MBP showing 512MB on XP? - Nvidia GeForce 8600M GT

[powermac_daddy]

I wanted to ask this question long time ago. Maybe someone already talked about it here.
Anyway. I have a 15" SR MBP 2.4. Running bootcamp 2.0 (win xp SP2).

Under display properties // advanced // Adapter.
It's showing: Memory Size: 512MB.

Isn't that the SR 2.4 MBP has a 256MB video card? What is going on here?
By the way, how do i do screen shot on win xp? Thanks.

 

[aiterum]

I wanted to ask this question long time ago. Maybe someone already talked about it here.
Anyway. I have a 15" SR MBP 2.4. Running bootcamp 2.0 (win xp SP2).

Under display properties // advanced // Adapter.
It's showing: Memory Size: 512MB.

Isn't that the SR 2.4 MBP has a 256MB video card? What is going on here?
By the way, how do i do screen shot on win xp? Thanks.

use the print screen button (it is right beside f12) and then paste it into an imaging editing program

 

[powermac_daddy]

use the print screen button (it is right beside f12) and then paste it into an imaging editing program

cool thanks. i didn't know the pasting part. here you go, a screen shot.

 

[Nermal]

I remember someone else reporting this a while ago. I think it's "normal".

 

[powermac_daddy]

I remember someone else reporting this a while ago. I think it's "normal".

what do you mean by "Normal"?

I know it's normal, because the computer is running well. My question is that do i have 512MB card on my machine? This is also showing on other MBP(s), ie. my friend's 17".

 

[Inconsequential]

I dont think you actually have 512Mb.

Otherwise Apple would have been flaunting this fact already.

 

[husJAF]

In winXP the 8600GT M card uses the TurboCache feature.
Basically it starts to use some of the system RAM as well as it's own VRAM.
This is probably the case here, am not sure how you can go about changing it though.

 

[greenbreadmmm]

i had that same "problem" and when i upgraded to the newest drivers it went back to 256

 

[tersono]

XP is infamous for reporting hardware incorrectly. I've got a box at work that XP swears has two CPUs. It doesn't...

 

[bubble27]

I wanted to ask this question long time ago. Maybe someone already talked about it here.
Anyway. I have a 15" SR MBP 2.4. Running bootcamp 2.0 (win xp SP2).

Under display properties // advanced // Adapter.
It's showing: Memory Size: 512MB.

Isn't that the SR 2.4 MBP has a 256MB video card? What is going on here?
By the way, how do i do screen shot on win xp? Thanks.

install the latest drivers and make sure they correct

ive installed omega drivers once and ive got 128mb and told me i got 256. Check the drivers.

 

[Andrmgic]

XP is infamous for reporting hardware incorrectly. I've got a box at work that XP swears has two CPUs. It doesn't...

If it has a pentium 4 cpu in it, Hyperthreading makes the Os think you have 2 cpus.

 

[thegrandmaster]

Doesn't this have something to do with Nvidia's RAM sharing stuff?

I'm not certain but I remember the graphics cards being able to use system RAM equal to the amount of physical VRAM they have, if they need to. That combined with XP being crap at reporting system statistics, is probably the reason its telling you that you have 512 instead of 256.

 

[amusiccale]

I have the same thing on XP: as far as I know, XP reports the highest potential RAM allocated to the card (or, maybe it just allocates it right away) which includes system RAM and the dedicated RAM.

 

[mosx]

It amazes me how quickly people jump on Windows calling it "crap" and making up things about it. I'd have to say that at least 90% of the bad things said about Windows on this site are completely false, such as the statement above. I've never even personally experienced 90% of the so-called problems Windows has, according to this site, in the nearly 2 decades I've been a Windows user.

So please stop making up nonsense, okay? Stuff like this just turns people off to the Mac "community" and keeps overall Mac sales lower than they could be.

Anyway, the reason the MBP shows 512MB of video memory under XP would be that the nVidia driver is reporting the dedicated memory along with the amount of memory it can take from the system RAM. If you're using a recent driver check "System Information" under "Help" in the nVidia Control Panel. It will show you the "dedicated" memory and the "available" memory. Windows, unlike OS X, allows the GPU to store textures in the system memory if the GPUs memory gets full or it just needs more. Its not necessarily used as the main frame buffer, more as storage and textures get swapped as needed. The amount of video memory can be specified by the drivers in most cases. Hence the reason the GMA 950 only eats up 64MB of memory under OS X and up to 224MB under Windows and the X3100 can eat up to 384 under Windows while only 144MB under OS X.

 

[Zillion]

Anyway, the reason the MBP shows 512MB of video memory under XP would be that the nVidia driver is reporting the dedicated memory along with the amount of memory it can take from the system RAM. If you're using a recent driver check "System Information" under "Help" in the nVidia Control Panel. It will show you the "dedicated" memory and the "available" memory. Windows, unlike OS X, allows the GPU to store textures in the system memory if the GPUs memory gets full or it just needs more.

Hmm I using the latest bootcamp drivers and I only see 512 MB (having a 256 mb 8600gt) there, not divided in dedicated and available.

I wonder if Windows will take those other 256 mb from the 3gb mem it can use from the total 4gb I have installed, or does it pick the 4th gb?

 

[MediaRyan]

If anyone is concerned about their graphics card...just check it in OS X.