Second Life Forums Archive - Video memory limited to 16mb?

Karsten Rutledge

Linux User

Join date: 8 Feb 2005

Posts: 841

01-25-2006 17:45

Okay, so I've got a P4 3.6ghz laptop with 1 gig of memory and an nVidia 6800 PCI-X 256MB graphics card in it. Right, cool. Except, with 1.8.2, all the video memory options except '16MB' are greyed out. Terrific! I didn't want to see any textures anymore anyway. Anyone else have this problem? Ideas? If you notice textures rezzing and then derezzing almost immediately, consider checking this.

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Introvert Petunia

over 2 billion posts

Join date: 11 Sep 2004

Posts: 2,065

01-25-2006 17:49

Elsewhere I've seen mention that "SecondLife.exe -noprobe" will override the likely flawed memory detection and allow you to choose higher. Good luck.

Karsten Rutledge

Linux User

Join date: 8 Feb 2005

Posts: 841

01-25-2006 17:57

Tried that, no such luck. It still insists I have 16mb.

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Dexter Tones

Registered User

Join date: 18 Jan 2006

Posts: 33

01-25-2006 19:31

It sounds like you are using a PCI Express card. I know that for AGP cards, there is a setting in the BIOS such as "AGP aperture" that handles video memory. See if you can find a similar setting in your laptop's BIOS and make sure it is set to 256 MB.

Torley Linden

Enlightenment!

Join date: 15 Sep 2004

Posts: 16,530

01-25-2006 22:05

I've heard some scattered reports of this with various system configs. Karsten, your NVIDIA drivers are the latest (81.9

, too, right?

As has been noted, some other Resis report similar things here. If anyone else is having this problem, be sure to send a bug report inworld (HELP menu ---> REPORT BUG) with all the juicy details and share your experiences here.

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Torley Linden

Enlightenment!

Join date: 15 Sep 2004

Posts: 16,530

01-25-2006 22:10

Stuck with 16MB of video memory?

Good news... KNOWN ISSUE!

Karen JUST posted about it here. =^_^=

_____________________

Ron Overdrive

Registered User

Join date: 10 Jul 2005

Posts: 1,002

01-26-2006 08:33

From: Torley Linden

I've heard some scattered reports of this with various system configs. Karsten, your NVIDIA drivers are the latest (81.9

, too, right?

As has been noted, some other Resis report similar things here. If anyone else is having this problem, be sure to send a bug report inworld (HELP menu ---> REPORT BUG) with all the juicy details and share your experiences here.

81.98? I'm using the NGO Optimized driver wich is based off of 82.12 and I don't have these issues. Maybe its a glitch with the older drivers.

Martin Magpie

Catherine Cotton

Join date: 13 Nov 2004

Posts: 1,826

01-26-2006 10:18

1.8.2, all the video memory options except '32mb or 128mb ' are greyed out. This goes for all three computers I have tried this on.

laptop 256 showing as 32mb
2 desktops 512 showing as 256mb.

No changes in the settings affected this what so ever.

All drivers are up to date.

_____________________

CyFur Majestic

Registered User

Join date: 20 Sep 2005

Posts: 5

01-29-2006 08:52

ATI radeon 9800 pro 256 meg... Purchased last month to enable SL to run as the old card "had problems" after version 1.7 was introduced (though the old card worked perfectly fine for 1.6).

Max memory has been reduced to 128 in settings for the card (other options are greyed out). ... Indeed i do hope the investigations resolve this little issue.

Soleil Mirabeau

eh?

Join date: 6 Oct 2005

Posts: 995

01-29-2006 10:30

The 1.8.2.7 update that was supposed to fix this bug for some, caused it for those who didn't have it before.

I have a 512MB card and can only select 256. I wish those who didn't have the problem BEFORE this update could use 1.8.2.6 but alas, we know that's not possible.

And yes Torley, while Karen addressed it, she also said this:

"It's always possible that we will NOT be able to fix these issues in the next release, but we're giving it our best!"

Which sucks, because now I can hardly move in game and had to lower all my settings to nearly zilch.

Soleil Mirabeau

eh?

Join date: 6 Oct 2005

Posts: 995

01-29-2006 10:58

From: Ron Overdrive

81.98? I'm using the NGO Optimized driver wich is based off of 82.12 and I don't have these issues. Maybe its a glitch with the older drivers.

Hmm, if that's the case maybe some of should try the beta drivers.

http://www.filehippo.com/download_nvidia_forceware/

I'll download it and see what happens.

Ron Overdrive

Registered User

Join date: 10 Jul 2005

Posts: 1,002

01-29-2006 11:25

From: Soleil Mirabeau

Hmm, if that's the case maybe some of should try the beta drivers.

http://www.filehippo.com/download_nvidia_forceware/

I'll download it and see what happens.

I just upgraded last night to the new NGO Optimized driver ver 1.8310 wich is based off the 83.10 beta drivers, so far so good.

Torley Linden

Enlightenment!

Join date: 15 Sep 2004

Posts: 16,530

01-29-2006 13:39

From: Soleil Mirabeau

The 1.8.2.7 update that was supposed to fix this bug for some, caused it for those who didn't have it before.

I have a 512MB card and can only select 256. I wish those who didn't have the problem BEFORE this update could use 1.8.2.6 but alas, we know that's not possible.

And yes Torley, while Karen addressed it, she also said this:

"It's always possible that we will NOT be able to fix these issues in the next release, but we're giving it our best!"

Which sucks, because now I can hardly move in game and had to lower all my settings to nearly zilch.

Ahhh another question I have to ask, Soleil, out of curiosity--you have 1 gig or more RAM, right?

(Recalling the earlier notes which detail that system RAM must be 2x or more that of video RAM.)

Another thing which actually matters is... even with so much memory on a graphics card, I haven't known of SL to use that much memory in a scene. (And can anyone recommend a program that detects how much is actually being used? I'd like to do some anecdotal checking myself.)

Let's keep going.

_____________________

Soleil Mirabeau

eh?

Join date: 6 Oct 2005

Posts: 995

01-29-2006 17:18

From: Ron Overdrive

I just upgraded last night to the new NGO Optimized driver ver 1.8310 wich is based off the 83.10 beta drivers, so far so good.

Hmmm, maybe I'll download those. The 82.12 didn't fix anything. Still stuck at 256.

And yep Torley, 2 gigs.

Torley Linden

Enlightenment!

Join date: 15 Sep 2004

Posts: 16,530

01-29-2006 17:25

From: Soleil Mirabeau

Hmmm, maybe I'll download those. The 82.12 didn't fix anything. Still stuck at 256.

And yep Torley, 2 gigs.

Dang, that's really weird. I dunno why that's still happening to you but I surely hope it'll be fixed.

_____________________

Soleil Mirabeau

eh?

Join date: 6 Oct 2005

Posts: 995

01-29-2006 17:35

Just used driver cleaner pro, downloading the *new* NGO Optimized drivers as I type.

Will post results in 10 minutes. Cross your fingers!

UPDATE:

Downloaded and installed, still stuck at 256MB, but hey it doesn't seem too bad.

Having those texture rezzing problems like pre-1.8.2.6, but I hope that'll get fixed (again!)

www.ngohq.com for the drivers i tried

Darkness Anubis

Registered User

Join date: 14 Jun 2004

Posts: 1,628

01-29-2006 18:56

For that matter I am still stuck at 128 on the video when it is a 256 card. I am pretty darn sure this is bug

_____________________

Ron Overdrive

Registered User

Join date: 10 Jul 2005

Posts: 1,002

01-29-2006 19:18

From: Soleil Mirabeau

Just used driver cleaner pro, downloading the *new* NGO Optimized drivers as I type.

Will post results in 10 minutes. Cross your fingers!

UPDATE:

Downloaded and installed, still stuck at 256MB, but hey it doesn't seem too bad.

Having those texture rezzing problems like pre-1.8.2.6, but I hope that'll get fixed (again!)

www.ngohq.com for the drivers i tried

Make sure you clean out your old drivers first using Driver Cleaner Pro. I've found problems sometimes arise from installing new drivers over the old. Takes about 10 - 15 mins of your time, but well worth it. I've been getting some great performance out of my GeforceFX 5500 256MB AGP for a while now using the NGO drivers and I just recently updated to the new 1.8310 drivers and haven't had any issues with SL.

Video memory limited to 16mb?
Karsten Rutledge Linux User Join date: 8 Feb 2005 Posts: 841	01-25-2006 17:45 Okay, so I've got a P4 3.6ghz laptop with 1 gig of memory and an nVidia 6800 PCI-X 256MB graphics card in it. Right, cool. Except, with 1.8.2, all the video memory options except '16MB' are greyed out. Terrific! I didn't want to see any textures anymore anyway. Anyone else have this problem? Ideas? If you notice textures rezzing and then derezzing almost immediately, consider checking this. _____________________ New products, updates, rants, randomness. Addictive high-quality games for sale: Greedy Greedy, On-A-Roll, Mancala and the newly released Khet laser strategy game.
Introvert Petunia over 2 billion posts Join date: 11 Sep 2004 Posts: 2,065	01-25-2006 17:49 Elsewhere I've seen mention that "SecondLife.exe -noprobe" will override the likely flawed memory detection and allow you to choose higher. Good luck.
Karsten Rutledge Linux User Join date: 8 Feb 2005 Posts: 841	01-25-2006 17:57 Tried that, no such luck. It still insists I have 16mb. _____________________ New products, updates, rants, randomness. Addictive high-quality games for sale: Greedy Greedy, On-A-Roll, Mancala and the newly released Khet laser strategy game.
Dexter Tones Registered User Join date: 18 Jan 2006 Posts: 33	01-25-2006 19:31 It sounds like you are using a PCI Express card. I know that for AGP cards, there is a setting in the BIOS such as "AGP aperture" that handles video memory. See if you can find a similar setting in your laptop's BIOS and make sure it is set to 256 MB.
Torley Linden Enlightenment! Join date: 15 Sep 2004 Posts: 16,530	01-25-2006 22:05 I've heard some scattered reports of this with various system configs. Karsten, your NVIDIA drivers are the latest (81.9, too, right? As has been noted, some other Resis report similar things here. If anyone else is having this problem, be sure to send a bug report inworld (HELP menu ---> REPORT BUG) with all the juicy details and share your experiences here. _____________________
Torley Linden Enlightenment! Join date: 15 Sep 2004 Posts: 16,530	01-25-2006 22:10 Stuck with 16MB of video memory? Good news... KNOWN ISSUE! Karen JUST posted about it here. =^_^= _____________________
Ron Overdrive Registered User Join date: 10 Jul 2005 Posts: 1,002	01-26-2006 08:33 From: Torley Linden I've heard some scattered reports of this with various system configs. Karsten, your NVIDIA drivers are the latest (81.9, too, right? As has been noted, some other Resis report similar things here. If anyone else is having this problem, be sure to send a bug report inworld (HELP menu ---> REPORT BUG) with all the juicy details and share your experiences here. 81.98? I'm using the NGO Optimized driver wich is based off of 82.12 and I don't have these issues. Maybe its a glitch with the older drivers.
Martin Magpie Catherine Cotton Join date: 13 Nov 2004 Posts: 1,826	01-26-2006 10:18 1.8.2, all the video memory options except '32mb or 128mb ' are greyed out. This goes for all three computers I have tried this on. laptop 256 showing as 32mb 2 desktops 512 showing as 256mb. No changes in the settings affected this what so ever. All drivers are up to date. _____________________
CyFur Majestic Registered User Join date: 20 Sep 2005 Posts: 5	01-29-2006 08:52 ATI radeon 9800 pro 256 meg... Purchased last month to enable SL to run as the old card "had problems" after version 1.7 was introduced (though the old card worked perfectly fine for 1.6). Max memory has been reduced to 128 in settings for the card (other options are greyed out). ... Indeed i do hope the investigations resolve this little issue.
Soleil Mirabeau eh? Join date: 6 Oct 2005 Posts: 995	01-29-2006 10:30 The 1.8.2.7 update that was supposed to fix this bug for some, caused it for those who didn't have it before. I have a 512MB card and can only select 256. I wish those who didn't have the problem BEFORE this update could use 1.8.2.6 but alas, we know that's not possible. And yes Torley, while Karen addressed it, she also said this: "It's always possible that we will NOT be able to fix these issues in the next release, but we're giving it our best!" Which sucks, because now I can hardly move in game and had to lower all my settings to nearly zilch.
Soleil Mirabeau eh? Join date: 6 Oct 2005 Posts: 995	01-29-2006 10:58 From: Ron Overdrive 81.98? I'm using the NGO Optimized driver wich is based off of 82.12 and I don't have these issues. Maybe its a glitch with the older drivers. Hmm, if that's the case maybe some of should try the beta drivers. http://www.filehippo.com/download_nvidia_forceware/ I'll download it and see what happens.
Ron Overdrive Registered User Join date: 10 Jul 2005 Posts: 1,002	01-29-2006 11:25 From: Soleil Mirabeau Hmm, if that's the case maybe some of should try the beta drivers. http://www.filehippo.com/download_nvidia_forceware/ I'll download it and see what happens. I just upgraded last night to the new NGO Optimized driver ver 1.8310 wich is based off the 83.10 beta drivers, so far so good.
Torley Linden Enlightenment! Join date: 15 Sep 2004 Posts: 16,530	01-29-2006 13:39 From: Soleil Mirabeau The 1.8.2.7 update that was supposed to fix this bug for some, caused it for those who didn't have it before. I have a 512MB card and can only select 256. I wish those who didn't have the problem BEFORE this update could use 1.8.2.6 but alas, we know that's not possible. And yes Torley, while Karen addressed it, she also said this: "It's always possible that we will NOT be able to fix these issues in the next release, but we're giving it our best!" Which sucks, because now I can hardly move in game and had to lower all my settings to nearly zilch. Ahhh another question I have to ask, Soleil, out of curiosity--you have 1 gig or more RAM, right? (Recalling the earlier notes which detail that system RAM must be 2x or more that of video RAM.) Another thing which actually matters is... even with so much memory on a graphics card, I haven't known of SL to use that much memory in a scene. (And can anyone recommend a program that detects how much is actually being used? I'd like to do some anecdotal checking myself.) Let's keep going. _____________________
Soleil Mirabeau eh? Join date: 6 Oct 2005 Posts: 995	01-29-2006 17:18 From: Ron Overdrive I just upgraded last night to the new NGO Optimized driver ver 1.8310 wich is based off the 83.10 beta drivers, so far so good. Hmmm, maybe I'll download those. The 82.12 didn't fix anything. Still stuck at 256. And yep Torley, 2 gigs.
Torley Linden Enlightenment! Join date: 15 Sep 2004 Posts: 16,530	01-29-2006 17:25 From: Soleil Mirabeau Hmmm, maybe I'll download those. The 82.12 didn't fix anything. Still stuck at 256. And yep Torley, 2 gigs. Dang, that's really weird. I dunno why that's still happening to you but I surely hope it'll be fixed. _____________________
Soleil Mirabeau eh? Join date: 6 Oct 2005 Posts: 995	01-29-2006 17:35 Just used driver cleaner pro, downloading the new NGO Optimized drivers as I type. Will post results in 10 minutes. Cross your fingers! UPDATE: Downloaded and installed, still stuck at 256MB, but hey it doesn't seem too bad. Having those texture rezzing problems like pre-1.8.2.6, but I hope that'll get fixed (again!) www.ngohq.com for the drivers i tried
Darkness Anubis Registered User Join date: 14 Jun 2004 Posts: 1,628	01-29-2006 18:56 For that matter I am still stuck at 128 on the video when it is a 256 card. I am pretty darn sure this is bug _____________________
Ron Overdrive Registered User Join date: 10 Jul 2005 Posts: 1,002	01-29-2006 19:18 From: Soleil Mirabeau Just used driver cleaner pro, downloading the new NGO Optimized drivers as I type. Will post results in 10 minutes. Cross your fingers! UPDATE: Downloaded and installed, still stuck at 256MB, but hey it doesn't seem too bad. Having those texture rezzing problems like pre-1.8.2.6, but I hope that'll get fixed (again!) www.ngohq.com for the drivers i tried Make sure you clean out your old drivers first using Driver Cleaner Pro. I've found problems sometimes arise from installing new drivers over the old. Takes about 10 - 15 mins of your time, but well worth it. I've been getting some great performance out of my GeforceFX 5500 256MB AGP for a while now using the NGO drivers and I just recently updated to the new 1.8310 drivers and haven't had any issues with SL.

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Video memory limited to 16mb?