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GeezerVison is showing en.wikipedia.org — Video random-access memory - Wikipedia

(Redirected from Video RAM)
"Video RAM" and "VRAM" redirect here. For the dual-ported dynamic RAM type, see Dual-ported video RAM.
GDDR5X SDRAM on an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti graphics card

Video random-access memory (VRAM) is dedicated computer memory used to store the pixels and other graphics data as a framebuffer to be rendered on a computer monitor.[1] It often uses a different technology than other computer memory, in order to be read quickly for display on a screen.

Relation to GPUs

Independent system RAM and video RAM
Unified memory
A GPU die surrounded by VRAM chips

Many modern GPUs rely on VRAM. In contrast, a GPU that does not use VRAM, and relies instead on system RAM, is said to have a unified memory architecture, or shared graphics memory.

System RAM and VRAM have been segregated due to the bandwidth requirements of GPUs,[2][3] and to achieve lower latency, since VRAM is physically closer to the GPU die.[4]

Modern VRAM is typically found in a BGA package[5] soldered onto a graphics card.[6] The VRAM is cooled along with the GPU by the GPU heatsink.[7]

Technologies

  • Dual-ported video RAM, used in the 1990s and at the time often called VRAM
  • SGRAM
  • GDDR SDRAM
  • High Bandwidth Memory (HBM)[8]

See also

  • Graphics processing unit
  • Tiled rendering, a method to reduce VRAM bandwidth requirements[9]

References

  1. ↑ Foley, James D.; van Dam, Andries; Feiner, Steven K.; Hughes, John F. (1997). Computer Graphics: Principles and Practice. Addison-Wesley. p. 859. ISBN 0-201-84840-6.
  2. ↑ "What is VRAM: The Memory Power Behind Real-time Ray-Tracing". Archived from the original on 2022-05-22. Retrieved 2022-05-16.
  3. ↑ "Relationship Between RAM and VRAM Bandwidth and Their Latency". 17 May 2021.
  4. ↑ "RAM vs. VRAM: What's the Difference?". makeuseof.com. 16 July 2021.
  5. ↑ "Encapsulated in CPUs, GPUs, RAM and Flash: Types and Uses". 23 March 2021.
  6. ↑ "Graphics Card Components & Connectors Explained". 29 March 2017.
  7. ↑ "Different Types of Graphics Card Cooling Solutions for GPU, VRAM & VRM". 17 January 2017.
  8. ↑ "HBM Graphics Cards - 7 GPUs with HBM Memory". Axiom Gaming. 16 August 2025.
  9. ↑ "GPU Framebuffer Memory: Understanding Tiling".
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