That memory is considered one of the most important characteristics of the video card. It stores the data necessary for reproducing graphics. With a lack of video memory, the graphics quality deteriorates, it may be incorrect display or periodic suspension of the broadcast. In such unpleasant situations, you begin to wonder how to increase the memory of a video card.
Video cards have different characteristics.
Of course, you can begin to solve the problem by increasing the RAM of the graphics card. Although, if the video card bandwidth is not enough, the operational one will not fix the problem.
How to find out the type of graphics card on your computer
First of all, it is necessary to understand how to recognize the memory of a video card on a computer. To do this, determine the installed graphics card. It is on the type of adapter will depend on the appropriate way to increase memory. As a rule, portable devices (ultrabooks and netbooks) are equipped with integrated compact video adapters. They are also available in budget notebooks. A sign of working with such a board will be the joint arrangement of the connectors:
- LAN
- USB
- HDMI
Powerful laptops and desktops already come with external video cards, which are called discrete. They are quite productive device with its cooling system.
What to do with the integrated map
For integrated, integrated boards, video memory is distributed according to the “Shared memory” technology - with manual volume change. The easiest option in this case is to use the tools inside the operating system. You need to know if the Catalyst Control Center operating system is installed.
It's easy to learn, go to the "Control Panel". Next, open the "Hardware and Sound", you need the section "Devices and Printers", go to the "Device Manager".
Go to Device Manager in Windows 10
Here you can see a list of all devices that are already connected.
How can I find the necessary parameters of your video card
You can find out the information about the graphic card in the item "Video adapters".
Item video adapters
Some computers include more than one video card. Right-click on the desired adapter and select the "Properties" section. The “UMA Frame Buffer” item is available in the “Drivers” tab; it is often called the “Frame Buffer”. Here you can set the maximum amount available for your video card.
What features will the BIOS offer?
If the frame buffer cannot be found according to this instruction, you will have to use the BIOS to configure the UMA parameters. After entering the BIOS, you need to find "Integrated devices", here will be the settings "BIOS VGA sharing memory". It is worth considering that in some versions of the BIOS, these names are different.
Here we select the appropriate amount of memory. Immediately make a reservation - we do not recommend setting the maximum volume. After making and saving changes, you can leave the BIOS.
Increasing discrete memory cards with utilities
The integrated cards were sorted out, but another question is possible - how to increase the memory of a discrete type video card. In this case, the internal settings will not bring any effect, third-party utilities are needed.
- When working with Windows XP, the ATITool free utility is quite popular.
ATITool window
- When working with more modern versions of the OS, we can recommend the MSI Afterburner program. Supports a gradual increase in the clock frequency of the video card processor. The amount of video memory itself will remain unchanged, but the performance of the card can be significantly increased.
Do not be maximalists - caution will help save the video card
We strongly recommend to be careful when increasing the memory of a video card, it is better to increase it gradually, without drastic changes. Because under the conditions of excessive load the card may fail. And do not forget to make sure that the RAM is sufficient - in fact, it is due to it that the performance of the integrated video card increases.
If your efforts are not allowed to "overclock" a discrete card, it remains only to replace it. Many older models do not support a perceptible increase in memory and performance.
Increased graphics card memory can significantly improve the quality of graphics and capabilities of the entire system. We reviewed the effective principles of working with embedded and discrete maps. We are confident that the information on the site will help make the computer more powerful and modern - so do not forget to follow our reviews and recommendations.