4 ms·

Is there a reason operating systems don't/can't do this automatically? It sounds like a faster swap space than disk.

creshal 10y ago
This only works when you have a dedicated graphics card (IGPs use system RAM) with dedicated VRAM (some dedicated notebook chips also use system RAM), which is also not needed for anything else (which is what you usually buy a graphics card / GPGPU acceleration card for). That's a so negligible minority of devices (underutilized gaming rigs and nothing else) that OSes just don't bother.
- AshleysBrain 10y ago
  If you consider that when you're on the desktop and not running a game, all those gigabytes of VRAM are basically going unused. So it should apply to any system with discrete GPU memory, which is surely quite a few systems? I guess those systems correlate with high-end systems with lots of system RAM anyway though...
  - creshal 10y ago
    > So it should apply to any system with discrete GPU memory, which is surely quite a few systems? No smartphones, no tablets, only a small minority of notebooks (not a single macbook, e.g.), none of the business desktop PCs (which are by far the majority, volume-wise), no servers nor workstations (except those that have them installed for GPGPU purposes). The exception are gaming laptops/PCs (and those will need the VRAM for actual gaming) and servers/workstations with dedicated GPGPU cards (which, again, would need the VRAM for GPGPU purposes). That only leaves a few cases where you have beefy hardware and don't use it, which isn't significant enough for OS vendors to bother with. Thirdparty VRAM-as-RAM (or RAM disk) kernel modules / FUSE layers pop up from time to time (this isn't nearly the first), but they never gain any traction. > I guess those systems correlate with high-end systems with lots of system RAM anyway though... Usually VRAM is less than a quarter of the system RAM, or even less. And usually those systems have so much system RAM that they have enough spare to make RAM disks an a valid option.
  - nickpsecurity 10y ago
    Building on creshal's comment, ensuring direct access to it outside of gaming applications could be offered as an extra feature or selling point of those applications. First, it was just a graphics coprocessor. Second, they turned it into a more general coprocessor. Next, it's also extra RAM or cache for whatever we need enabled with flip of a switch or targeted by included library worst case.

This only works when you have a dedicated graphics card (IGPs use system RAM) with dedicated VRAM (some dedicated notebook chips also use system RAM), which is also not needed for anything else (which is what you usually buy a graphics card / GPGPU acceleration card for). That's a so negligible minority of devices (underutilized gaming rigs and nothing else) that OSes just don't bother.

AshleysBrain 10y ago
If you consider that when you're on the desktop and not running a game, all those gigabytes of VRAM are basically going unused. So it should apply to any system with discrete GPU memory, which is surely quite a few systems? I guess those systems correlate with high-end systems with lots of system RAM anyway though...
- creshal 10y ago
  > So it should apply to any system with discrete GPU memory, which is surely quite a few systems? No smartphones, no tablets, only a small minority of notebooks (not a single macbook, e.g.), none of the business desktop PCs (which are by far the majority, volume-wise), no servers nor workstations (except those that have them installed for GPGPU purposes). The exception are gaming laptops/PCs (and those will need the VRAM for actual gaming) and servers/workstations with dedicated GPGPU cards (which, again, would need the VRAM for GPGPU purposes). That only leaves a few cases where you have beefy hardware and don't use it, which isn't significant enough for OS vendors to bother with. Thirdparty VRAM-as-RAM (or RAM disk) kernel modules / FUSE layers pop up from time to time (this isn't nearly the first), but they never gain any traction. > I guess those systems correlate with high-end systems with lots of system RAM anyway though... Usually VRAM is less than a quarter of the system RAM, or even less. And usually those systems have so much system RAM that they have enough spare to make RAM disks an a valid option.
- nickpsecurity 10y ago
  Building on creshal's comment, ensuring direct access to it outside of gaming applications could be offered as an extra feature or selling point of those applications. First, it was just a graphics coprocessor. Second, they turned it into a more general coprocessor. Next, it's also extra RAM or cache for whatever we need enabled with flip of a switch or targeted by included library worst case.