated video memory (VRAM)?
Your video memory is most likely to blame for problems when using your graphics card (VRAM).
The information your graphics processing unit (GPU) needs is stored in a special type of video memory.
The graphics processing unit, or GPU, is the component of your device’s graphics card that creates the visual effects you see on the screen.
How does VRAM work?
VRAM improves performance by providing a faster and more efficient visual display while the GPU is fetching data. Your CPU must read the data before the image can be seen on the computer screen.
Image data is stored in video memory, which converts it to an analog signal using A/D converters (HDMI or VGA cables).
The signal is then sent to the display, where a magnified image is displayed on your monitor. Now you understand why VRAM is often referred to as a framebuffer. This is the “intermediary”that stores, processes and sends video data to your display device.
Due to its design for high-intensity operations, VRAM performs GPU-related tasks more efficiently. In addition, it is physically located closer to the GPU.
How to check your video memory in Windows 10 and Windows 11
Go to Settings > System >
Show >
Advanced display settings in Windows 11.
Then select the display, and then click Display Adapter Properties.
Depending on what kind of computer you have, you will see the name of your Nvidia or AMD graphics card under the adapter type. You are using integrated graphics if you notice AMD Accelerated Processing Unit or Intel HD Graphics (more often).
How to check video memory (Windows 10)
The following procedures make it easy to determine the amount of video memory on your computer:
- Pressing Win + R will bring up the Run window. Enter
"ms-settings:easeofaccess-display“after that. - To access the Display window under Settings, press Enter.
Alternatively, by pressing Win + I you can also access the settings. Click Show after selecting a system.
- Click More display options when scrolling down.
- For Display 1, select Display Adapter Properties.
- Under Dedicated Video Memory, under Adapter Information, look for the amount of video memory.
- Depending on your gadget, you will see the name of your dedicated GPU utility under Adapter type: AMD or NVIDIA graphics card. Your device is using integrated graphics if you see AMD Accelerated Processing Unit or Intel HD Graphics.
How to Increase VRAM (Windows 10)
There are several ways to increase VRAM on Windows 10 computers. Follow the instructions below to do it.
- Switch to dedicated graphics card
- Change BIOS setting
- Change registry value
- Add/update VRAM manually
- Using page size settings
1. Switch to a dedicated graphics card
Finally, we recommend upgrading your graphics card if you want to permanently increase the amount of video memory or dedicated RAM. A computer with an integrated graphics card will not perform as well as a computer with a separate graphics card.
Also, a strong graphics card will have a lot of VRAM. Be careful to connect the screen to the graphics card and not the board once it is connected to the motherboard.
2. Change BIOS settings
All hardware connected to the computer can be enabled or disabled using the BIOS. The amount of RAM your computer can use for video memory can also be changed. This will not affect the dedicated video memory, but will improve the overall video memory.
To expand the total system memory, follow the steps below.
- You can enter the BIOS by continuously pressing the BIOS key, the del key, or any function key such as f5 during startup. Or do a quick Google search by entering BIOS settings based on your motherboard manufacturer.
- Open the “Advanced”tab.
- Look for options such as DVMT Preallocated, Preallocated Memory Size, UMA Frame Buffer Size, or Video Memory Size.
- Select the size of the shared video memory.
- Close BIOS and save.
3. Change registry value
Before you begin, changing the registry value will only affect the amount of allocated memory or video memory that the OS shows. This will not change the actual VRAM of the computer.
You may wonder why this method is needed if it does not increase the amount of video memory. However, by changing the registry value, the OS is fooled into believing that the PC has a GPU with the specified amount of video memory. This is especially useful if your computer does not have enough video memory to run games.
The VRAM you set by changing the registry value is not the VRAM used by the machine. The entire system can crash if the registry is modified incorrectly. As a result, back up the registry before making any changes.
The steps to change VRAM through the registry are listed below.
- To launch Run, press the Windows key plus R.
- To launch the Registry Editor, type Regedit and press Enter.
- Computer access > LOCAL MACHINE HKEY > SOFTWARE
- Intel
- Hold down the Ctrl key and click Intel in the left pane.
- Select “New”, then the key.
- Give him a GMM.
- In GMM, double click.
- Hold down the Ctrl key and click the right pane at that point.
- Then select the DWORD (32-bit) value under New.
- DedicatedSegmentSize is the name given to this setting.
- Double click DedicatedSegmentSize.
- Decimal base; data value is set to 512.
- Restart your computer to save changes.
4. Add/upgrade VRAM manually
The VGA memory will be pulled from RAM (shared).
In addition, the system usually automatically configures the memory settings. Shared memory results increase as the amount of RAM increases.
So adding RAM is the easiest approach to add VRAM if the laptop in question already has it on board.
Put:
- Our RAM is 2GB and our video memory is 512MB.
- Then the amount of RAM is increased to 4 GB.
- And of course it goes on and on. Our video memory has been increased to 1 GB.
You can use the following approach to determine the active VRAM:
- Please launch Control Panel by typing it in the Windows search box.
- Continue by going to Display > Personalization > after that.
- After that, click “Display Settings”.
- Next, go to Advanced Settings.
- After that, check the “Dedicated video memory”column. You can see the amount of VRAM there.
Note:-
- A PC or laptop often contains two RAM slots. However, only one of them is usually used.
- So, consider including an extra RAM chip.
- You might consider installing a different VGA if it’s a PC.
5. Using page size settings
Using memory, the page size indirectly increases the amount of RAM (hard disk, etc.). You may know that this can also expand the RAM of the video card.
Follow the steps:
- Click “Computer”in the context menu. Next, go to Advanced display settings.
- Select the Advanced tab, then click Settings in the Performance column after selecting the Edit option.
- Select page size options. Keep unchecking. Automatically control the size of paging files on all drives.
- After that, adjust the manual page size as needed.
- If so, select “Apply”and save the results.
How to fix a bottleneck in VRAM
What options do you have if you run into a VRAM bottleneck? Here are a few things that might be helpful.
- Install a new GPU
- Upgrade to high speed storage
- Add another GPU (for Pro workloads and supported games)
- Reduce excessive video memory consumption (games only)
1. Install a new GPU
While two GPUs are convenient, it would be wiser to consider buying a brand new graphics card if your GPU is many years old.
In addition to having much more video memory than older GPUs, newer GPUs also use faster video memory standards, which can be useful in situations where video memory is limited.
2. Switch to high-speed storage
Upgrading to high-speed storage is another option you might have besides replacing your graphics card.
This refers to choosing a fast enough NVMe drive that won’t slow down; for example, if your motherboard supports PCIe Gen 3, you should look for a short NVMe Gen 3 SSD for your computer.
Expert workloads that lack video memory slow down and sometimes crash, especially if you’re forced to use a sluggish mechanical hard drive for caching that doesn’t match the available video memory.
The problem can still be solved, and a high-speed NVMe SSD usually helps reduce load times for any projects or games that are stored on the drive, even if having to rely on storage cache is still not ideal.
3. Add another GPU (for professional workloads and supported games)
Adding a second graphics card to your system (to install SLI/CrossFire/NVLink) is a smart choice in this case if your Micro ATX, ATX or Extended ATX design has room for it.
In most cases, adding a second comparable GPU to the system can effectively increase the amount of video memory, especially for professionals or gamers who are more limited on video memory.
There may be other places where you will notice a slight increase in performance, but they will scale very poorly, and in the case of applications such as games, they may not even work.
4. Reduce excessive video memory consumption (games only)
Although there are special methods, the only correct way to do this in professional tasks is to reduce the complexity of the project, and this is usually not what you want to do.
Once you have made enough progress in this endeavor, it may also be out of reach. The storytelling is slightly different from video games. Lowering the resolution or graphics settings such as anti-aliasing or texture detail is an easy way to improve performance.
These days, most games display how much VRAM a particular graphics setting will consume and warn you if you’re using too much.
Is it possible to put RAM in VRAM?
This can happen naturally if you want to increase the amount of video memory by moving some of your physical memory into video memory.
This may slightly affect the speed of tasks, because VRAM is significantly faster than physical RAM. Avoid doing this on your own. Let the system work for you.
Conclusion
Increase the amount of video memory on your Windows 10 device now. We advise you to evaluate your PC’s video memory needs before putting any of the above options into practice.
The most commonly used solutions are Regedit and BIOS, but care must be taken when using them. You must buy the new RAM you prefer to upgrade your system RAM. If not, invest in a new GPU to meet your video memory requirements.
FAQ
How to improve video memory?
Investing in a new or improved graphics card is the best way to increase your video memory. Upgrade a discrete card (even one of the more affordable budget graphics cards) if your integrated graphics are performing worse and you want better video output.
Can I use RAM to increase VRAM?
Once you’re in the BIOS menu, look for a menu similar to Graphics Settings, Video Settings, or Shared VGA Memory Size. It’s usually found in the “More”menu. Upgrade your pre-allocated VRAM to the setting that best suits your needs. Restart your computer after saving the settings.
How to increase video memory for graphics?
– Enter the BIOS settings after restarting the computer. – When you get to the BIOS menu, check for a second menu under Video Settings, Graphics Settings, or VGA Memory Size. – You can resize the pre-allocated DVMT video memory according to your computer..
Is it possible to increase VRAM?
You can only limit the amount of memory your video memory can store; there is no way to set it to a specific value. The total memory used by the graphics processing unit (GPU) will be automatically assigned based on several different parameters; it is not allocated memory.