IGD Aperture Size and IGD Minimum Memory May Freeze Windows 10

[OAzad]

I have 2 NUCs. One is NUC6i5SYH and the other one is NUC6i7KYK. I am super confused about IDG Minimum Memory and Aperture Size. Searching for Graphic Aperture Size returns very old documentations and conversations. Most of them are talking about very small size of memory but not giving any clear idea what I am supposed to do.

I set IGD minimum memory to 1 GB and set aperture size to 2 GB and found windows 10 freezing time to time while watching movies in Direct 3D. I do not want to believe such configuration can make Windows freeze. And the freezing part is also funny. Few things work, few things do not. Then you cannot shut down or reboot from WIndows, have to hard reboot. So do we actually have any proper documentation on the above mention subjects or have to trust some old documentations on the internet? Can Intel give any official response?

[LeonWaksman]

Keep the default BIOS setting for IGD Aperture Size and IGD Min Memory (IDG Minimum Memory: 64MB, IDG Aperture Size: 256MB). This values are used only during POST and to boot of the windows.

Window 10 assigns automatically the maximum available graphics memory and it depends off how much RAM you have. Usually it assigns about half of available RAM. In my NUC where I have 16GB RAM installed, 8264MB is available for graphics. You can see how much Total Available Graphics Memory you have in your system. To do this open the Advanced Display Setting and then the Display adapter properties.

[OAzad]

I can remember my game was running very slow when I have set the memory limit to default. So I cannot agree with you. Moreover that was not my point. My point was why the options are there and what Intel wants to do with those options.

[idata]

Hello:

Thank you very much to lw1948 for the information posted previously. To omiazad: As you saw on the previous thread: /thread/106428 https://communities.intel.com/thread/106428 What we recommend is to use the default values for the aperture size: IDG Minimum Memory: 64MBIDG Aperture Size: 256MB That size will depend on the memory RAM you have, so, you can try to change the values on it, but depending on the values you choose, there might be some issues. So, if you increase that size, and the NUC still works fine, then you can always use it that way, remember that the memory is virtual, that means that it will take the resources of the memory when it is needed, for example: If you are not using any graphics application like games, then the memory established for Aperture Size will not be in use, so the NUC will be using the memory RAM normally, but, if you are playing games, and then you also are doing some other functions, like downloading videos, then the performance will not be the same if you do both at the same time, because in that case the NUC will assign the all the memory to graphics and the rest of it, for all the other functions, that is why we recommend to use it on the default values, Windows® 10 normally assign half and half. Any questions, please let me know. Alberto

[OAzad]

Alberto,

Do you know if Intel engineers have made any documentation on Aperture size settings? When I increase the aperture size, game and general video performance drops badly. When I keep everything default, then windows set minimum memory to 128mb and makes half of the system memory available for video. Says nothing about aperture size.

As Windows is assigning 128mb to video memory I set the same in bios but did not touch the aperture size, but still video playback freezes from VLC. Even with the beta driver you released yesterday. What is this video freezing issue? Does this setting has to do anything with the freezing? I do not want to believe some memory setting may freeze video playback bady.

[idata]

Hello omiazad:

In regard to your inquiry, I will do further research in order to try to find further information and a document if it is available about this matter. The video freezing problem might not be related to the Aperture size, but I will double check on that. As soon as I get any update, I will post all the information on this thread. Any questions, please let me know. Alberto

[idata]

Hello omiazad:

I just wanted to let you know that we are still doing a research in order to find out if there are documents available for IDG Aperture Size. Any questions, please let me know. Alberto

[OAzad]

Thanks for not forgetting. I think Intel may consider removing that part from BIOS to avoid confusion. Because that is one option not available in any other modern BIOS. We use to see that back in 90's

[Ronny_G_Intel]

Hi omiazad,

I searched all over and there is very little Intel documentation about it, as it was mentioned before it establishes the maximum amount of system memory that the OS can use for video memory.

The more the aperture size, the better if you don't have applications hogging your memory that most likely will cause a system hanging. I don't believe there is a magic setting that will optimize for everybody (of course defaults will work for everybody but that is not optimization), have to set up and test.

Regards,

Ronny G

[OAzad]

Hello rguevara

Well, your reply does not make any sense. The more I increase the aperture size, the less performance I get, in terms of both graphics and application performance. Modern OS can handle these things by themselves but my question was, why the setting is even there as no other mainstream computer brands has that, perhaps you missed that point in my question.

I do not know your position in Intel, but your reply is not friendly and technical. May be your are just a paid social media guy who do not have much technical reach in and outside the company. Perhaps you could have saved some time by not responding at all in a rudely manner.

Thanks any ways.

[Ronny_G_Intel]

Hi omiazad,

Please accept my apologies if my previous comment sounds "rude" in any way, believe me it was not my intention at all and I apologize for that.

I work for Intel Customer Support as a Product Support Engineer looking after NUC product, let me run your questions by the Graphics team, they should be able to provide more details and further information regarding these settings.

I will get back to you as soon as possible.

Regards,

Ronny G

[Ronny_G_Intel · Accepted solution]

Hi omiazad,

I apologize for the delay in getting back to you, I have been researching about this concern and the only information I was able to get is the following:

BIOS Setting

Appears on BIOS Screen…

Options

Description / Purpose

IGD Aperture Size

Devices

• 128 MB

• 256 MB • 512 MB • 1024 MB

Selects the aperture size for the Integrated Graphics Device (IGD).

The number of supported VMs can be limited by aperture size. If you need to enable multiple VMs in parallel, consider setting a higher aperture size.

IGD Minimum Memory

Devices

• 32 MB

• 64 MB • 128 MB • 256 MB • 512 MB • 1 GB

Selects the minimum amount of system memory allocated to the Integrated Graphics Device (IGD).

Adjusting the minimum memory can impact graphics performance in legacy operating systems (Windows 7/8/8/1). The default value (64 MB) is recommended for Windows 10. Windows 10 will allocate graphics memory dynamically when it loads, so setting the IGD minimal memory to higher value may not improve performance. Notes: 64 MB and 128 MB options are not selectable if the system has less than 1 GB of memory installed. 512 MB option is not selectable if the system has less than 1.5 GB of memory installed. 1 GB option is not selectable if the system has less than 2 GB of memory installed.

I hope this helps,

Ronny G

[idata]

I would also add to this thread what I noticed on my nuc 5i5ryk with 16 GB RAM and Windows 10 v1607 (public release). When I set those values to 1 GB both the memory available for OS is about 14 GB, rest is hardware reserved. When I set them to lowest values it is almost 16 GB for Windows use (160 MB is reserved for hardware) in both situations minimum memory for graphics card set by Windows is 128 MB and maximum is half of available memory so 7 or 8 GB accordingly. I have newest BIOS. Some bug or hardware eating memory for nothing is by design?

[n_scott_pearson]

This is by design. First, remember that the aperture is a window - a portion of the processor's address space that is reserved for the graphics engine to access a chunk of memory (which chunk of memory, at any one point in time, is determined by a virtual memory mapping process). The smaller you make this aperture, the more often that graphics operations will need to be stopped so that the mapping can be changed. Thus, the bigger the aperture, the better. When you increase the size of the memory permanently assigned to graphics, you are taking this memory out of the generally-available portion and Windows cannot use it for anything but graphics operations. This can improve graphics performance on a system with lots of memory but will often decrease performance (overall, not just graphics) on a system with not-so-much memory.

Hope this helps,

...S

[idata]

But shouldn't that be disregarded in Windows 10 as it manages graphics memory by self and even when I set max values in BIOS it starts with 128 MB graphics RAM? It wasts the memory as Windows is not using the hardware reserved one and assigns 128 MB to 8 GB of other free memory. And if aperture is a chunk of memory by which the memory for graphics may grow why it makes the reserved memory grow just from the beginning. When I set min memory for IGD to 1 GB and 1 GB aperture it should reserve 1 GB and with need increase it to 2,3..8 GB... But this is for pre Windows 10. In Windows 10 it is just making a set of memory useless for both apps and graphics drivers.

[n_scott_pearson]

The aperture is NOT a chunk of memory; it is a chunk of the processor's address space. We're talking virtual here; physical Memory may be mapped into this chunk of the address space (in all of in part) and then accessed (by the graphics engine) using addresses within this chunk's address range.

Windows is supposed to use the memory assigned by the BIOS as its basis. If it (later) needs more, it can assign more. If Windows 10 works differently (i.e. ignores the memory reservation done by the BIOS, then this is not something that I have ever heard before). The proof is in the pudding; check the memory assigned at different times and see...

...S

[OAzad]

I'm not sure if these helps, but it feels like the following setting do not freeze the OS.

[idata]

Hello omiazad:

Thank you very much for sharing those details and all that information, it will be very helpful for all the peers viewing this thread. We are glad to hear that it is working for you under those settings. Please let me know if there is something else we can assist you with. Any questions, please let me know. Alberto