Why do i3/i5/i7 CPUs report "Graphics Memory in Use" below "Minimum Graphics Memory"?

[idata]

Hi all,

I am building a HTPC using an i3-2120T; all has gone well so far, but a few times when I start Media Center I have received a warning that the system has less than 64MB of graphic RAM. Whilst this normally passes without problem it is (1) annoying and (2) occasionally glitchy on the graphical front.

Looking into the 'Graphics and Media Control Panel' I can see that, at times, the CPU is allocating less than 64MB of RAM to the IGP. I have tried upping the minimum in the UEFI settings, but this seems to make no difference;the motherboard manual seems to indicate that Windows 7 will ignore these settings anyway and allocate as it sees fit! (Since it misses a few Media Center startups I'd argue that it isn't doing it right). After starting Media Center it does catch up and I have seen it pass 124MB RAM, although currently I have set the UEFI to minimum 512MB RAM, so this is still wrong really...

Is there any way to ensure that (in the Windows 7 64-bit environment) the CPU doesn't allocate less than the minimum amount of RAM specified in the UEFI settings, or alternatively to fix it to a pre-defined value?

Any help most appreciated.

Full system details as follows:

OS: Windows 7 Ultimate, 64-bit

Motherboard: ASRock H67M-ITX/HT

CPU: i3-2120T

RAM: 16GB Crucial DDR3 1333MHz

SSD: OCZ Agility 3 (60GB)

HDD: Seagate Barracuda (2TB)

EDIT 1:

I have just checked on a laptop here at work, and the same behaviour is observed on an i5-2520M running Win7 (Pro) 64-bit OS and with updated (but not necessarily latest) intel drivers.

EDIT 2: I've changed the title, since I have observed this behaviour now on an i3 and an i5 CPU. Also, I have updated the drivers on both the home (i3) PC and the work (i5) laptop, but the "Graphics Memory in Use" is still dropping below the "Minimum Graphics Memory"...

[idata]

In most cases, the computer manufacturer has already configured the system to use the maximum amount of graphics memory that is possible for your particular laptop model.

Sometimes you can change these values through BIOS level. We would recommend to check with your laptop and motherboard manufacturer (for the system with the Core i3-2120T) if there are tips on increasing the amount of graphics memory for your computer model.

If you are interested in additional information see graphics memory frequently asked questions:

http://www.intel.com/support/graphics/sb/CS-029090.htm http://www.intel.com/support/graphics/sb/CS-029090.htm

[idata]

Hi Alvaro,

Thanks for your response.

I have already looked into the BIOS (UEFI) settings for the HTPC, and DVMT is enabled and set to use at least 256MB RAM. Whilst the system reports this as the 'Minimum Graphics Memory', the 'Graphcis Memory in Use' sits below this most of the time (and occassionally below the important 64MB threshold that causes Media Center warning messages to appear).

The ASRock manuals and support (for the HTPC motherboard) are very good, but indicate that Windows 7 will ignore these once the system has started up.

The Dell laptop has its BIOS (UEFI) setting locked by Dell, but it too is specifying a DVMT RAM value (of 64MB in this case), but that system has also been observed to drop below this defined minimum.

These suggest to me that the Intel driver lacks a proper definition of the 'minimum' to the CPU...

[idata]

I have added a screenshot from the Dell laptop here to help clarify the issue.

EDIT: Similarly, here's one from the HTPC (ASRock motherboard, BIOS (EUFI) settings to 512MB):