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Cyro

Member

Registered: 2013-02-21

Posts: 5

[SOLVED] Wrong amount of video RAM detected

So, I was casually minding my own business, when lspci -vvv revealed something horrible. The RAM detected on my graphics card is less than it was supposed to be. It should be 512MB, but detected is only 256MB.
Note that my card (and the whole desktop) is very old. The card is a Sapphire Radeon X1600 Pro.

Here's the relevant lspci -vvv output.

03:00.0 VGA compatible controller: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] nee ATI RV530 [Radeon X1600] (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
	Subsystem: PC Partner Limited Device 0840
	Control: I/O+ Mem+ BusMaster+ SpecCycle- MemWINV- VGASnoop- ParErr- Stepping- SERR+ FastB2B- DisINTx+
	Status: Cap+ 66MHz- UDF- FastB2B- ParErr- DEVSEL=fast >TAbort- <TAbort- <MAbort- >SERR- <PERR- INTx-
	Latency: 0, Cache Line Size: 64 bytes
	Interrupt: pin A routed to IRQ 43
	Region 0: Memory at c0000000 (64-bit, prefetchable) [size=256M]
	Region 2: Memory at feaf0000 (64-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=64K]
	Region 4: I/O ports at c800 [size=256]
	Expansion ROM at feac0000 [disabled] [size=128K]
	Capabilities: [50] Power Management version 2
		Flags: PMEClk- DSI- D1+ D2+ AuxCurrent=0mA PME(D0-,D1-,D2-,D3hot-,D3cold-)
		Status: D0 NoSoftRst- PME-Enable- DSel=0 DScale=0 PME-
	Capabilities: [58] Express (v1) Endpoint, MSI 00
		DevCap:	MaxPayload 128 bytes, PhantFunc 0, Latency L0s <4us, L1 unlimited
			ExtTag+ AttnBtn- AttnInd- PwrInd- RBE- FLReset-
		DevCtl:	Report errors: Correctable- Non-Fatal- Fatal- Unsupported-
			RlxdOrd+ ExtTag- PhantFunc- AuxPwr- NoSnoop+
			MaxPayload 128 bytes, MaxReadReq 128 bytes
		DevSta:	CorrErr- UncorrErr- FatalErr- UnsuppReq- AuxPwr- TransPend-
		LnkCap:	Port #0, Speed 2.5GT/s, Width x16, ASPM L0s L1, Latency L0 <64ns, L1 <1us
			ClockPM- Surprise- LLActRep- BwNot-
		LnkCtl:	ASPM Disabled; RCB 64 bytes Disabled- Retrain- CommClk+
			ExtSynch- ClockPM- AutWidDis- BWInt- AutBWInt-
		LnkSta:	Speed 2.5GT/s, Width x16, TrErr- Train- SlotClk+ DLActive- BWMgmt- ABWMgmt-
	Capabilities: [80] MSI: Enable+ Count=1/1 Maskable- 64bit+
		Address: 00000000fee0100c  Data: 41d1
	Kernel driver in use: radeon

03:00.1 Display controller: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] nee ATI RV530 [Radeon X1600] (Secondary)
	Subsystem: PC Partner Limited Device 0841
	Control: I/O+ Mem+ BusMaster+ SpecCycle- MemWINV- VGASnoop- ParErr- Stepping- SERR- FastB2B- DisINTx-
	Status: Cap+ 66MHz- UDF- FastB2B- ParErr- DEVSEL=fast >TAbort- <TAbort- <MAbort- >SERR- <PERR- INTx-
	Latency: 0, Cache Line Size: 64 bytes
	Region 0: Memory at feae0000 (64-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=64K]
	Capabilities: [50] Power Management version 2
		Flags: PMEClk- DSI- D1+ D2+ AuxCurrent=0mA PME(D0-,D1-,D2-,D3hot-,D3cold-)
		Status: D0 NoSoftRst- PME-Enable- DSel=0 DScale=0 PME-
	Capabilities: [58] Express (v1) Endpoint, MSI 00
		DevCap:	MaxPayload 128 bytes, PhantFunc 0, Latency L0s <4us, L1 unlimited
			ExtTag- AttnBtn- AttnInd- PwrInd- RBE- FLReset-
		DevCtl:	Report errors: Correctable- Non-Fatal- Fatal- Unsupported-
			RlxdOrd- ExtTag- PhantFunc- AuxPwr- NoSnoop-
			MaxPayload 128 bytes, MaxReadReq 128 bytes
		DevSta:	CorrErr- UncorrErr- FatalErr- UnsuppReq- AuxPwr- TransPend-
		LnkCap:	Port #0, Speed 2.5GT/s, Width x16, ASPM L0s L1, Latency L0 <64ns, L1 <1us
			ClockPM- Surprise- LLActRep- BwNot-
		LnkCtl:	ASPM Disabled; RCB 64 bytes Disabled- Retrain- CommClk-
			ExtSynch- ClockPM- AutWidDis- BWInt- AutBWInt-
		LnkSta:	Speed 2.5GT/s, Width x16, TrErr- Train- SlotClk+ DLActive- BWMgmt- ABWMgmt-

As you can see under Region 0 of VGA controller it says 256M.
If I'm doing something wrong, please correct me.

(Also, If anyone is going suggest upgrading this outdated thing: Yes, I will eventually, but poor student is poor, and I need all the money for studying. For now.)

Last edited by Cyro (2013-02-21 23:33:59)

Gusar

Member

Registered: 2009-08-25

Posts: 3,605

Re: [SOLVED] Wrong amount of video RAM detected

Here we go again... (nothing against you personally, but this same thing comes up all the time)

https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=158282

brebs

Member

Registered: 2007-04-03

Posts: 3,742

Re: [SOLVED] Wrong amount of video RAM detected

That's probably just the aperture size. My laptop shows very similar output to yours, with an Nvidia graphics card - 256mb region in lspci, but 512mb on the graphics card.

Is there a Radeon alternative to the nvidia-settings program, to check?

Cyro

Member

Registered: 2013-02-21

Posts: 5

Re: [SOLVED] Wrong amount of video RAM detected

Ah, thanks Gusar. I apologize for the apparent repost.
Solution: lspci only shows ram that's directly mapped by the CPU. Meaning that number doesn't tell the actual amount of ram.