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Check your GPU and dedicated VRAM in Windows
- Open Task Manager. Right-click Start and choose Task Manager.
- Select the GPU. Open Performance, then select each GPU entry to see its name and details. If your PC has both integrated and discrete graphics, identify which GPU the game is expected to use.
- Read the capacity. Find Dedicated GPU memory and note its total capacity. Do not mistake the amount currently in use for the GPU’s total memory.
Windows 11 also identifies the graphics processor under Settings > System > Display > Advanced display, in Display information. See Microsoft’s guide to checking your GPU for the documented Windows steps.
Understand dedicated memory, shared memory, and usage
On a discrete graphics card, dedicated GPU memory is the card’s physical video memory (VRAM). Shared GPU memory is ordinary system RAM that Windows can make available to the GPU; it is not extra physical VRAM on the card. Microsoft explains the distinction in its DirectX explanation of GPU memory in Task Manager.
Integrated graphics need a different interpretation. Some integrated GPUs reserve part of system DRAM for graphics, while others use shared memory. A dedicated-memory figure shown for an integrated GPU may therefore represent RAM reserved from the computer, rather than memory chips on a separate graphics card.
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Task Manager reports both capacity and current use. Usage changes as Windows and applications use the GPU, so it cannot tell you by itself how much memory the card has. Microsoft also cautions that per-process GPU memory figures can count shared allocations in more than one process. Its graphics-memory reporting documentation, last updated August 30, 2024, explains why Windows applications need accurate graphics-memory data.
Compare the GPU with the game’s requirements
- Find the official PC requirements. Check the game publisher’s current requirements or the game’s store listing. Steam Support recommends checking a game’s system requirements.
- Compare the graphics card model. If the requirements name a GPU, compare it with the GPU the game will use. If they give an equivalent model or a VRAM amount, check both. When the listing names a card but not its memory, verify the specifications with that card’s manufacturer.
- Read minimum and recommended specs differently. Minimum requirements are the publisher’s stated floor, not a promise of a particular frame rate or image quality. Recommended requirements are a more useful comparison if you want a better experience, but they still do not guarantee a specific result.
- Check the rest of the requirements. CPU, system memory, operating system, drivers, and graphics features can matter alongside VRAM. A matching memory capacity alone does not establish that a GPU meets the game’s requirements.
If the PC uses integrated graphics, compare its exact model and capabilities with the game’s listed requirements. Do not treat all of the computer’s shared system RAM as a direct substitute for dedicated VRAM.
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Why VRAM capacity alone cannot answer “Will it run?”
A game’s memory requirement is only one comparison. The GPU model and capabilities matter, as do resolution, graphics settings, and target frame rate. Since no particular game or target experience is specified here, there is no defensible universal VRAM threshold for “a new game.” Use the chosen game’s current requirements rather than applying a blanket number.
Even when video hardware meets or exceeds a game’s listed requirements, performance can suffer for other reasons. Steam Support notes that outdated CPU, GPU, and audio drivers may reduce performance; updating graphics drivers is one troubleshooting step. See Steam’s software performance troubleshooting guidance and Steam’s driver update guidance.
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If Task Manager does not show GPU details
Microsoft says Task Manager’s GPU performance reporting requires a graphics driver that supports WDDM 2.0 or later. If the GPU performance view is missing or incomplete, identify the GPU through Settings > System > Display > Advanced display, then consult the GPU manufacturer’s specifications. The fields available can vary by computer and driver. Microsoft describes the reporting requirement in its Task Manager GPU data explanation.
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