Many laptops and gaming handhelds share a single pool of memory between the CPU and GPU—and sometimes you might want that RAM to boost your graphics performance instead. Now, AMD isn't forcing you to dive into a BIOS to redirect that power. The company's new variable graphics memory lets you convert up to 75 percent of your system memory into dedicated video RAM with just the tap of a button in AMD's Adrenalin desktop app.
It's currently only available for AMD AI 300 “Strix Point” laptops, and how much RAM you can redirect depends on your system's total memory – AMD explains that the “medium” setting turns a 32GB laptop that came with 512MB of video memory into a 24GB laptop with 8GB of dedicated VRAM.
You may be wondering: does the extra video memory actually make a difference? Well, that depends on the game. Some games, like Alan Wake II, require up to 6GB of VRAM and will cause errors on startup if you don't have enough – Steam Deck, Asus ROG Ally, and Lenovo Legion Go buyers have been tweaking their VRAM settings for some time now to bring games to the threshold of playability.
But in early testing with the Asus Zenbook S 16, a Strix Point laptop that already ships with this feature, my colleague Joanna Nelius saw that turning this feature on is not a panacea for every game. With 8 GB of VRAM, the laptop played control significantly faster (65 fps versus 54 fps), but for some titles the increase was less, with no increase or even a slight decrease in frame rate.
Results will vary, but I'm excited to see if it's a big improvement on certain games!
AMD says you can get significant increases when combined with VGM, assuming you have at least 50 fps to work with before applying the frame generation technique. However, AMD doesn't reveal whether you'll get more frames with AFMF 2 than with the original version of the technology.
However, the company claims that if your laptop already supports 39 fps in, say, Horizon Zero Dawnyou can now play it at a (theoretically) smooth 66 fps on a 2880 x 1800 laptop screen when you combine AFMF2, VGM, and AMD's FSR upscaling technology.
In other AMD gaming laptop news, the company just announced the RX 7800M, a new chip running at up to 180W and equipped with 12GB of dedicated video memory. Tom's Hardware calls it “essentially a stripped down RX 7800 XT” and compares it to the desktop GPU, but it also fills a big gap in AMD's lineup between the flagship RX 7900M and the RX 7600M XT, as you can see below.