Measuring VRAM usage?

[Flogger23m]

I am wondering what programs (if any) are good at measuring VRAM usage? Would EVGA Precision and GPU-Z give accurate measurements of VRAM usage?

I use an Nvidia card if it matters.

 

[cannondale06]

if you already know about GPU-Z and Precision then why aren't you trying one of them?

 

[magoo]

Best program is MSI Afterburner.

Program can be set to log all data during use for as long as you like.

Also has a graph that will display finite time frame of most any parameter you like.

 

[Flogger23m]

if you already know about GPU-Z and Precision then why aren't you trying one of them?

Are those accurate? I am always reading posts here about how 1.5GB of VRAM is fine for just about any game, yet I have multiple games pushing around 1.2-1.3GB of VRAM at 1680x1050 according to those two programs.

I guess the people who make those claims just play console ports?

 

[Forceman]

Are those accurate? I am always reading posts here about how 1.5GB of VRAM is fine for just about any game, yet I have multiple games pushing around 1.2-1.3GB of VRAM at 1680x1050 according to those two programs.

I guess the people who make those claims just play console ports?

Some new games make more dynamic use of VRAM then old games - so they will use what is available. For a single card/single monitor setup, 1.5GB is more than enough as you will run out of GPU horsepower before you run out of VRAM. People are worrying about it way too much - just like SSD lifespan when they first came out.

 

[cannondale06]

Some new games make more dynamic use of VRAM then old games - so they will use what is available. For a single card/single monitor setup, 1.5GB is more than enough as you will run out of GPU horsepower before you run out of VRAM. People are worrying about it way too much - just like SSD lifespan when they first came out.

people said the same thing about 512mb, 768mb and 1gb of vram too. lol, it only took a few months for those 768mb vs 1gb arguments to end. 1.5gb is fine for now but if I were getting a high end gpu today then I would go with more than that.

 

[Forceman]

1.5gb is fine for now but if I were getting a high end gpu today then I would go with more than that.

Lucky for you, then, that all the new high-end cards appear to have at least 2GB.

 

[Drangueos]

BF3 with 3 monitors here uses 1.8Gb of Vram, at least it's what gpu-z shows.

 

[teletran8]

MSI MSI MSI I run that awesome company/program every time I game, it also allows me to OC my GPU to 1Ghz GPU Core 2100 shader and 2350 Memory in low GPU demanding games and adjust the GPU fan to whatever speed I desire. (Think Valve games/Source engine helps in twitch shooters)

You also never NEVER want your GPU Memory in game to exceed your cards limit, because it = stuttering. Same as running Windows OS on 256MB of ram don't do it.

Download it from this link , and install it.
http://event.msi.com/vga/afterburner/download.htm

Click this option (settings)

Now click on the monitoring tab, check mark everything you want displayed, you want Memory Usage so check that in OSD (On Screen Display) Choose a color you like / prefer default is red I believe. Also check mark mark that box so it will appear on screen.

Then boot up your game, wah-la! Check your memory usage easy huh?

 

[Eisenblut]

EVGA's Precision is basically the exact same program, looks and everything.

As as far as 1.5GB VRAM being enough, for most game, sure. However, AvP DX11 consistently uses about 1.7-1.9GB and Crysis 2 with the DX11 and hi-re patches uses 1.9-2.1GB on average. It really depends on the diversity of the textures and indoor vs outdoor environments at times.

 

[Pylor]

What teletran linked is probably the best way to do it, though I had a LOT of problems when I tried to start using the afterburner in game overlay.

Works great with the G15 I bought 5 years ago or so though, fun to watch all your graphics card readings when you're in a game without dragging the program over to a second monitor or sifting through logs.

The highest VRAM I've ever seen used was shogun 2, which took up a little over 2 gigs in the memory on the map screen. Nothing else has really ever come close, a few have gotten over a gig @ 1920x1200 but not many.

 

[Tyler582]

I use AIDA64 to monitor my vram, gpu usage, cpu usage by core, ram usage, temps on everything, clock speeds etc. The only thing that I couldn't get it to do is framerate. Unfortunately it's a paid program, if you're into paying for shit. It can also output to those mini-logitech lcds.

EDIT: I should add that I have 1.5GB VRAM and it is sufficent in most cases. There have been a couple of games where it's come near to maxing out. The most recent one I remember is Serious Sam 3. I got it up to 1514/1536MB one time last week.
EDIT2: I haven't tried to see if the prgrm has a 3d overlay like the one shown above. I have two monitors, however, and that is how I get my stats!

 

[Flogger23m]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I'll holdout on MSI Afterburner if my current programs do the same things.

Here are a few titles that use over 1024MB of VRAM on my PC at 1680x1050:

Crysis Wars - 1100 MB at most
ArmA 2 - 1180MB
Crysis 2 High res texture pack - 1700 MB or so
BF3 - 1200MB

Looks like I made the right choice in going with a 2GB 560ti over a 1GB.

 

[Eisenblut]

It's crazy if you think about it: my 570 2.5GB has more RAM on it than what a PC would have had (as standard) in it several years ago.

 

[HardOnForMe]

Best program is MSI Afterburner.

Program can be set to log all data during use for as long as you like.

Also has a graph that will display finite time frame of most any parameter you like.

That's what I use.....