If you've been browsing specialized forums and YouTube channels dedicated to hardware over the past few weeks, you've probably noticed that the topic of VRAM (or video memory) is being debated with some intensity. Lack of optimization in the latest games, competition among manufacturers, and out-of-control prices are the main points of reference, but many users out there just want to know how to increase VRAM on their PC. There are things that work, things that don't, and some extreme cases that deserve our attention…
Why do we want more VRAM in our computers?
For the same reason we want conventional RAM: to improve performance and avoid things like paging. Gamers are noticing the lack of VRAM now more than ever, thanks to the latest triple-A titles. As we increase resolution, texture quality, and other additional effects (e.g., ray tracing), VRAM requirements go up. One of the worst things that can happen to a user is "falling out of VRAM" and being forced to store resources outside it, causing negative effects like stuttering or the so-called "pop-in" of textures in some games.
We must also consider the situation of integrated graphics, which take a portion of conventional RAM for their functions. This is not an ideal configuration simply because system memory is slower, and the portion used remains reserved. However, these graphics modules have to work with some memory, regardless of its speed. That said, how can you increase VRAM on a computer? The answer is more complex than it seems.
Valid option: Increase VRAM reserved for iGPUs in BIOS/UEFI
The user has the option to force/reconfigure the amount of VRAM for their integrated graphics, although this depends on the hardware manufacturer, the amount of RAM available in the system, the type of BIOS/UEFI installed, or a combination of these factors. In a perfect world, that option should be left on Auto so that the system and applications take exactly what they need… but we don't live in a perfect world. Some games hate automatic mode, and express their displeasure with performance drops or "insufficient VRAM" errors.
The exact option in BIOS/UEFI has different names. Some manufacturers call it VGA Share Memory Size, and others UMA Frame Buffer Size. The goal is the same: select a new memory value allocated for video. Now, this is no silver bullet. Forcing the amount of VRAM in BIOS/UEFI is a compatibility parameter. In no way does it guarantee extra FPS, and as we mentioned above, the extra memory won't be available to the system because it will be reserved. There's a lot of experimenting to do here.
The viral option that doesn't work: The Registry hack
A quick Google search on how to increase VRAM on any PC will present dozens of results with this option. Apparently, the user must open the Registry Editor, go to the path HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Intel, create a new key inside it called GMM, and within that same key, create a 32-bit DWORD value called DedicatedSegmentSize. The last step is to assign a decimal value between 0 and 512 (or 4096 according to other sources), and restart the computer.
First of all, the string clearly specifies that this is a setting aimed at Intel graphics chips. And secondly, reports suggest that DedicatedSegmentSize does nothing because it's a "fake", a way to manipulate the VRAM availability report to solve compatibility problems. We share this method for educational purposes, but don't expect miracles.
The money route: Buy a video card
*slow clap*... yes, throwing money at the VRAM shortage is the most obvious thing, but we can't deny its effectiveness. By installing a new graphics card (which should be superior to the integrated option), we not only add dedicated VRAM to the system, but we also disable the entire reservation system, freeing conventional RAM completely (unless the user decides to force the iGPU anyway, but that's another story). Obviously, this isn't a path a laptop can follow, and other configurations might also require a power supply upgrade.
The new extreme: Modding
One of the examples we cited in our exploration of the Videocard Virtual Museum was the Matrox G200 graphics card, which allowed the user to expand its VRAM with an external module. As you can imagine, neither Nvidia, nor AMD, nor Intel allow that process, but some modders out there decided to challenge the rules, with very positive results. In essence, these experiments confirm what we already suspected: manufacturers use VRAM configurations in their products as barriers to segment prices and limit performance.
