How to check your VRAM — how much graphics memory do you have?

Knowing how much VRAM your graphics card has is incredibly important for modern gaming. Most need a certain amount to run at all, and if you want to optimize your game performance and visuals, you need to know how much VRAM you’re working with. Many games have VRAM use bars within their settings menu, so you can often see how much you have in there.

If your game doesn’t show you that, or you just want to know right now without booting up any games, here are some other ways to find out how much VRAM your GPU has.

Check the labelsIf your graphics card is relatively new, just reach for the box. Graphics card memory is so important for modern graphics cards, that the quantity and generation of it is almost always listed on the box in some capacity. It could be the marketing stickers or the spec table on the back, but either or both should tell you how much VRAM your graphics card has.

Alternatively, look on the card itself. Most graphics cards have a model number sticker somewhere on the back that typically includes the quantity of RAM it has on board. The manufacturer’s website will also have a full specs table with all the information you need, as should the online store you bought it from (if applicable).

Check your VRAM using DXDiagThe DirectX Diagnostic Tool, or DxDiag, is an iconic Windows tool used to test the DirectX API’s functionality in Windows, as well as troubleshoot video and sound issues. It’s been part of Windows for many generations, but it still has its uses — like checking your VRAM.

Step 1: Search for “DxDiag” in the Windows search box and select the corresponding result.

Step 2: Wait a minute or so for the diagnostic tool to complete, then select your main display from the tabs at the top of the window. In most cases, this will be Display 1.

Step 3: Under the Device heading you should see information about your graphics card model. Next to Display Memory it should tell you your VRAM total in Megabytes. You can round that to the nearest 1,000 for the colloquial understanding of VRAM.

In this example, the Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti is listed as having 8031MB of Display Memory. That equates to 8GB, as per the model’s specifications.

For more information on your graphics card, you can use an in-depth third-party tool like HWInfo. That one is particularly good for checking your CPU temperature, too.

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