VRAM is a type of RAM that is housed in the computer's graphics card.. It is used to process the loading of textures and models that the GPU will use for the 3D rendering of your video game graphics.
The importance of VRAM lies in the fact that it optimizes and increases the use of high-quality textures in graphics. It is also important for drawing distance in a game, since it allows objects that are in the distance to be represented with good clarity, providing depth.
Likewise, it is vital to process and represent ray tracing in a game. Ultimately, VRAM will help run a massive amount of data to reproduce shadows and reflections, making processing more efficient and optimal, that is, it will work so that textures are loaded on time and in the expected quality.
VRAM memory types
You will find various types of VRAM for computers, each of them has its properties:
– Multibank DRAM (MDRAM): a high-performance memory that is fragmented into several 32 KB parts. It stands out for being powerful and its cost is usually affordable.
– Rambus DRAM: It has a fast data flow between the VRAM and the frame buffer, which is essential to represent all the pixels of a complete video frame.
– Synchronous Graphics RAM (SGRAM): a synchronous VRAM for graphics that also adjusts to the computer's clock. It has a single memory port that has the ability to act as dual port memory.
– Window RAM (WRAM): It is a high-performance VRAM with dual ports that is used for high-resolution video games (2K and 4K). Its most important quality is that it achieves a processing of colors and textures that is faithful to reality. You won't have to deal with saturated hues, unbalanced HDR, checkered surfaces, etc.
How to check the VRAM of your graphics card
It is possible to check the VRAM that you have available on your graphics card, if you have a Windows computer. You just have to do the following:
– Click on Windows Start, type “Advanced Display” in the search bar and click “View advanced display information”
– Now, the “Advanced Screen Settings” will open and there you will get all the information about your VRAM.
On the other hand, if you use a Mac, the process is even simpler:
– Click on the Apple icon
– Enter the “About this Mac” section. The VRAM data will be displayed next to the name of the graphics card.
How to expand the VRAM of the graphics card
The easiest thing is to buy a graphics card that has the amount of VRAM you want so that the 3D rendering of video games is as optimal as possible. The minimum to play in acceptable conditions is a 4GB VRAM, although many current games require 8GB for a satisfactory gaming experience.
On the other hand, you can also configure your computer to maximize VRAM. You can do this in the texture or resolution configuration menu of the video game. The same goes for ray tracing, which you can improve, limit or cancel if the impact it has on the game is not as expected.
