My laptop does not detect all the memory of my dedicated graphics card

[Frank419]

recently got this second-hand laptop (hp pavilion 15-cd002la) and checked its specifications on the internet and thought I could run some games in low graphics, but the performance was like I didn’t have a graphics card, I checked the task manager to see if there was anything strange, and it turns out that of the 2 GB of VRAM only came out that 512 MB could be used.

The laptop has a Radeon 530 but in the task manager it shows Radeon 535DX

sorry for the grammar I translated it with google

[Raj_05]

Hi @Frank419,

Welcome to HP Support Community.

Thank you for posting your query, I will be glad to help you.

It sounds like your HP Pavilion 15 laptop is not fully utilizing the VRAM on your dedicated graphics card, and this could be due to several factors. Here are a few things to check and try.

Graphics Driver Update:

• Make sure you have the latest graphics drivers installed for your GPU. You can check for updates from the manufacturer's website (e.g., NVIDIA or AMD) or use the device manager to update the drivers.

BIOS Settings:

• Sometimes, the VRAM allocation is limited by settings in the BIOS. If your laptop has a BIOS option for allocating more VRAM, you might be able to increase the dedicated memory for the graphics card. You can access the BIOS by restarting the laptop and pressing the designated key (usually F2, ESC, or DEL).
• Look for settings related to integrated graphics or shared memory, and ensure the dedicated graphics card is set to use the full 2 GB.

Windows Settings:

• Sometimes, Windows may not recognize all available VRAM, especially if your laptop has both integrated and dedicated graphics. Try going to Display Settings > Advanced display settings and check if the dedicated GPU is being used properly.

Check Task Manager/Resource Monitor:

• Open Task Manager and go to the Performance tab. Check both GPU and GPU Memory usage. If only a portion of the VRAM is being used, it could be due to the application not requiring more VRAM, or it might not be recognized correctly by the system.

Game/Software Settings:

• When running games, make sure they are configured to use the dedicated GPU instead of the integrated graphics. This can be set in the game’s settings or through the GPU control panel (NVIDIA Control Panel for NVIDIA cards, AMD Radeon Settings for AMD cards).
• Additionally, check if there are specific settings in the game to allocate more memory to the GPU.

Power Settings:

• Ensure that your laptop is running in High Performance mode, as power-saving modes might limit GPU usage. You can change this in the Power & Sleep Settings under Advanced power settings.

Check for GPU Utilization:

• Use software like GPU-Z or HWMonitor to monitor your GPU’s performance and memory usage. This can help you confirm whether the GPU is underperforming due to software or hardware limitations.

I hope this helps.

Take care and have a good day.

Please click “Accepted Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution. Click the “Kudos/Thumbs Up" on the bottom right to say “Thanks” for helping!

Alden4

HP Support 

[Frank419]

After installing the latest drivers for my graphics card from the AMD website, the name of the graphics card changed to R7 M340. I don’t know why, but in the Radeon setup it showed me that I had 2 GB of V-RAM, I was excited thinking maybe it was fixed. But when I run a game and it was going at about 12 FPS, check the performance metrics of Radeon and the maximum they were using was 300 MB of V-RAM from the dedicated graphics card in the game, what was most being used was the integrated graphics that was 100%, tried to set it to use the dedicated graphics, but in Windows configuration does not appear as second option in the graphics section, and in the Radeon configuration also try to use only the dedicated graphics even though it is the 512 that are shown in the task manager, but nothing seemed to work.
I have a theory, maybe Windows has some kind of confusion between dedicated and integrated and tries to mix them.
Honestly, I don’t know what to do with this problem anymore.

[Raj_05]

Hi @Frank419,

Thank you for your response, 

The issue with your HP Pavilion 15 laptop not fully utilizing the VRAM on your dedicated graphics card seems complex and could involve software, hardware, or firmware interactions. Here's a set of advanced troubleshooting steps to help you resolve it.

Verify GPU Recognition and Allocation

a. Device Manager Check

• Open Device Manager (Win + X > Device Manager).
• Under Display Adapters, confirm the listed GPUs (integrated and dedicated).
• Right-click your dedicated GPU (R7 M340) and select Properties > Resources.
• Check if there are any conflicts reported.

b. DxDiag

• Press Win + R, type dxdiag, and press Enter.
• Go to the Display tabs to check if your dedicated GPU is recognized correctly and the reported VRAM matches its specifications.

Clean Reinstallation of Drivers

a. Uninstall Existing Drivers

1. Download Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU): This tool can safely remove all driver traces.
2. Boot into Safe Mode (Shift + Restart > Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Startup Settings > Restart > Press F4).
3. Use DDU to uninstall all AMD drivers.

b. Install Correct Drivers

1. Go to the HP support site for your laptop model and download the OEM-recommended AMD drivers.
   • OEM drivers are often optimized for hybrid setups (integrated + dedicated GPUs).
2. After testing the OEM driver, optionally update to the latest driver from the AMD website if the issue persists.

Force Dedicated GPU Usage

a. Windows Graphics Settings

1. Go to Settings > System > Display > Graphics Settings.
2. Add the game or application you’re troubleshooting.
3. Choose High-Performance GPU for the dedicated card.

b. Radeon Settings

1. Open AMD Radeon Software.
2. Go to Graphics > Switchable Graphics.
3. Set the game to use High-Performance Mode (dedicated GPU).

BIOS/UEFI Settings

1. Access BIOS:
   • Restart your laptop and press the appropriate key (often F2, F10, or ESC) during startup.
2. Look for options related to:
   • Switchable Graphics
   • Integrated/Dedicated GPU Priority
   • UMA Buffer Size (ensure this isn't overly high to avoid starving the dedicated GPU of VRAM).
3. Save changes and restart.

[Raj_05]

Troubleshoot GPU Switching

Sometimes, hybrid graphics systems struggle with automatic switching between integrated and dedicated GPUs.

a. Disable Hybrid Mode (if available)

1. In the BIOS, disable Dynamic Graphics Switching or set Graphics Mode to only use the dedicated GPU.
   • Note: Not all laptops have this option.

b. Test Disabling Integrated GPU

• In Device Manager, right-click the integrated GPU and select Disable Device.
• Test performance with only the dedicated GPU active.

Power and Thermal Constraints

Ensure that your system isn’t throttling GPU performance due to power or heat issues.

a. Power Plan

1. Go to Control Panel > Power Options.
2. Select High Performance or create a custom plan ensuring maximum GPU performance.

b. Thermal Management

1. Use tools like HWMonitor or MSI Afterburner to monitor temperatures.
2. If the dedicated GPU overheats, it may downclock itself, reducing VRAM utilization.

Windows Reset or Reinstallation

If the above steps don’t resolve the issue, the Windows installation itself may be corrupted.

a. Reset Windows (Keep Files)

1. Go to Settings > Update & Security > Recovery > Reset this PC.
2. Choose Keep my files.

b. Clean Install

• Use the Windows Media Creation Tool to create a bootable USB drive for reinstalling Windows.

[Raj_05 · Accepted solution]

Hardware Diagnostics

If software troubleshooting fails, consider hardware diagnostics:

1. Run HP Diagnostics:
   • Restart and press F2 during boot to access HP’s hardware diagnostics.
2. Dedicated GPU Test:
   • Use tools like FurMark or 3DMark to stress-test the GPU and monitor performance.

I hope this helps.

Take care and have a good day.

Please click “Accepted Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution. Click the “Kudos/Thumbs Up" on the bottom right to say “Thanks” for helping!

Alden4

HP Support 

[Frank419]

I did all the things you told me to do in order to fix this problem and I couldn’t fix it.

I was reading some post from HP and Reddit and apparently this problem has been for a long time on computers with this dedicated graphics card and Windows, one of the solutions said in one of these post said that it was better to just switch to Linux.

Well in the end I ended up switching to Ubuntu, I admit it was a sudden change, but I’m adapting quite well to this new operating system, as it has not given me any problems, and finally I can play games a little more demanding with graphics.

Thank you for trying to help with this problem I had. But unless Windows or AMD do something it seems to have no apparent solution.