How does hardware reserved memory work? Is it actually wasted?

Is hardware reserved memory actually used or just the address space? I assume 1GB of my 16GB is allocated to eg the graphics card. Is that actual RAM used, or is it sat idle due to address allocation?

On 11/6/19 7:28 AM, Commander Kinsey wrote:
Is hardware reserved memory actually used or just the address space?* I
assume 1GB of my 16GB is allocated to eg the graphics card.* Is that
actual RAM used, or is it sat idle due to address allocation?

I would expect that on a modern system the memory would either be used,
or remapped to a usable address.

--
49 days until the winter celebration (Wed, Dec 25, 2019 12:00:00 AM for
1 day).

Mark Lloyd
http://notstupid.us/

"When a stupid man is doing something he is ashamed of, he always
declares that it is his duty." -- George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)

On Wed, 06 Nov 2019 16:47:25 -0000, Mark Lloyd wrote:

On 11/6/19 7:28 AM, Commander Kinsey wrote:
Is hardware reserved memory actually used or just the address space? I
assume 1GB of my 16GB is allocated to eg the graphics card. Is that
actual RAM used, or is it sat idle due to address allocation?

I would expect that on a modern system the memory would either be used,
or remapped to a usable address.

So would I. But why is anything needing to use 1GB of RAM? The only big thing in there is a graphics card, which has its own 4GB onboard. Is it so the CPU can pass it a GB of data by leaving it in main RAM, then instructing the graphics card to grab it later, thus meaning neither is tied up waiting for the other?

Commander Kinsey wrote:
Is hardware reserved memory actually used or just the address space? I
assume 1GB of my 16GB is allocated to eg the graphics card. Is that
actual RAM used, or is it sat idle due to address allocation?

It's wasted.

Check your BIOS for a setting. Some hardwares
offer two settings. Really old stuff offered more.

Some numbers here.

1) Virtualbox VM.
Hardware Reserved = 0 MB

It's basically a virtual frame buffer without 3D accel.

2) Test Machine
Hardware Reserved = 67MB

(1080 video card with 8GB of its own memory)

3) Laptop with AMD HD4200 chipset GPU
Hardware Reserved = 262MB (corresponds to dedicated system RAM
setting of 256MB)

GPUZ shows 45MB dedicated (of 262MB in effect), 217MB is "wasted"
GPUZ shows 16MB dynamic

The dynamic is allocated separately.

When Furmark runs it moved to 83MB and 19MB respectively.

You cannot set the value too low, or compositing will
be switched off. Compositing needs around 128MB on
most OSes.

*******

There are a number of possibilities.

Dedicated = Onboard video ram Dynamic = none (high end video card)

Dedicated = Onboard video ram Dynamic = some (low end video card)

Dedicated = System RAM (fixed) Dynamic = System RAM (dynamic)

Dedicated = System RAM (fixed) Dynamic = None (older Northbridge GPU)

Intel Chipset GPUs have a nice properties box which
shows the allocations, as long as you use the Intel
driver. Techspot GPUZ helps if you can't find numbers otherwise.

My 8GB video card shows 8GB available in Win10 x64
My 8GB video card shows 2GB available in Win10 x86
(In other words, "address maps matter".)

Paul

On Wed, 06 Nov 2019 20:28:30 -0000, Paul wrote:

Commander Kinsey wrote:
Is hardware reserved memory actually used or just the address space? I
assume 1GB of my 16GB is allocated to eg the graphics card. Is that
actual RAM used, or is it sat idle due to address allocation?

It's wasted.

Can't it be done more sensibly? Why map something over the main RAM addresses? It should be mapped above the RAM, or shove the RAM up a bit.

Check your BIOS for a setting. Some hardwares
offer two settings. Really old stuff offered more.

Found it! I'd (stupidly) set my onboard graphics (which I use as I have 5 monitors and my card only supports 3) to get allocated 1GB. There are two settings, a minimum and a maximum. I've now got minimum of 64MB and maximum of no limit. Apparently the iGPU and the CPU share memory nicely when you do this, so I don't see why you can give it a minimum. I now lose 101MB instead of 1.1GB. The iGPU does **** all really, it's just two monitors that never get much action on them - I only compute stuff on the real GPU (Einstein and Milkyway), and on the actual CPU (LHC and Universe). And I play games on the real GPU on the other 3 monitors (well 1 of them).




Some numbers here.

1) Virtualbox VM.
Hardware Reserved = 0 MB

It's basically a virtual frame buffer without 3D accel.

2) Test Machine
Hardware Reserved = 67MB

(1080 video card with 8GB of its own memory)

3) Laptop with AMD HD4200 chipset GPU
Hardware Reserved = 262MB (corresponds to dedicated system RAM
setting of 256MB)

GPUZ shows 45MB dedicated (of 262MB in effect), 217MB is "wasted"
GPUZ shows 16MB dynamic

The dynamic is allocated separately.

When Furmark runs it moved to 83MB and 19MB respectively.

You cannot set the value too low, or compositing will
be switched off. Compositing needs around 128MB on
most OSes.

*******

There are a number of possibilities.

Dedicated = Onboard video ram Dynamic = none (high end video card)

Dedicated = Onboard video ram Dynamic = some (low end video card)

Dedicated = System RAM (fixed) Dynamic = System RAM (dynamic)

Dedicated = System RAM (fixed) Dynamic = None (older Northbridge GPU)

Intel Chipset GPUs have a nice properties box which
shows the allocations, as long as you use the Intel
driver. Techspot GPUZ helps if you can't find numbers otherwise.

My 8GB video card shows 8GB available in Win10 x64
My 8GB video card shows 2GB available in Win10 x86
(In other words, "address maps matter".)

Paul

"Commander Kinsey"
newsp.0at42or1wdg98l@glass Wed, 06 Nov 2019 13:28:57 GMT in
alt.computer.workshop, wrote:

Is hardware reserved memory actually used or just the address
space? I assume 1GB of my 16GB is allocated to eg the graphics
card. Is that actual RAM used, or is it sat idle due to address
allocation?


Eleven years in I.T is what you claimed, right? And you're asking a
question like this? No wonder you didn't bother with any
certifications; you couldn't pass any of the exams.


--
'We read to know we are not alone'

On Sat, 23 Nov 2019 04:57:19 -0000, Diesel wrote:

"Commander Kinsey"
newsp.0at42or1wdg98l@glass Wed, 06 Nov 2019 13:28:57 GMT in
alt.computer.workshop, wrote:

Is hardware reserved memory actually used or just the address
space? I assume 1GB of my 16GB is allocated to eg the graphics
card. Is that actual RAM used, or is it sat idle due to address
allocation?

Eleven years in I.T is what you claimed, right? And you're asking a
question like this? No wonder you didn't bother with any
certifications; you couldn't pass any of the exams.

I learned what I needed to learn. I was in IT not programming. I did servers, printers, desktops, clambering about in crawl spaces fixing wiring eaten by rodents, that sort of stuff. Hell I even did some plumbing when people moaned some offices were the wrong temperature. I have never written a program.

"Commander Kinsey"
newsp.0bp4pbovwdg98l@glass Sat, 23 Nov 2019 20:04:13 GMT in
alt.computer.workshop, wrote:

On Sat, 23 Nov 2019 04:57:19 -0000, Diesel
wrote:

"Commander Kinsey"
newsp.0at42or1wdg98l@glass Wed, 06 Nov 2019 13:28:57 GMT in
alt.computer.workshop, wrote:

Is hardware reserved memory actually used or just the address
space? I assume 1GB of my 16GB is allocated to eg the graphics
card. Is that actual RAM used, or is it sat idle due to address
allocation?

Eleven years in I.T is what you claimed, right? And you're asking
a question like this? No wonder you didn't bother with any
certifications; you couldn't pass any of the exams.

I learned what I needed to learn. I was in IT not programming. I
did servers, printers, desktops, clambering about in crawl spaces
fixing wiring eaten by rodents, that sort of stuff.

I've done a lot of that too. It's one of the things you do in the
world of I.T. New networking gigs are the worst though; you're
basically spending the first day or so just pulling wire. Ho hum, a
monkey can do that.

I prefer the calls where somethings ****ed up and needs to be fixed.
I love troubleshooting. It's the mental challenge. Never gets boring.

I have never written a program.

It's not for everyone.

--
Very funny, Scotty... Now beam down my clothes!

On Sun, 24 Nov 2019 06:08:32 -0000, Diesel wrote:

"Commander Kinsey"
newsp.0bp4pbovwdg98l@glass Sat, 23 Nov 2019 20:04:13 GMT in
alt.computer.workshop, wrote:

On Sat, 23 Nov 2019 04:57:19 -0000, Diesel
wrote:

"Commander Kinsey"
newsp.0at42or1wdg98l@glass Wed, 06 Nov 2019 13:28:57 GMT in
alt.computer.workshop, wrote:

Is hardware reserved memory actually used or just the address
space? I assume 1GB of my 16GB is allocated to eg the graphics
card. Is that actual RAM used, or is it sat idle due to address
allocation?

Eleven years in I.T is what you claimed, right? And you're asking
a question like this? No wonder you didn't bother with any
certifications; you couldn't pass any of the exams.

I learned what I needed to learn. I was in IT not programming. I
did servers, printers, desktops, clambering about in crawl spaces
fixing wiring eaten by rodents, that sort of stuff.

I've done a lot of that too. It's one of the things you do in the
world of I.T. New networking gigs are the worst though; you're
basically spending the first day or so just pulling wire. Ho hum, a
monkey can do that.

It's more fun to do something "real" than to fiddle about from your desk though. Unless you're big fat and lazy :-) I knew a network technician that had trouble getting up a flight of stairs. He tried his best to do everything remotely! Or call on someone else like me to do it. "You couldn't do me a favour and connect this to that could you? Only it's a long long way from my office...."

I prefer the calls where somethings ****ed up and needs to be fixed.
I love troubleshooting. It's the mental challenge. Never gets boring.

I like it when it's something really simple and I can embarrass the culprit in front of colleagues.

I have never written a program.

It's not for everyone.

I think I could have got into it and enjoyed it, but I chose the wrong(?) path when going to uni. I had friends who were not as bright as me who went off to write computer games and made a fortune.

On Sat, 23 Nov 2019 20:04:13 -0000, "Commander Kinsey"
wrote:

On Sat, 23 Nov 2019 04:57:19 -0000, Diesel wrote:

"Commander Kinsey"
newsp.0at42or1wdg98l@glass Wed, 06 Nov 2019 13:28:57 GMT in
alt.computer.workshop, wrote:

Is hardware reserved memory actually used or just the address
space? I assume 1GB of my 16GB is allocated to eg the graphics
card. Is that actual RAM used, or is it sat idle due to address
allocation?

Eleven years in I.T is what you claimed, right? And you're asking a
question like this? No wonder you didn't bother with any
certifications; you couldn't pass any of the exams.

I learned what I needed to learn. I was in IT not programming. I did servers, printers, desktops, clambering about in crawl spaces fixing wiring eaten by rodents, that sort of stuff. Hell I even did some plumbing when people moaned some offices were the wrong temperature. I have never written a program.

And for that you got an honours degree in physics!

--


Eric Stevens

There are two classes of people. Those who divide people into
two classes and those who don't. I belong to the second class.

On 24/11/2019 23:01, Eric Stevens wrote:
On Sat, 23 Nov 2019 20:04:13 -0000, "Commander Kinsey"
wrote:

On Sat, 23 Nov 2019 04:57:19 -0000, Diesel wrote:

"Commander Kinsey"
newsp.0at42or1wdg98l@glass Wed, 06 Nov 2019 13:28:57 GMT in
alt.computer.workshop, wrote:

Is hardware reserved memory actually used or just the address
space? I assume 1GB of my 16GB is allocated to eg the graphics
card. Is that actual RAM used, or is it sat idle due to address
allocation?

Eleven years in I.T is what you claimed, right? And you're asking a
question like this? No wonder you didn't bother with any
certifications; you couldn't pass any of the exams.

I learned what I needed to learn. I was in IT not programming. I did servers, printers, desktops, clambering about in crawl spaces fixing wiring eaten by rodents, that sort of stuff. Hell I even did some plumbing when people moaned some offices were the wrong temperature. I have never written a program.

And for that you got an honours degree in physics!

I suspect he was awarded his degree BEFORE he got a job, Eric. ;-)

That's what usually happens here in the UK!

On Sun, 24 Nov 2019 23:01:50 -0000, Eric Stevens wrote:

On Sat, 23 Nov 2019 20:04:13 -0000, "Commander Kinsey"
wrote:

On Sat, 23 Nov 2019 04:57:19 -0000, Diesel wrote:

"Commander Kinsey"
newsp.0at42or1wdg98l@glass Wed, 06 Nov 2019 13:28:57 GMT in
alt.computer.workshop, wrote:

Is hardware reserved memory actually used or just the address
space? I assume 1GB of my 16GB is allocated to eg the graphics
card. Is that actual RAM used, or is it sat idle due to address
allocation?

Eleven years in I.T is what you claimed, right? And you're asking a
question like this? No wonder you didn't bother with any
certifications; you couldn't pass any of the exams.

I learned what I needed to learn. I was in IT not programming. I did servers, printers, desktops, clambering about in crawl spaces fixing wiring eaten by rodents, that sort of stuff. Hell I even did some plumbing when people moaned some offices were the wrong temperature. I have never written a program.

And for that you got an honours degree in physics!

Other way round. I picked that degree because physics was what I got the best grades in. No ****ing jobs though. I should have moved to Switzerland and worked on the Large Hadron Collider.

On Sun, 24 Nov 2019 23:15:04 -0000, David wrote:

On 24/11/2019 23:01, Eric Stevens wrote:
On Sat, 23 Nov 2019 20:04:13 -0000, "Commander Kinsey"
wrote:

On Sat, 23 Nov 2019 04:57:19 -0000, Diesel wrote:

"Commander Kinsey"
newsp.0at42or1wdg98l@glass Wed, 06 Nov 2019 13:28:57 GMT in
alt.computer.workshop, wrote:

Is hardware reserved memory actually used or just the address
space? I assume 1GB of my 16GB is allocated to eg the graphics
card. Is that actual RAM used, or is it sat idle due to address
allocation?

Eleven years in I.T is what you claimed, right? And you're asking a
question like this? No wonder you didn't bother with any
certifications; you couldn't pass any of the exams.

I learned what I needed to learn. I was in IT not programming. I did servers, printers, desktops, clambering about in crawl spaces fixing wiring eaten by rodents, that sort of stuff. Hell I even did some plumbing when people moaned some offices were the wrong temperature. I have never written a program.

And for that you got an honours degree in physics!

I suspect he was awarded his degree BEFORE he got a job, Eric. ;-)

That's what usually happens here in the UK!

I was also awarded £2000 in bursaries for my high entrance qualifications, which I immediately bought a computer with to er.... play games on.

On Sun, 24 Nov 2019 23:15:04 +0000, David
wrote:

On 24/11/2019 23:01, Eric Stevens wrote:
On Sat, 23 Nov 2019 20:04:13 -0000, "Commander Kinsey"
wrote:

On Sat, 23 Nov 2019 04:57:19 -0000, Diesel wrote:

"Commander Kinsey"
newsp.0at42or1wdg98l@glass Wed, 06 Nov 2019 13:28:57 GMT in
alt.computer.workshop, wrote:

Is hardware reserved memory actually used or just the address
space? I assume 1GB of my 16GB is allocated to eg the graphics
card. Is that actual RAM used, or is it sat idle due to address
allocation?

Eleven years in I.T is what you claimed, right? And you're asking a
question like this? No wonder you didn't bother with any
certifications; you couldn't pass any of the exams.

I learned what I needed to learn. I was in IT not programming. I did servers, printers, desktops, clambering about in crawl spaces fixing wiring eaten by rodents, that sort of stuff. Hell I even did some plumbing when people moaned some offices were the wrong temperature. I have never written a program.

And for that you got an honours degree in physics!

I suspect he was awarded his degree BEFORE he got a job, Eric. ;-)

That's what usually happens here in the UK!

I apologise if I am wrong but from my previous encounters with the
gentleman I thought he was describing the contents of his degree.
Certainly the gaps in his general knowledge of physics are consistent
with his course being as above.

--


Eric Stevens

There are two classes of people. Those who divide people into
two classes and those who don't. I belong to the second class.

On 25/11/2019 09:22, Eric Stevens wrote:
On Sun, 24 Nov 2019 23:15:04 +0000, David
wrote:

On 24/11/2019 23:01, Eric Stevens wrote:
On Sat, 23 Nov 2019 20:04:13 -0000, "Commander Kinsey"
wrote:

On Sat, 23 Nov 2019 04:57:19 -0000, Diesel wrote:

"Commander Kinsey"
newsp.0at42or1wdg98l@glass Wed, 06 Nov 2019 13:28:57 GMT in
alt.computer.workshop, wrote:

Is hardware reserved memory actually used or just the address
space? I assume 1GB of my 16GB is allocated to eg the graphics
card. Is that actual RAM used, or is it sat idle due to address
allocation?

Eleven years in I.T is what you claimed, right? And you're asking a
question like this? No wonder you didn't bother with any
certifications; you couldn't pass any of the exams.

I learned what I needed to learn. I was in IT not programming. I did servers, printers, desktops, clambering about in crawl spaces fixing wiring eaten by rodents, that sort of stuff. Hell I even did some plumbing when people moaned some offices were the wrong temperature. I have never written a program.

And for that you got an honours degree in physics!

I suspect he was awarded his degree BEFORE he got a job, Eric. ;-)

That's what usually happens here in the UK!

I apologise if I am wrong but from my previous encounters with the
gentleman I thought he was describing the contents of his degree.
Certainly the gaps in his general knowledge of physics are consistent
with his course being as above.

You must forgive him, Eric - he's just a wee lad! ;-)

(He knows I like him really!)