Shared graphics memory: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 00:02, 13 August 2025

Latest revision as of 06:44, 13 August 2025

Line 4:

{{no sources|date=May 2025}}

}}

In [[computer architecture]], '''shared graphics memory'''<ref>{{Cite web |title=System Shared Graphics Cards - 337 GPUs with System Shared Memory |url=https://gpus.axiomgaming.net/video-memory/System%20Shared |website=Axiom Gaming |language=en-US |access-date=12 August 2025}}</ref> refers to a design where the [[Graphics Card|graphics chip]] does not have its own dedicated memory, and instead shares the main system [[Random access memory|RAM]] with the [[Central processing unit|CPU]] and other components.

This design is used with many integrated graphics solutions to reduce the cost and complexity of the [[motherboard]] design, as no additional memory [[silicon chip|chips]] are required on the board. There is usually some mechanism (via the [[BIOS]] or a [[jumper (computing)|jumper]] setting) to select the amount of system memory to use for graphics, which means that the graphics system can be tailored to only use as much RAM as is actually required, leaving the rest free for applications. A [[Unintended consequence|side effect]] of this is that when some RAM is allocated for graphics, it becomes effectively unavailable for anything else, so an example computer with 512&nbsp;[[Mebibyte|MiB]] RAM set up with 64&nbsp;MiB graphics RAM will appear to the [[operating system]] and user to only have 448 MiB RAM installed.