What Is Shared GPU Memory?

If you’ve been wondering what shared GPU memory is, you’re not alone. A lot of people are curious about this term but don’t know where to start when it comes to learning more about it.

In this blog post, we will explain everything you need to know about shared GPU memory and how it can benefit your computer. We’ll also provide some tips on how to use this feature to improve your overall computing experience.

What Is Shared GPU Memory?

If dedicated video memory runs out, shared GPU memory will be used instead. This is typically 50% of available RAM. The total amount is a combination of these two pools of memory.

Shared GPU memory doesn’t come from a physical source, but instead from your System RAM. It’s simply an allocated area of your RAM that can be used as VRAM once your dedicated GPU memory is full.

If your GPU is integrated inside your CPU (iGPU), this iGPU doesn’t have any VRAM. So, it’ll use your System RAM instead. Your system will dedicate up to 50% of physical RAM to shared GPU memory–this happens whether you have an integrated or dedicated GPU.

Shared GPU memory is important because it allows your computer to use its RAM for other tasks when the dedicated video memory is full. This can help improve overall performance since your system doesn’t have to work as hard to juggle different tasks.

How Shared GPU Memory Works?

Shared GPU memory works by allocating a portion of your system RAM to be used as VRAM. This can be helpful if your dedicated VRAM is full and you need more resources for gaming or other graphics-intensive tasks.

Your computer will automatically allocate a portion of RAM to be used as VRAM once the dedicated VRAM is full. The amount of RAM that is allocated will depend on the amount of RAM in your system and the size of your dedicated VRAM.

For example, if you have 4GB of RAM and a dedicated VRAM of 2GB, your computer will automatically allocate 1GB of RAM to be used as VRAM. This means that you’ll have 3GB of RAM left for other tasks.

If you have 8GB of RAM and a dedicated VRAM of 4GB, your computer will automatically allocate 2GB of RAM to be used as VRAM. This means that you’ll have 6GB of RAM left for other tasks.

As you can see, the amount of RAM that is allocated to shared GPU memory will depend on the amount of RAM in your system and the size of your dedicated VRAM.

Shared GPU memory can be beneficial because it allows your computer to use its RAM for other tasks when the dedicated video memory is full. This can help improve overall performance since your system doesn’t have to work as hard to juggle different tasks.

Tips for Using Shared GPU Memory

There are a few things you can do to make sure that your computer is using shared GPU memory correctly.

First, you should check the amount of RAM in your system and the size of your dedicated VRAM. If you have a lot of RAM, you may not need to use shared GPU memory.

Second, you should close any applications that you’re not using. This will free up more RAM for your computer to use.

Third, you should try to use lower-resolution textures and graphics settings. This will help reduce the amount of VRAM that is used by your games and applications.

Shared GPU memory can be a great way to improve the performance of your computer. By following the tips above, you can make sure that your computer is using this feature correctly.


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Thomas Sage
By Thomas Sage

Thomas Sage is Senior Editor of PC hardware at Pcfolks, covering everything related to PC components.


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