I3 Intel HD taking too much memory

[akistzortzis]

I have bought an ACER laptop with Intel i3 CPU and integrated HD Graphics. This graphics card somehow occupies 1051MB RAM even though it uses 128MB, with 923MB "Shared System Memory" - but "shared" or not, Windows 7 cannot use it.

Is there any way to somehow limit or adjust the memory the VGA is taking?

Many thanks.

 

[akistzortzis]

Hi, what I want to do is allow the OS (Windows 7) to use the reserved memory. The machine has 4GB of RAM, but the VAG system takes 1GB leaving just 3GB for Windows. From that 3GB some other hardware uses 500MB so I have only 2.5GB left in Windows. The VGA card only uses 128MB so there is no reason to "reserve" 923MB" - it is this 923 MB I would like to reclaim and to give to Windows.

 

[Leaps-from-Shadows]

Where does it say that the integrated graphics is using 128MB? The shared system memory is exactly what it says -- Windows can use it when needed, and the integrated graphics can use it when needed. As far as I know, there is no option anywhere to limit the amount of memory that is shared.

 

[surda]

do you have win7 x32 or x64 bit?

 

[surda]

what u mean it dosnt matter? if you have x32 then windows wont show all 4gb of ram, and that could be the whole problem

 

[akistzortzis]

Physical RAM installed is 4GB.
OS is Windows 7 - 32 bit.
Resource Monitor (and Task Manager) reports 4GB of RAM with 1738 MB as "Hardware Reserved". My desktop PC, again with 4GB RAM and Windows 7 - 32 bit, reports 500MB as "Hardware Reserved".
Unfortunately there is no way Windows is accessing any of that memory. As soon as you start approaching the limit where you'd think Windows 7 would now start using this memory, instead it starts to page swap like crazy.
Therefore I am convinced I need to change some configuration somewhere to tell the VGA system to limit itself to, say, 256MB and leave the rest untouched.

 

[akistzortzis]

Yes, like I said, there is only 2.3GB left for Windows applications after a restart, and as soon as this is taken, the laptop then starts to page swap and becomes almost unusable. It never eats into the 1.7GB of "hardware reserved memory".

Comparing the laptop with my desktop, both Windows 7 32bit and both 4GB RAM, the difference is that the desktop shows 500MB "hardware reserved" leaving 3.5GB for Windows applications whereas the laptop shows 1.7GB "hardware reserved" and leaves just 2.3GB free for Windows applications.

Therefore on my desktop I can run an extra copy of WoW or VirtualBox or Multisim etc - there is 1.2GB difference there.

I feel cheated by Acer because the laptop is adverised as "4GB RAM" but you can only use 2.5GB - it's like buying a 7 seater car and then find that 3 seats cannot ever be used by you.

So I am looking for a config setting. It must exist, the VGA takes 1.1GB of RAM, this must be a configuration item somewhere?

 

[Leaps-from-Shadows]

OP might be able to do that. It depends on whether or not Acer included that BIOS option.

I believe the best bet is to contact Acer's tech support and see what they can do.

 

[akistzortzis]

Yes, there is no such option in the BIOS and I have left a message with ACER (no responses yet). I was hoping there might have been a utility I could run from Windows. I suspect it may be a windows driver thing.

 

[akistzortzis]

Reply from ACER !!!!

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Regarding your enquiry, as your query seems to be a software related, please contact our Premium Support Team on 0906 706 8000 - UK (calls cost 00.50£ per minute).

 

[akistzortzis]

No thanks to ACER, the problem is circumvented by installing 64 bit Windows, now the grand total of "hardware reserved" memory is 330MB (compared to 1.7GB before).