how to change video memory

Discussion in 'Laptop Hardware' started by relicdog, Sep 11, 2008.

  1. relicdog

    relicdog

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    hello all, just trying to figure out how to change the video memory.
     
    relicdog, Sep 11, 2008
    #1
  2. relicdog

    melhiore

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    VideoRAM is dynamic - system uses as it needs - sharing with system RAM. You can not change this yourself...
     
    melhiore, Sep 11, 2008
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  3. relicdog

    relicdog

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    i think i should have used the word increase video memory instead. I read on the net that it's possible to increase the video memory from 8mb to 384 mb. Basically i'm trying to get rid of the video choppyness when viewing youtube videos.
     
    relicdog, Sep 11, 2008
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  4. relicdog

    Biostem

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    In the BIOS, which is where you'd typically adjust the video memory, it is not a selectable option for me. The only other place you'd get such an option would be in the software suite for the video card, w/in the OS. The Intel drivers have no such option, yet it reports the video card as using 200+MB of memory. Thus, I have to go w/ the poster who said it was dynamic and OS-controlled...
     
    Biostem, Sep 12, 2008
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  5. relicdog

    the_raptor

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    It is automagically controlled by the driver. The online video playback choppyness has nothing to do with video memory anyway. It is due to bad flash performance AFAIK.
     
    the_raptor, Sep 12, 2008
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  6. relicdog

    Le Tigre

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    heyho,

    first of all i think the video ram in the aao is set and has a fixed value of 8mb. i could not find an option to set the video ram to use additional ram. this should be set in the bios. there is no option to do this. if i'm wrong, please correct me.

    but your problem with youtube is not the video ram it is the intel atom.

    most vids on flash based platforms use high compression ratio, and this still is handeled by the cpu. the atom does not feature a special instruction set / whatever to handle for instance the h.264 codec, so performance here is quite fucked up! there is a video from the via nano producers, that shows the difference between intel atom / via nano in flash video streaming - and to be honest, the atom does not give acceptable results.
     
    Le Tigre, Sep 14, 2008
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  7. relicdog

    jpnjim

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    After I brought it home, I was shocked to see only 8mb shared video memory listed in the BIOS, (my first new laptop from 1999 had 8mb shared),
    but when I ran PC Wizard, it showed the video memory as much much higher.

    16, or 32mb total video memory would be a serious handicap in 2008, there is no way the 'ONE' could get by with just 8'.

    My son has my old Toshiba (1415-173, from 2002), and with 16mb video memory, it can only play 1/2 the games I tried to instal on it (all of which I was able to later put on the 'ONE').

    I would guess that the memory idles @ 8mb, and when you're in the bios, that's what it's using.
     
    jpnjim, Sep 14, 2008
    #7
  8. relicdog

    jpnjim

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    Just ran PC wizard again,
    it shows:

    Video Card : Mobile Intel(R) 945 Express Chipset Family
    General Information :
    Model : Intel Corporation
    Bus Type : PCI
    Manufacturer : Intel Corporation

    Total Memory : 224 Mb
    Texture Memory : 215 Mb


    Processor : Intel(R) GMA 950
    Converter : Internal
    Refresh Rate (min/max) : 60/60 Hz
     
    jpnjim, Sep 14, 2008
    #8
  9. relicdog

    the_raptor

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    You are wrong. All the reports I have heard of people having problems with flash playback have disappeared when they upgraded flash, or only occur when streaming and not when playing back from the drive. Also the only review of h.264 performance by a third party (yeah believe the manufacturers tests :lol: ), showed both where about equal, and neither could really push above 720p h.264. If the Atom can handle 720p h.264, there is no way that a crappy YouTube video is actually bringing it to its knees. The fault is entirely with flash.
     
    the_raptor, Sep 15, 2008
    #9
  10. relicdog

    Le Tigre

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    first of all: i said the problem with flash is due to the atom. you agree on that?
    would be a first step on getting closer to what we keep talking about.

    atom can handle flash?

    yes it can - if the codec is not compressing to much. i dont know to what tests you are referring (please link them) as well as i don't know about whom you are speeking when you talk about about "solved flash problems of other people". i dont share your personal experiences. i installed a fresh version of mmfp and had considerable probs with flash vids. i think that most people share this problems. thats why adobe is just experimenting a new version of adobe flash player (adobe flash 10) to deal with these probs on weaker cpus. then "the next gen. of atom processors is suposed to play them in an acceptable way (Codename Moorestown)) so intel is working on that too - at least it seems like

    link / sry, only german^^: www.tomshardware.com/de/MID-mobiles-Int ... 41519.html

    many comments on this site: www.jkontherun.com/2008/07/so-hows-the-int.html write about flash probs as well. this, for sure, is a "real life" issue. so there might be a way to set up your computer to run flash 9 vids without probs. but as soon as there are other apps in the background, it simply doesnt...

    the via via intel comparison on this youtupe (your intel should menage that :) doesn't show the intel on its best^^
    www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MklPBVPSp0

    even the eeebox seems not comp. apt to the task of handling h.264 720p stuff. read the comments here: www.anandtech.com/systems/showdoc.aspx? ... 2#comments

    xoxo le tigre
     
    Le Tigre, Sep 15, 2008
    #10
  11. relicdog

    Sunrise

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    How could AAO run Aero and Vista with 8MB? you tell me!! :p
     
    Sunrise, Sep 15, 2008
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  12. relicdog

    Le Tigre

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    this a question?! or rhethorics? my aao just got roasted, so can't tell 4 sure if it is using part of its memory as video ram. a part from that: you will get a computer with 8mb vid ram and no shared to run vista aero...

    think thats not even a problem...

    i'm not even shure, whether you know, what you are talking about. and i will tell you why:

    1. function of vid memory:
    display functions concerning resolution in relation to color depth:
    Resolution 4 Colors 16 colors 256 colors HighColor TrueColor
    320 × 200 16 kB 32 kB 64 kB 128 kB 192 kB
    640 × 480 75 KiB 150 KiB 300 KiB 600 KiB 900 KiB
    800 × 600 117 KiB 234 KiB 469 KiB 938 KiB 1406 KiB
    1024 × 768 192 KiB 384 KiB 768 KiB 1536 KiB 2304 KiB
    1280 × 1024 320 KiB 640 KiB 1280 KiB 2560 KiB 3840 KiB
    1600 × 1200 480 kB 960 kB 1920 kB 3840 kB 5760 kB

    so first answer: you will need 2mb of vid mem to adress a monitor / beamer with a 1024 x 600 res. and true color.

    this is not comp. correct. it is a short summary of what a gpu formerly needed to adress a monitor like this. up till 1990 a gpu only accepted information of what had to be displayed on the monitor. thats not the case any more.

    2. what has changed?

    shader, framebuffer and z-buffer have been included.
    as well as geometrical and texture data. thats the reason, why games exessivly use gpu mem. thats why for instance eve online is only running on 16 bit color depth - or better "high color" 15 bit with one alpha channel (transperancy of the given point). most of them dont have to be processed, as they are part of an icon set / frame set. only the "transperancy will be procesed by the gpu - and that should not be to much of a prob.

    i personally think, that 8 mb would not be enough to play eve online due to all the texture and geographics processing and i think there might be shared vid ram - but i'm still not sure. for vista it should in any case be ok with 8mb...
     
    Le Tigre, Sep 17, 2008
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  13. relicdog

    Le Tigre

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    thats btw why you can run vista on a x30 ;)
     
    Le Tigre, Sep 17, 2008
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  14. relicdog

    Sunrise

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    Okey, I know 2MB gpu's can show 1024x768 stuff, I had my first PC in 95 and it did back then! I'm just saying Vista min. req. is 64MB (if you want Aero working) so, I'm guessing 8MB won't be enough. Also think about those games people say it works, would they play in 8Mb gpu's?
     
    Sunrise, Sep 17, 2008
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  15. relicdog

    Biostem

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    I'm confident that the video memory dynamically, and automatically, taps into system ram. I have seen my video card reporting over 200MB of video ram, and that matches w/ my system reporting only 1.3GB or so of main memory, (I have 1.5GB installed).

    The only question that remains is if this allocation is determined by the BIOS or the OS, and whether or not it can be adjusted manually.
     
    Biostem, Sep 18, 2008
    #15
  16. relicdog

    freddan83

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    it probably works like normal laptops with shared memory...

    and the intel atom isnt the bottleneck when watching youtube, its the ssd.. Im using EWF on mine and youtubes flows great, just as warcraft 3 dota =)
     
    freddan83, Sep 18, 2008
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  17. relicdog

    melhiore

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    Os is responsible for allocating VRAM via driver. BIOS is allocating only 8MB of RAM to operate basic VGA operations. You can check this by going to BIOS when system boots - you will see only 8MB of Video RAM. Rest of the allocation during OS session it's only sharing system resources between components...
     
    melhiore, Sep 18, 2008
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  18. relicdog

    David CT

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    The video memory is dynamic, OS will allocate it and sharing with system RAM.
    Can not upgrade by yourself.
     
    David CT, Sep 18, 2008
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  19. relicdog

    univega

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    The video ram is definately dymamic, plus I run Vista (not lite) with Aero and can play full screen dvds (iso) with no problems at all, so this thing is no slouch.
     
    univega, Sep 19, 2008
    #19
  20. relicdog

    judeh101

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    Indeed, it does load dynamically, as Intel driver with vista sometimes reports of using different video RAM, sometimes 84MB at least, and 118MB at most!
     
    judeh101, Sep 21, 2008
    #20
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