Increasing iMac VRAM?

[t4ct1c4lr3m1x]

I bought the 2.4GHz iMac with the ATI HD 2400 XT video card. Is there anyway to increase the video ram that this card produces? I know, in Windows, you can do this in the BIOS, but I'm not aware that the iMac has a BIOS. so what can I do?

Thanks.

 

[italiano40]

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=30693

check that out

 

[t4ct1c4lr3m1x]

So, I can't increase video ram past 128MB unless the game uses the iMac acceleration?

 

[italiano40]

Yea, true, because the mac OSX only runs on certain hardware their is no BIOS needed because Apple can automatically set it to the correct BIOS, and hide that whole menu, windows runs on so many hardware situation they need the manufacturer to set the BIOS or consumer set the BIOS so they put it in plain slight

 

[t4ct1c4lr3m1x]

So, do you happen to know what the max it can go to is?

 

[beige matchbox]

Macs do no use BIOS.

There is no hidden settings menu.

The memory for the graphics card on all but a few iMacs are physical chips on the mother board, there is no way to add more.



As for being able to increse the available graphics memory on a PC, this is only doable if you have an intergrated graphics system, like the Macbook as these computers do not have seperate graphics memory, they use some of the main system ram.


The artical linked by italiano40 was last updated in 2000, so is really geared towards the old CRT G3 iMacs 🙂


So, in short, you stuck with the hardware you have, there is no way to increse the available graphics RAM.

 

[IroquoisPliskin]

The only way to add more is to sell your iMac and buy a new one with the amount you want.

 

[t4ct1c4lr3m1x]

Alright, thank you for your help. I may end up selling mine to upgrade to the 24" with 512MB of VRAM. Who knows, for now, I guess this will do.

 

[dkordik]

I'm about to buy a 20 inch with the 128 of video memory- just curious, why wasn't 128 cutting it? What kinda stuff do you do that uses video memory?

 

[opeter]

I'm about to buy a 20 inch with the 128 of video memory- just curious, why wasn't 128 cutting it? What kinda stuff do you do that uses video memory?

Well, maybe he is playing high-end games?

The GF8800GS will be x-times faster than your current Radeon 9800, but dont think, that Crisys will work on on very high resolutions.

 

[t4ct1c4lr3m1x]

I'm about to buy a 20 inch with the 128 of video memory- just curious, why wasn't 128 cutting it? What kinda stuff do you do that uses video memory?

I was looking to play Crysis, but that probably won't be happening, even on the lowest settings.

 

[Zortrium]

Amount of vram only really starts to matter at high resolutions - the video card itself is going to be far more important in most circumstances than the amount of vram, and the HD 2400XT is very weak - even if you were able to increase the amount of vram on your current card (you can't), it most likely wouldn't give you a performance increase at all because the card is too weak to play things at high enough resolutions to matter.