{"id":18012,"date":"2022-06-13T17:25:41","date_gmt":"2022-06-13T15:25:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/g100.us\/?p=18012"},"modified":"2022-09-03T12:33:42","modified_gmt":"2022-09-03T10:33:42","slug":"what-is-shared-gpu-memory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/g100.us\/what-is-shared-gpu-memory\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is Shared GPU Memory? [Everything You Need to Know]"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_39 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\">TABLE OF CONTENTS<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-66844985f3e06\" class=\"cssicon\"><span style=\"display: flex;align-items: center;width: 35px;height: 30px;justify-content: center;direction:ltr;\"><svg style=\"fill: #7f11e0;color:#7f11e0\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\" \/><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #7f11e0;color:#7f11e0\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\" \/><\/svg><\/span><\/label><label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-66844985f3e06\" class=\"cssiconcheckbox\">1<\/label><input type=\"checkbox\" id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-66844985f3e06\" checked><nav><ul class=\"ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 \"><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/what-is-shared-gpu-memory\/#What_is_Shared_GPU_Memory\" title=\"What is Shared GPU Memory\">What is Shared GPU Memory<\/a><ul class=\"ez-toc-list-level-3\"><li class=\"ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/what-is-shared-gpu-memory\/#Difference_Between_Dedicated_and_Shared_GPU_Memory\" title=\"Difference Between Dedicated and Shared GPU Memory\">Difference Between Dedicated and Shared GPU Memory<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/what-is-shared-gpu-memory\/#Should_you_decrease_or_increase_Shared_GPU_Memory\" title=\"Should you decrease or increase Shared GPU Memory?\">Should you decrease or increase Shared GPU Memory?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/what-is-shared-gpu-memory\/#Conclusion\" title=\"Conclusion\">Conclusion<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/what-is-shared-gpu-memory\/#FAQ\" title=\"FAQ\">FAQ<\/a><ul class=\"ez-toc-list-level-3\"><li class=\"ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/what-is-shared-gpu-memory\/#Is_shared_GPU_Memory_slower_than_dedicated_GPU_Memory_VRAM\" title=\"Is shared GPU Memory slower than dedicated GPU Memory (VRAM)?\">Is shared GPU Memory slower than dedicated GPU Memory (VRAM)?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/what-is-shared-gpu-memory\/#What_is_Shared_GPU_Memory_Used_For\" title=\"What is Shared GPU Memory Used For?\">What is Shared GPU Memory Used For?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/what-is-shared-gpu-memory\/#How_to_Change_Shared_GPU_Memory_Value_in_Windows\" title=\"How to Change Shared GPU Memory Value in Windows?\">How to Change Shared GPU Memory Value in Windows?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/what-is-shared-gpu-memory\/#Whats_the_Difference_Between_Total_Dedicated_and_Shared_GPU_Memory\" title=\"What\u2019s the Difference Between Total, Dedicated, and Shared GPU Memory?\">What\u2019s the Difference Between Total, Dedicated, and Shared GPU Memory?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/what-is-shared-gpu-memory\/#Over_To_You\" title=\"Over To You\">Over To You<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p>When you have an integrated or dedicated GPU, your operating system will take up as much as half of your RAM and use it as <em>shared<\/em> GPU memory.<\/p>\n<p>That, to the uninitiated, might seem strange, but there\u2019s actually a very logical explanation behind it all.<\/p>\n<p>Before we delve any deeper into the <em>why<\/em> and <em>how<\/em>, let\u2019s first \u201cdeconstruct\u201d this topic into four key questions:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>What is shared GPU memory?<\/li>\n<li>How does it affect your PC?<\/li>\n<li>Does it affect your rendering, 3D modeling, and gaming performance?<\/li>\n<li>Can you turn this peculiar feature off and, if so, <em>should<\/em> you?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Let\u2019s take a closer look!<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_is_Shared_GPU_Memory\"><\/span><strong>What is Shared GPU Memory<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Let\u2019s start off with the basic definition:<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Shared GPU memory is a type of virtual memory that\u2019s typically used when your GPU runs out of dedicated video memory.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Shared GPU memory, therefore, is not the same as <em>dedicated<\/em> GPU memory<\/strong>. There\u2019s a big difference between these two <a href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/how-much-vram-do-you-need\/\">types of VRAM<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_18019\" style=\"width: 2048px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-18019\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-18019 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/GPU-Memory-Hierarchy.jpg\" alt=\"GPU Memory Hierarchy\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/GPU-Memory-Hierarchy.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/GPU-Memory-Hierarchy-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/GPU-Memory-Hierarchy-1024x540.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/GPU-Memory-Hierarchy-768x405.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/GPU-Memory-Hierarchy-1536x810.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\"><\/noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-18019\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-18019 size-full lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%202048%201080%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"GPU Memory Hierarchy\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%202048%201080%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/GPU-Memory-Hierarchy.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/GPU-Memory-Hierarchy-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/GPU-Memory-Hierarchy-1024x540.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/GPU-Memory-Hierarchy-768x405.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/GPU-Memory-Hierarchy-1536x810.jpg 1536w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/GPU-Memory-Hierarchy.jpg\"><p id=\"caption-attachment-18019\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/ashanpriyadarshana.medium.com\/cuda-gpu-memory-architecture-8c3ac644bd64\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ashan Priyadarshana<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/developer.nvidia.com\/blog\/cuda-refresher-cuda-programming-model\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">NVIDIA<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<p>Why do operating systems use RAM as a source of memory for your GPU when there\u2019s much more of it available on hard disk drives and SSDs?<\/p>\n<p>The reason is rather simple: <strong>RAM is <em>much<\/em> faster than any SSD or HDD out there.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Difference_Between_Dedicated_and_Shared_GPU_Memory\"><\/span><strong>Difference Between Dedicated and Shared GPU Memory<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Dedicated and shared GPU memory aren't the same.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Dedicated<\/em> GPU memory is the physical memory located on a <a href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/igpu-vs-dgpu\/\">discrete graphics card<\/a> itself<\/strong>. Generally, these are high-speed memory modules (<a href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/gddr5-vs-gddr6-whats-the-difference\/\">GDDR \/ HBM<\/a>) placed close to the GPU's core chip, which is used for rendering software, applications, and games (amongst other things).<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Shared<\/em> GPU memory is \u201csourced\u201d and taken from your System RAM - it's not physical, but virtual - basically just an allocation or reserved area on your System RAM;<\/strong> this memory can then be used as VRAM (Video-RAM) once your <em>dedicated<\/em> GPU memory (if you have any) is full.<\/p>\n<p>If you have an iGPU (a GPU that is integrated inside your CPU), this iGPU <strong>does not have any kind of dedicated VRAM of its own<\/strong>. Therefore it'll have to use your System RAM.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Your<\/strong> <strong>system will dedicate up to 50% of your physical RAM to shared GPU memory, regardless if you have an integrated or a dedicated GPU<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>As you can see in the image below, my PC has an Nvidia GTX Titan with 6GB of VRAM (Dedicated GPU Memory), and because I have 16GB of System RAM, 8 of those are allocated to be used for &#8220;Shared GPU Memory&#8221; (half of my System RAM).<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_18029\" style=\"width: 878px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-18029\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-18029\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/Shared-GPU-Memory-in-Windows-Taskmanager.jpg\" alt=\"Shared GPU Memory in Windows Taskmanager\" width=\"878\" height=\"854\" srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/Shared-GPU-Memory-in-Windows-Taskmanager.jpg 878w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/Shared-GPU-Memory-in-Windows-Taskmanager-300x292.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/Shared-GPU-Memory-in-Windows-Taskmanager-768x747.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 878px) 100vw, 878px\"><\/noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-18029\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-18029 lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20878%20854%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"Shared GPU Memory in Windows Taskmanager\" width=\"878\" height=\"854\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20878%20854%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E 878w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 878px) 100vw, 878px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/Shared-GPU-Memory-in-Windows-Taskmanager.jpg 878w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/Shared-GPU-Memory-in-Windows-Taskmanager-300x292.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/Shared-GPU-Memory-in-Windows-Taskmanager-768x747.jpg 768w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/Shared-GPU-Memory-in-Windows-Taskmanager.jpg\"><p id=\"caption-attachment-18029\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Shared GPU Memory in Windows Taskmanager<\/p><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Should_you_decrease_or_increase_Shared_GPU_Memory\"><\/span><strong>Should you decrease or increase Shared GPU Memory?<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>An important question arises: should you tinker with these settings? Well, it really depends on your setup.<\/p>\n<p>If you have a dedicated GPU, leaving things as they are would probably be for the best. Depending on your particular graphics card and its VRAM capacity, shared GPU memory might not even be used at all!<\/p>\n<p>If push comes to shove and your OS <em>has<\/em> to resort to this peculiar procedure, <strong>it won\u2019t cause any <em>additional<\/em> performance issues<\/strong> <strong>apart from spikes, and frame drops the very moment your GPU\u2019s VRAM buffer is filled.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>If you <em>don\u2019t<\/em> have a dedicated GPU but rather an <em>integrated<\/em> one (such as the Intel UHD Graphics 730, for instance), tinkering with shared GPU memory settings should still be avoided.<\/p>\n<p>Modern operating systems do a great job of managing and allocating memory, so it\u2019s best to let them do their thing.<\/p>\n<p>Because 50% of your System RAM can already be used by your (i)GPU, chances are slim that your workload will need more VRAM (shared memory) without also needing RAM to function.<\/p>\n<p>If you had a simple application that only used a lot of your GPU's resources but not your CPU's, then you might see a performance impact when allocating more shared GPU memory to be used.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Conclusion\"><\/span><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><strong>Dedicated memory represents the amount of physical VRAM a GPU possesses, whereas shared GPU memory represents a <em>virtual<\/em> amount taken from your system\u2019s RAM<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Modern operating systems do a great job when it comes to optimizing shared video memory usage<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s really no need for you to manually adjust anything, though if your fingers are itching, you <em>can <\/em>do so by adjusting video memory settings in your BIOS or \u2013 in case you have an Intel or AMD APU \u2013 by making the desired changes in the Windows Registry Editor.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"FAQ\"><\/span><strong>FAQ<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Is_shared_GPU_Memory_slower_than_dedicated_GPU_Memory_VRAM\"><\/span>Is shared GPU Memory slower than dedicated GPU Memory (VRAM)?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Yes. Because shared Memory is essentially RAM, if a GPU has to resort to using the System's RAM for its computations, it'll take a performance hit.<\/p>\n<p>Dedicated VRAM Modules are close to the GPU's core chip and can be accessed much quicker than going through the PCIe-Bus through the Motherboard to find something in System RAM.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_is_Shared_GPU_Memory_Used_For\"><\/span>What is Shared GPU Memory Used For?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Shared GPU memory is borrowed from the total amount of available RAM and is used when the system runs out of dedicated GPU memory.<\/p>\n<p>The OS taps into your RAM because it\u2019s the next best thing performance-wise; RAM is a lot faster than any SSD on the market, and that\u2019ll surely remain the case for the foreseeable future.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_Change_Shared_GPU_Memory_Value_in_Windows\"><\/span>How to Change Shared GPU Memory Value in Windows?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Changing the amount of your system\u2019s shared GPU memory is not as straightforward as one might think.<\/p>\n<p>You\u2019ll need to tinker around with your BIOS settings if you want to adjust or turn off the shared GPU memory feature.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s not recommended, though, as making these kinds of changes isn't going to improve the performance of your system in most workloads.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Whats_the_Difference_Between_Total_Dedicated_and_Shared_GPU_Memory\"><\/span>What\u2019s the Difference Between Total, Dedicated, and Shared GPU Memory?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Dedicated video memory is the amount of physical memory on your GPU.<\/p>\n<p>Shared GPU memory is the amount of <em>virtual<\/em> memory that will be used in case dedicated video memory runs out. This typically amounts to 50% of available RAM.<\/p>\n<p>When these two pools of memory are combined, you get the total amount.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Over_To_You\"><\/span><strong>Over To You<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><em><strong>How much VRAM does your graphics card have, and did you ever tinker with any of these settings?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Let us know in the <a href=\"#comments\">comments<\/a> section down below or, alternatively, on our <a href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/forum\/\">forum<\/a>!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When you have an integrated or dedicated GPU, your operating system will take up as much as half of your RAM and use it as shared GPU memory. That, to the uninitiated, might seem strange, but there\u2019s actually a very logical explanation behind it all. Before we delve any deeper into the why and how,...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2343,"featured_media":18014,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[74],"tags":[118],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18012"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2343"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18012"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18012\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18030,"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18012\/revisions\/18030"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18014"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18012"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18012"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18012"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}