Ever been in the middle of an epic gaming session, only for your screen to freeze and an ominous “video memory error” pop up? It’s incredibly frustrating, and it’s a problem many gamers face. Recently, a friend reached out because her kid’s computer was experiencing this very issue. We rolled up our sleeves, did some troubleshooting, and today, I’m going to share the solutions that helped get their game back on track.
If you’re battling similar video memory woes with your PC games, read on!
The Culprit: Not Enough Video Memory
The “video memory error” typically indicates that your graphics card (or GPU) doesn’t have sufficient memory to handle the graphical demands of the game or video you’re trying to run.
In my friend’s case, the biggest suspect was the integrated graphics processor. With only 128MB of dedicated memory, it was struggling. While adjusting dedicated video memory in the BIOS can be an option, it’s a more advanced step and not always available. The good news? There are still plenty of software-based solutions you can try to get your games running smoothly.
Let’s dive into some practical fixes!
1. Optimize with Game Mode
Windows has a built-in “Game Mode” designed to help dedicate your computer’s resources to your game when it’s running.
- Go to
Settings > Gaming > Game Mode. - Make sure Game Mode is turned On. This simple toggle can often make a noticeable difference by prioritizing your game’s performance.
2. Tweak Your Graphics Settings
Next, let’s head into your GPU settings.
- In the Game Mode settings, click on Graphics.
Here are a few things to consider:
- HDR (High Dynamic Range): While HDR offers a richer visual experience, it’s also a resource hog. If your system is already struggling, it’s often best to turn HDR off to free up valuable video memory.
- Optimizations for windowed games: Make sure this setting is turned on. This helps optimize your game’s performance, even when running in a windowed mode.
3. Experiment with Hardware-Accelerated GPU Scheduling
This is a setting that can sometimes help or hinder performance depending on your specific hardware and drivers.
- In your graphics settings, look for Advanced graphics settings.
- Find Hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling. Try toggling this on or off to see if it improves your game’s performance. Sometimes, having it off can actually be better for older or less powerful integrated GPUs.
4. Custom GPU Preferences for Individual Games
Windows allows you to set specific GPU preferences for individual applications and games. This is incredibly useful for fine-tuning performance.
- In the Graphics settings, scroll down to “Custom options for apps” or similar.
- You can browse and add specific games here.
- Once a game is added, you can often adjust its GPU preference (e.g., “High performance” if you have a dedicated GPU, or “Power saving” for integrated graphics if you’re trying to reduce load).
- You might also find options to adjust optimizations for windowed games here on a per-application basis. Experiment with these settings to see what works best for your problematic game.
5. In-Game Video Settings: Your Best Friend
Often, the most effective solution lies within the game itself. Game developers include a variety of graphical settings that directly impact video memory usage.
- Lower the Resolution: This is one of the biggest performance boosters. Dropping from 1080p to 720p, for instance, dramatically reduces the amount of memory needed.
- Adjust Framerate (FPS Cap): Capping your framerate to a lower number (e.g., 30 FPS instead of 60 FPS) can alleviate stress on your GPU.
- Reduce Graphics Quality: Look for settings like:
- Texture Quality: High-resolution textures consume a lot of VRAM. Lowering this can make a big difference.
- Shadow Quality: Complex shadows are resource-intensive.
- Anti-aliasing: While it smooths out jagged edges, anti-aliasing can be very demanding.
- View Distance/Draw Distance: Reducing how far the game renders objects can help.
- Post-processing effects: Effects like motion blur, depth of field, and bloom also use up resources.
The Fix for My Friend’s Computer:
Ultimately, the solution that worked for my friend was surprisingly simple: setting the in-game video settings to “recommended.” Many games have an “auto-detect” or “recommended” setting that optimizes the game’s visuals for your specific hardware. This intelligent adjustment by the game itself can often resolve most video memory issues by finding the sweet spot between visual fidelity and performance for your system. Her kid was back to gaming in no time!
What’s Your Secret Fix?
Have you battled video memory errors before? What troubleshooting steps or solutions worked for you? Share your tips and tricks in the comments below! Your insights could help another gamer out of a frustrating crash.
And if you found this helpful, be sure to check out our other posts for more ways to get the most out of your devices!