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How To Increase Your Computer’s Video Memory (VRAM)

What is VRAM?

VRAM (Video Random Access Memory) is a type of RAM that is dedicated to handling graphics and video processing. It stores data like textures, 3D models, and framebuffers that the GPU needs for rendering graphics and video.

Having more VRAM allows your computer to process higher resolution textures and models without slowing down. This is important for gaming, video editing, 3D modeling, and other graphics-intensive tasks.

Integrated graphics share system RAM for VRAM, while dedicated graphics cards have their own VRAM built-in.

Check Your Current VRAM

To check how much VRAM your computer currently has:

  • Windows: Open the Start menu and search for “DXDIAG” to open the DirectX Diagnostic Tool. Under the Display tab, see the “Dedicated Video Memory” value.
  • Mac: Click the Apple menu and go to About This Mac > System Report. Check Graphics/Displays for the VRAM amount.
  • Linux: Open the terminal and type lshw -C display to show VRAM capacity.

Increase VRAM In Windows

There are a few methods to increase dedicated VRAM in Windows 10 and 11:

Use Your PC’s BIOS

This tweaks how much system RAM is allocated to VRAM:

  • Reboot your computer and press the BIOS hotkey (F2, F10, Del) to enter BIOS settings
  • Go to Advanced Settings > Video Configuration
  • Adjust the “Shared Video Memory” option to the desired VRAM size
  • Save changes and exit BIOS

Note: This only works for integrated graphics that use shared system RAM. It won’t increase VRAM on dedicated GPUs.

Edit The Registry

You can trick Windows into thinking you have more VRAM:

  • Open Registry Editor and navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Intel\GMM
  • Create a new DWORD value named DedicatedSegmentSize
  • Set its value data to the amount of VRAM you want in megabytes
  • Reboot to apply changes

Warning: This doesn’t actually give you more VRAM, just tricks apps into thinking you have more. It can cause stability issues.

Get a New Graphics Card

The only way to truly upgrade your dedicated VRAM is to install a new graphics card with higher VRAM. Make sure your PC has an available PCIe slot, and your power supply can handle the new GPU.

Tips For Better VRAM Usage

Here are some ways to optimize VRAM usage on your existing PC configuration:

  • Close background apps when gaming or doing graphics work
  • Disable Windows visual effects
  • Lower game texture resolution quality
  • Use fullscreen over windowed mode in games
  • Reduce display resolution from 4K to 1440p or 1080p

Conclusion

Increasing VRAM can remove bottlenecks for gaming, video editing, and graphics applications. Try tweaking BIOS settings or Registry first before upgrading hardware. Manage expectations though – these software tricks have limited gains over physical VRAM upgrades.

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