arcobb said:
So I just got my new black MacBook. I love it. But I'm doing some reading about the Integrated graphics chip and I ran across a
link on Intel's website that says it can have up to 224 MB maximum of video memory. Is there a way to change this setting on a MacBook above the 64 MB spec apple reports? Would this be a firmware update or is it possible by changing something within the OS (via terminal or something). Is anyone trying this sort of a thing?
Also would there be a benefit of increasing the video memory on a integrated graphics chipset? Thanks!
It wouldn't really give you too much of a benefit.
Normally, if you look at a 32MB vs. 64MB vs. 128MB vs. 256MB graphics card, that graphics card has memory directly on the card, that it can access really really fast. That memory is independent of the memory on your computer. If the memory on the graphics card is not enough, then graphics data has to be moved from your computer's RAM to the graphics card's RAM, and that takes its time.
With integrated graphics, it doesn't work like that. There is only one kind of memory, and that is your computer's RAM. Both graphics card and CPU access it when they need to. The only difference between "64MB" and "224MB" integrated graphics memory is that either 64MB or 224MB have been set aside so that the graphics driver can decide what to do with that memory, and the operating system doesn't touch it. If the 64 MB is not enough, then the graphics card can access data outside that region just as fast as data within the 64 MB, because it is all the same kind of memory anyway. So setting aside 224 MB will not have much affect at all, except that your Mac will run slower because it has less memory available to all the applications.
