Maximum shared memory of 512MB - Gigabyte H97-D3H or MSI Z97-G55 SLI

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Atikun

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Hi everyone. I ordered i5 4590, Gskill RipjawsX 2x4GB 1600MHz Ram, Corsair 300WR case and Corsair VS650 psu.
I will buy Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo cpu cooler, Samsung Evo 250GB SSD and Gigabyte H97-D3H mobo.

http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=4962#sp

Today i saw that Gigabyte H97-D3H says "Maximum shared memory of 512MB"
I won't buy a gpu for a few months. I'll use intel hd 4600. Does that mean i can use intel hd 4600 as a 512MB gpu? Does this has any disadvantages?
That mobo is 131$ here. I live in Turkey. There are only this and Asus H97 Pro available as H97 here. Asus H97 Pro is very expensive. I can buy a Z97 mobo instead of it. Don't know what to do now. I won't overclock cpu, i ordered i5 4590 but i am not sure about gpu. Please help me guys.
 
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feelingtheblanks
As far as i know all these 9 chipset boards have maximum of 512 mb shared memory unlike the older 8 chipset boards (they have max. of 1gb). Even the higher end z97 boards like Asus rog hero or gigabyte gaming 7 has 512mb shared memory. I have no idea why they made that kind of a design choice. But it seems you don't have too many options here... well, unless you get a 8 chipset board, which I don't really recommend, especially if you plan to get an m.2 storage device in the future.

Actually I don't think you'll have a problem running these games with 512mb shared memory. Haven't played Forest yet though, but I'm playing Van Helsing 2 these days and it doesn't look like a graphic heavy game. With lower settings or something you'll...
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dwatterworth

dwatterworth

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You are correct with the 'maximum shared memory of 512MB' meaning a maximum of 512MB of your system memory available to the HD 4600 iGPU. Compared to an enthusiast level / gaming graphics card, shared system memory is much slower than a discrete GPU with it's dedicated onboard memory.

Dedicated GPU memory is for the most part GDDR5 which is much faster, providing a huge advantage in bandwidth compared to DDR3.

You can expect to be able to play some modern titles at lower resolutions with lower levels of detail along with most lighting/shadow enhancements turned off.

Also, some programs that can take advantage of a GPU to speed up operations generally do not work at all on an iGPU with shared memory.

Also, since the memory is shared, your system essentially loses whatever memory the OS/hardware allocates to the iGPU.
 
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Atikun

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Thanks alot for the answer. I will buy MSI GTX 770 2GB in a few months. If i have enough budget i want to buy Gigabyte Windforce 3x GTX 770 4GB.
My current laptop's specification:
Core 2 Duo 2.26 Ghz cpu, 4GB DDR2 Ram but 3GB is usable. (hardware uses 1GB) 512MB Geforce 9600M GT gpu and 320GB hdd.

I think 512MB Intel HD 4600 can't be worse than my 512MB Geforce 9600M GT. :D
I will mainly play CS:GO, DotA 2, The Forest and The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing 2 until i buy GTX 770.
Do you think 512MB Intel HD 4600 can handle these games?
 
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dwatterworth

dwatterworth

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The HD 4600 can definitely handle those games. I'd try 720p first and test the different quality settings, starting at medium. You might be able to max out Dota 2 with some of the lighting effects off.

I agree with you looking at the GTX 770 4GB, it will let you play games for many years to come. 2GB video cards are having a hard time with some of the newest games at high resolutions such as Watch Dogs and other games that have the high resolution texture packs.
 
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Atikun

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Thanks. Do you recommend this mobo? http://www.msi.com/product/mb/Z97G55_SLI.html#hero-overview
It's 46$ more expensive than Gigabyte one.
 
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feelingtheblanks

feelingtheblanks

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I agree with dwatterworth. If you don't plan to overclock or have a SLI setup you don't really need a Z series motherboard. Gigabyte h97-d3h will do the trick.

I'm from Turkey as well, and i feel you about those ridiculous prices.
 
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Atikun

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Thanks for the advice. The prices are really ridiculous here. I already ordered i5 4590 cpu. I won't overclock cpu but i am not sure about gpu. If i get Gigabyte Windforce 3x GTX 770 4GB gpu, i think i won't need overclock. :)

I agree with dwatterworth about CS:GO, DotA 2, but 512MB really confuses me for Van Helsing 2 game. So i was looking for a mobo which has at least 1GB of shared memory. Sadly all cheap Gigabyte mobo's here have 512MB. :)
If i can't find a better mobo for maximum 162$ (350 TL), i'll definetly go with Gigabyte H97-D3H.
 
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feelingtheblanks

feelingtheblanks

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As far as i know all these 9 chipset boards have maximum of 512 mb shared memory unlike the older 8 chipset boards (they have max. of 1gb). Even the higher end z97 boards like Asus rog hero or gigabyte gaming 7 has 512mb shared memory. I have no idea why they made that kind of a design choice. But it seems you don't have too many options here... well, unless you get a 8 chipset board, which I don't really recommend, especially if you plan to get an m.2 storage device in the future.

Actually I don't think you'll have a problem running these games with 512mb shared memory. Haven't played Forest yet though, but I'm playing Van Helsing 2 these days and it doesn't look like a graphic heavy game. With lower settings or something you'll probably get a good playable performance.
 
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termi21

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Actually, don't get fooled by Asrock's mis-advertising. Their Z97 boards support up to 512MB of "dedicated" which can expand later by Windows to up to 1.7GB, which is the same for Asus, Gigabyte, MSI and the rest.

I don't know why all companies reduced the limit from 1024MB (in their Z87 lines) to the 512MB (Z97)

My first thought is that Asus, Gigabyte, MSI were afraid that the a good iGPU (don't forget the Intel Iris that is coming soon and is probably supported by the Z97 chipset), would kill their low el-cheapo graphic card sales.

But now that i know that Asrock reduced it too (who don't make graphics card) made it a bit more confusing as to why.

In most cases though, it won't be a problem cause as i said Windows can add more memory to the iGPU from RAM when asked by the propram/game.

Only in some games that are not programmed properly to understand the Intel iGPUs capability of expanding its memory, and limit themselves to use only the "dedicated" memory they see from the BIOS setting, and thus reducing graphics performance.

1.7GB is too much for HD 4600, but 1024MB can certainly be utilized. So yes, in certain scenarios there will be limited performance due to that stupid BIOS setting, and not the iGPU card itself. That limit will be even more profound to the Intel Iris which can probably utilize effectively the whole 1.7GB.

I bought an Asrock to avoid this, but no luck. If i knew they apply the same limit, i would probably go for Gigabyte or Asus for similar specs/price.

EDIT: It seems that Asrock's setting was up to 1024MB, but they changed it to 512MB with BIOS updates 3 months ago.
 
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