2gb Gpu won't use more than 959mb?

Rybo

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So today I was playing metro last light, tough to run I know. I had it 100% maxed and noticed it would never go over 959mb of memory usage, which is odd, and may also explain why I only get about 10fps. I have an XFX 7870 DD 2gb card. Any idea whats the problem?
 
Solution
high amounts of RAM is only used when you apply crazy AA filters or game at high resolutions (1440p, 1600p, 4k, triple monitors, etc). at 1080p and modest AA (2x) 1GB of VRAM use is all you will use.

as for the low FPS, well, your GPU is just not up to par. even if it had 999999999GB of RAM it still won't be able to use it because it is too slow, nor will it make it any faster. i hate to be the barrel of bad news but a lowly 7870 is no where near enough to run that game at max settings. maybe if you had 3 of them in XFire you might be able to do it. but with one 7870... it ain't happening.

the high amounts of ram they stick on to these cards is mainly for show, to make them look more impressive. 90% of the people buying these cards...

millwright

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Guess it isn't an easy answer.

The 959 , is it system RAM?
Is the full amount of system RAM listed under System/Properties.

That might be all the system RAM you need.
It doesn't use any more than you need.

test your memory.
http://www.memtest.org/
 

Rybo

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The 2gbs of vram is shown, and recognized, and everything seems to work properly.

I suppose it's possible it was only using 959mb of Vram and some shared ram from my 8gbs? The only reason I ask is because I was getting disgusting performance @ max settings on metro last light, identical performance to my old hd 7770 to be exact. I would think it would need to use more vram, while running it? I'm not sure, I guess it's possible it only needed 959mb. But that doesn't explain why I got the same performance as my 7770 :/.

Edit:
It may not be ram/card related at all, possibly just a game issue after some research, I'm attempting a few fixes and I'll let you know.
 

terroralpha

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Jun 23, 2009
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high amounts of RAM is only used when you apply crazy AA filters or game at high resolutions (1440p, 1600p, 4k, triple monitors, etc). at 1080p and modest AA (2x) 1GB of VRAM use is all you will use.

as for the low FPS, well, your GPU is just not up to par. even if it had 999999999GB of RAM it still won't be able to use it because it is too slow, nor will it make it any faster. i hate to be the barrel of bad news but a lowly 7870 is no where near enough to run that game at max settings. maybe if you had 3 of them in XFire you might be able to do it. but with one 7870... it ain't happening.

the high amounts of ram they stick on to these cards is mainly for show, to make them look more impressive. 90% of the people buying these cards will never even use half of that RAM, just like in your case, because it is simply not needed.
 
Solution
@ Terroralpha: Don't talk cr**, the HS7870 isn't that far off my own 7950 and THAT can run both 2033 and LL at the high preset very smoothly, even in the demanding outdoor sections.
You're right about the memory use, though, GPUZ shows 850-900 Mb with the game at the 'very high' preset with no SSAA, even in the outdoor levels.

@ Rybo: It's not just about the GPU, both Metro games need a strong CPU, if you're using an older dual core Intel or AMD quad that is most likely to be the restriction.
Couple of points on tuning both Metro LL and Metro 2033: Don't use ANY SSAA! It hammers the frame rate and, in my opinion makes the games look worse.
Check Advanced PhysX is turned off, look in the Gameplay menu in LL! Again, this devastates the frame rate in both games for us AMD users.
The sweet spot for looks/performance is the 'high' preset, 'very high' has a heavy frame rate penalty and does little to improve the graphics.
 

Rybo

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Thanks for the info. I do appreciate it. I understand the card is older, still a nice upgrade from my 7770. As for the game running the same on both cards, I found the issue is completely game wise, and I will solve it.
 

Rybo

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[strike]If any of you are interested to help, I sent this to XFX support just a few minutes ago.

I'm actually having a rather confusing, weird issue with the card. One of the DVI ports on the card works, the other when using, BSOD's the pc.

I was switching the DVI port I was using to get a little closer as I run a dual monitor setup and my DVI monitor is the furthest away from the pc, so I was switching to the bottom DVI port on the 7870, once I did so, pc rebooted, asked to restart windows normally or in safe mode. I booted in normally, a quick BSOD then restart asking for setup repair. Once I select setup repair it errors out telling me to insert my windows disc and reinstall. I restart the pc again and attempt to reboot into regular, another BSOD. At this point I switch back to the top dvi port, boots completely fine like nothing even happened.... I'm not sure what to make of it.[/strike]
 

terroralpha

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1st, the phrases "high preset" or "high settings" or "max settings" doesn't mean a diddly squat if you don't state what resolution you are using. your 7950 is great at 1600x1050, acceptable at 1080p but at 2560x1600 or 2840x1080 you will be watching a slide show when using max settings. your graphic can run 2033 at 28 FPS @1080p on average with settings maxed and no AA. i know that because i had one.

2nd, the 7950 is VERY far from the 7870. on average it is 10% faster at lower resolutions and 15% - 20% faster at higher resolutions like 2560x1600.



thank you for proving what i said, that is that the extra ram is mostly useless.