I posted this on another longer thread but think maybe it’s its own topic. With DX12 especially but I guess also in DX11, maxing out the GPU memory can be a big problem and cause stutters.
Does anyone have any tips to reduce windows use of the GPU memory, outside of MSFS that is.
The biggest ones I found was of course to close any chrome / browser windows, each tab taking up a small bit of gou memory.
The largest saver for me was to start steam in the most minimal way possible, without its in built browser etc. This gave me about 0.6gb more free GPU memory according to gpuz. I followed steps here. How to Use Less Memory, GPU, and CPU With Steam - MajorGeeks .
When checking used gpu memory in gpuz I see the differences. When I check in MSFS dev tools I notice a quirk. The amount of GPU memory used shows a strange max figure. My RTX 3080 has 10GB total but MSFS in DX11 shows say x.xxx/9.0xx. In DX12 it shows x.xxx/7.0xx and sometimes x.xxx/8.0xx
Do you know where the 9gb and 7/8gb comes from in DX11 Vs DX12 mode? Freeing up memory in windows is fine but if DX12 ‘sees’ 1 or 2 less gig from the outset, it’s very difficult.
The difference in VRAM memory might be memory reserved for video/audio drivers used by the GPU. Might want to check some of the Windows forums or with the GPU vendor. DX11/12 isn’t restricted to MSFS. Other apps use them as well. Also, the GPU can use Windows memory if needed.
Windows and various applications within it such as the desktop do indeed use vram. You will see how much each windows app uses in task manager. The question is is there a way to reduce it. Removing wallpaper does reduce the desktop vram usage but by only a tiny amount it seems.