MBP w/ 512mb VRAM?

jtrwallacejtrwallace
Posted:
in Current Mac Hardware edited January 2014
I just got my new 15" high-end MBP on Sunday and today I installed Windows and right now I am installing updates, Norton, etc. Well, I looked at the advanced option in the settings tab of display properties and the adapter is listed as having 512 mb of VRAM. I'm confused... I thought mine only had 256mb of VRAM. Maybe I'm stupid but I didn't see anything else about this (maybe I suck at searching) but why would Windows tell me that I had twice the video ram? Anyway, I'll be restarting soon to see if OS X says the same thing and I'll update this.



OK: On OS X it says 256 mb VRAM and on XP it says 512. I've restarted a few times in both operating systems. What the heck?
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 32
    sennensennen Posts: 1,472member
    i hope someone else responds to this, i'm intrigued! it may even influence a buying decision!
  • Reply 2 of 32
    pbpb Posts: 4,255member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jtrwallace View Post


    OK: On OS X it says 256 mb VRAM and on XP it says 512. I've restarted a few times in both operating systems. What the heck?



    A Boot Camp bug with the new machines is the only thing which I can think of.
  • Reply 3 of 32
    tubgirltubgirl Posts: 177member
    the GF8600m can 'borrow' main memory to extend the dedicated VRAM.

    (aka Turbocache: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turbocache )
  • Reply 4 of 32
    sennensennen Posts: 1,472member
    ahh, makes sense...
  • Reply 5 of 32
    sdw2001sdw2001 Posts: 18,016member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by sennen View Post


    i hope someone else responds to this, i'm intrigued! it may even influence a buying decision!



    Yeah....that's a great thing to base your decision on.
  • Reply 6 of 32
    jtrwallacejtrwallace Posts: 43member
    Oh, ok. So can anyone else with a new MBP check this out on bootcamp? I'd like to know if mine is unique or if they all do this. This makes me happy for games
  • Reply 7 of 32
    sennensennen Posts: 1,472member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SDW2001 View Post


    Yeah....that's a great thing to base your decision on.



    what, that the video card might actually be 512mb and be able to run intensive apps like after effects and motion properly?!
  • Reply 8 of 32
    joe_the_dragonjoe_the_dragon Posts: 931member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by tubgirl View Post


    the GF8600m can 'borrow' main memory to extend the dedicated VRAM.

    (aka Turbocache: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turbocache )



    there are no turbocache 8xxx cards right now and a $2000 + laptop should have better then a low end turbo cache card.
  • Reply 9 of 32
    jtrwallacejtrwallace Posts: 43member
    so... basically its not a turbocache thing because that card isnt turbocache enabled? then its either A Bootcamp bug B XP flaw? or C it actually comes with 512 mb of vram but os x purposely only uses half of it whereas xp doesnt care?
  • Reply 10 of 32
    sennensennen Posts: 1,472member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jtrwallace View Post


    so... basically its not a turbocache thing because that card isnt turbocache enabled? then its either A Bootcamp bug B XP flaw? or C it actually comes with 512 mb of vram but os x purposely only uses half of it whereas xp doesnt care?



    thats the $64000 question, isn't it?
  • Reply 11 of 32
    jtrwallacejtrwallace Posts: 43member
    haha 64,000 yes. i think its odd how no one else with one of these computers has checked and informed us?
  • Reply 12 of 32
    pbpb Posts: 4,255member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jtrwallace View Post


    i think its odd how no one else with one of these computers has checked and informed us?



    Perhaps not as odd as you think. These MBP's are quite new machines. After two or three months there will be enough of them outside so that the probability that someone with a new MBP sees your question and replies be sufficiently high to produce a result.
  • Reply 13 of 32
    neuronbobneuronbob Posts: 5member
    With luck, I should be installing BC on my new MBP this weekend, so I can be another data point.
  • Reply 14 of 32
    jtrwallacejtrwallace Posts: 43member
    hnm, any suggestions as to how i might be able to provide more feedback/benchmarks/scores? i kinda don't know how to do that myself, i just read what other people have done but seeing as how i have one, id like to.
  • Reply 15 of 32
    sheep23sheep23 Posts: 2member
    Just checked this and I can confirm on a high end 15".

    In OS X it shows 256mb and in Windows XP 512mb.

    I have no idea if its true 512mb in XP, or visa versa.
  • Reply 16 of 32
    akacakac Posts: 512member
    Perhaps simply put Apple put in 512MB parts for now simply because that's what they could get from NVidia, but the base spec is 256 is its one of those things like that.
  • Reply 17 of 32
    bobmarksdalebobmarksdale Posts: 744member
    My standard advice: take it to the apple store and see what they say. (and by they I mean the Mac Genius person) Would be cool if it had the 512. I would be jealous.
  • Reply 18 of 32
    jtrwallacejtrwallace Posts: 43member
    Awesome, so it's not just mine. And F me, I just moved to Maui, there are no Apple stores here. Sheep23, Apple store trip maybe? lol
  • Reply 19 of 32
    brettbrett Posts: 3member
    I have the baseline MBP santa rosa model and it says 128mb in OS X and 512 mb in XP
  • Reply 20 of 32
    sheep23sheep23 Posts: 2member
    Heh. I live in Belgium (Europe), no Apple geniuses around here either :-/

    But looks like Brett came up with an interesting fact.

    It must be a bug in BC 1.3 then.
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