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What is "Shared GPU memory"?

omvendtomvendt Posts: 163
in The Commons

Dear experts, I am simulating a scene and the GPU is running at full tilt. CPU is slacking off - 3% utilization. 
Only half of the dedicated GPU memory is being used (15/24GB) but also a couple of GB of shared GPU memory. 

Does anyone know what the shared memory does ? I always thought it was for spill-over if the GPU ram was full, but apparently not so. 

Thanks in advance

(O:

Comments

  • garrett_3dgarrett_3d Posts: 351
    edited May 11

    The shared memory is for the inbuilt CPU graphics chip, not an external GPU. CPU graphics chips don't have their own VRAM so rely on pulling it from the main system RAM. If your CPU doesn't have an inbuilt graphics chip, this should have zero utilisation all the time. It is likely that the ultilisation you are seeing is for Windows processes.

    Post edited by garrett_3d on
  • kprkpr Posts: 390
    edited May 11

    Informations: https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000101789/graphics.html smiley

    Post edited by kpr on
  • omvendtomvendt Posts: 163

    OK, thanks both of yer...
    (O:

  • prixatprixat Posts: 1,624

    That's not quite correct. Windows 10 and 11 can use the shared memory with discrete video cards.

    The program/driver can distinguish between data needed for fast GPU processing and 'slower' data that has less effect on GPU speed.

    That 'slower' data can be off-loaded into shared memory if necessary, freeing up some of that precious VRAM.

    You'll see it increase as the scenes and renders get bigger and VRAM get full, but there's only so much 'slow' data that can be moved. I vaguely remember it reaching around 5GB on some 4k renders.

  • omvendtomvendt Posts: 163

    Thanks, Prixat.

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