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BlackBook has 256MB Dedicated VRAM?

B

baxterbrittle

macrumors regular
Original poster
Nov 8, 2005
236
1
I hope this hasn't been covered elsewhere already (I looked but could not find) but I think the BlackBook has a different video system to the white MacBooks!

I wen't in today to see them for the first time (about time) and started just testing a few things. Loaded a few apps etc... Then as I always do I wen't through system profiler. I got to Graphics/Displays and noticed something a little odd - Under VRAM it said 256MB (nothing about sharing either)! At first I thought that this was just a reporting error as part of the new x86 systems etc. Then I turned to the white MacBook and tried that - It reports 64MB Shared with system. So two machines - same OS very different report. I then thought back to Apple's parts listing for these machines there are 3 logicboards not 2 - they are:

1.83 (Good)
2.00 and
2.00 (Black)

Maybe this is why the extra cost of the BlackBook over middle White machine.

Like I said I hope that people haven't already covered this but if they have can someone point me to the discussion because that would persuade me to get the Black over the white. If it hasn't been covered would anyone with a MB please post what they're system reports under Graphics/Displays.

I also have a theory as to why Apple would not advertise this spec - they don't want a MB having more video RAM than the low end MBP! This also goes a way toward the replacing the PB 12 as well as the iBook with one series of machine.
 
Mine reports 64MB of shared Video RAM upon bootup.

I have 2GB of RAM (2x1GB), so dual-channel should be running. I think the next step would be do run something that gets the system to dynamically allocate more VRam and see what it supports. It will go up to at leat 256MB of RAM if the software demands it, but I am not sure what to load to cause it to change states. It is possible that when something loads that requires more VRam, it no longer reports the Video Memory as shared.

Anybody have any ideas?
 
Anyone have a picture of blackbook logic board? If it has dedicated RAM you'll most likely see it. It did seem strange to me but I thought I'd better report on it right away - just in case. We need more profiler reports too.
 
netdog said:
Mine reports 64MB of shared Video RAM upon bootup.

I have 2GB of RAM (2x1GB), so dual-channel should be running. I think the next step would be do run something that gets the system to dynamically allocate more VRam and see what it supports. It will go up to at leat 256MB of RAM if the software demands it, but I am not sure what to load to cause it to change states. It is possible that when something loads that requires more VRam, it no longer reports the Video Memory as shared.

Anybody have any ideas?
Click to expand...

I thought the MacBook had a limited VRAM alocation of 80MB although the graphics card is capable of 256MB. If someone produced a hack then it would make the MacBook even more appealing.
 
R.Youden said:
I thought the MacBook had a limited VRAM alocation of 80MB although the graphics card is capable of 256MB. If someone produced a hack then it would make the MacBook even more appealing.
Click to expand...

The machine I saw was a demo in a reseller store - nobody hacked it. I spoke to the techs (I used to work there) and they had no idea about it. We all found it very interesting. The 2 machines on demo were:

MacBook White 1.83GHz 2GB RAM
MacBook Black 2.00GHz 512MB RAM

Someone said that it allocates up to 256MB - but this is not true, it's supposed to allocate up to 64MB depending on requirments. I could think that it was just a glitch if it reported 256MB Shared but it said total VRAM or something to that effect. Where as the other said 64MB shared.

Of all the people pulling apart their MB's not one is a black one! Not that I can find at least.
 
Also this wouldn't be the first time that Apple has understated their video cards. Anyone remember the 64MB 9200 MacMini's? They only stated 32MB on the box.
 
baxterbrittle said:
Also this wouldn't be the first time that Apple has understated their video cards. Anyone remember the 64MB 9200 MacMini's? They only stated 32MB on the box.
Click to expand...

But they were a silent update to the Mac Mini lineup that also featured faster PowerPC G4 processors (1.33GHz & 1.5GHz).
 
dmw007 said:
The black MacBook has 0MB of dedicated VRAM- it is shared with/stolen from the regular RAM.
Click to expand...

That's a fair statement - I thought the same. But my only contact with a MB seems to go the other way. Also why the 3 logic boards - is the black one a different colour maybe?:)
 
I checked a blackbook (who first made up that name?) in the store, and it had 64MB shared VRAM, so I don't know what you saw..:confused:

But if you did see that it had 256MB of VRAM, someone must have installed some kind of firmare update on it.:cool: Does anybody know where to get such an update? Is it even possible???
 
heres a screenshot of the system profiler on my black macbook
171999794_307e37a229.jpg
 
As I understand it, the card is guaranteed 64 MB of RAM from the main RAM pool. When/if a program demands more than 64 MB of RAM, the card will "siphon" more RAM off the main pool, if available. So in theory, integrated graphics cards have no upper limit of RAM it can use, as long as the main RAM can accommodate. The GMA 950 specifically, is limited to handling 256 MB of RAM. So that's what you saw. The RAM that's allotted for the GMA 950 cannot be any higher than 256 MB, and cannot be any lower than 64 MB, thus the 64 MB of "guaranteed" memory.
 
Raven VII said:
As I understand it, the card is guaranteed 64 MB of RAM from the main RAM pool. When/if a program demands more than 64 MB of RAM, the card will "siphon" more RAM off the main pool, if available. So in theory, integrated graphics cards have no upper limit of RAM it can use, as long as the main RAM can accommodate. The GMA 950 specifically, is limited to handling 256 MB of RAM. So that's what you saw. The RAM that's allotted for the GMA 950 cannot be any higher than 256 MB, and cannot be any lower than 64 MB, thus the 64 MB of "guaranteed" memory.
Click to expand...

You are right Raven VII- the GMA 950 can use anywhere between 64MB - 256MB of shared VRAM.
 
as a expensive test , i went out today and bought one :D

not really cos of this ! i was going to get a macbook anyway but was swayed to the black version.


oh BTW mine say shared 64MB


(loving the macbook)
 
Stupid shared VRAM. I hope Leopard can allow the video card to use more of the system RAM.
 
JackSYi said:
Stupid shared VRAM. I hope Leopard can allow the video card to use more of the system RAM.
Click to expand...

I just hope leopard runs decent on my Powerbook lol

...otherwise I may have to "force" myself to get a new intel mac ;)
 
Hunts121 said:
I just hope leopard runs decent on my Powerbook lol

...otherwise I may have to "force" myself to get a new intel mac ;)
Click to expand...


I am sure that Leopard will run fine on your PowerBook G4. Although, I am sure that you will still want a new Mac when it is released. :)
 
You are right Raven VII- the GMA 950 can use anywhere between 64MB - 256MB of shared VRAM.
Click to expand...

You are right...and at the same time wrong. The chip is designed so that it can have a cap set or have dynamic allocation. In the MacBook, apple have actually capped it at 64mb (some say 80mb but i dunno where they get that from). However when running windows on your MacBook, it allocates the full 256mb.
 
Rovman said:
You are right...and at the same time wrong. The chip is designed so that it can have a cap set or have dynamic allocation. In the MacBook, apple have actually capped it at 64mb (some say 80mb but i dunno where they get that from). However when running windows on your MacBook, it allocates the full 256mb.
Click to expand...

The MacBook is supposed to have 64MB only but uses 16MB when booting or something like that. It's not supposed to allow any more than 64. There may be some sort of hack around but I haven't heard of it and if there was most of you would have heard of it too. Furthermore this particular machine has not been hacked - as I said I used to work there and spoke to most of the staff (mainly tech staff) and nobody knew anything about it.

Of those of you whom quoted 64mb for their machines can you tell me - have they had the software updated since purchase? Also do you know what the first 5 digits of your serial are? I don't want the whole thing - just to determine when it was produced.

Cheers for the info guys.
 
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