2012 Retina MBP GPU

[KRP]

Hello,

I purchased the 2012 Retina MBP and have some questions about the GPU. I play games on my computer and I can always notice my fans getting extremely loud. While this isn't a problem for me I wanted to make sure I was getting proper cooling so I downloaded the iStats Menubar and was able to identify that cooling is not an issue. However, after downloading this application I began looking at my GPU performance. While gaming I noticed the Nvida 650 uses a LOT of its memory. Nearly 80% and occasionally 100%. Should I be worried about this? Will it potentially cause problems to my computer? Furthermore, I noticed one time the game was running with the Intel HD 4000 and when this was the operating the GPU was only using ~20-35% memory. Is the Intel HD 4000 for more intensive GPU usage?

Any clarity would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you

 

[simsaladimbamba]

The 650M is a dedicated GPU, meaning it has its own chip on the logic board. The Intel 4000HD is an integrated GPU, meaning it is not a dedicated chip but resides in the CPU.

The 650M is a much stronger GPU than the 4000HD, due to its own dedicated chip and RAM. The 4000HD has to take its RAM from the main RAM.

Anyway, when playing games, the 650M is the better choice the more advanced the graphics are in a game and the GPU memory usage you see is okay and nothing to worry about.

Was that understandable?

 

[yusukeaoki]

Said above me but HD4000 is integrated and 650M is Dedicated.
650M has 1GB on its own.
4000 needs to share from your MBP's memory.
Say you have 4GB RAM on your Mac, then 384MB on 4000.
8GB or more is 512MB SHARED with your main RAM.

 

[Dark Void]

It's suppose to use its vRAM, nothing else will utilize it. HD4000 is shared and will use the system's RAM as vRAM which has been stated. It is a lesser GPU compared to the 650M.

 

[KRP]

Okay, well thanks for the info. Should I be worried about it using nearly all it's memory? My MBP currently has 16GB ram would this be why it seemed as though the 4000 was running with less memory?

 

[yusukeaoki]

Okay, well thanks for the info. Should I be worried about it using nearly all it's memory? My MBP currently has 16GB ram would this be why it seemed as though the 4000 was running with less memory?

It doesnt matter.
4000 only can take 512MB of vRAM from shared.

Dont worry about your vRAM usage.

 

[Dark Void]

]Should I be worried about it using nearly all it's memory? My MBP currently has 16GB ram would this be why it seemed as though the 4000 was running with less memory?

It's suppose to use all of its memory.

 

[KRP]

It's suppose to use all of its memory.

Okay, lovely. Thanks for the reassurance Dark Void. I just wanted to be sure that me playing a game at 'High' settings wouldn't cause any issues to the computer.

Thanks for the assistance everyone!

 

[Dark Void]

Okay, lovely. Thanks for the reassurance Dark Void. I just wanted to be sure that me playing a game at 'High' settings wouldn't cause any issues to the computer.

Thanks for the assistance everyone!

No problem, enjoy your system! 🙂