Business owners that need to perform graphics-intensive tasks such as video
editing or 3D modeling with their computers often buy high-end PCs with
discrete video cards that have built-in, dedicated memory. However,
entrepreneurs who use their business PCs for more routine tasks, such as word
processing or creating spreadsheets, generally don’t require expensive video
cards. Consequently, many businesses computers ship with on-board graphics
adapters integrated into the motherboard that share RAM memory with the
processor. While integrated video adapters are not as fast as dedicated cards,
they do perform reasonably well for most business tasks. If you need to boost
performance for an on-board video chip set, you can allocate more memory to the
adapter in the system BIOS
Entering the BIOS
To change the amount of memory allocated to the on-board video card, you must
change settings in the system BIOS. To enter the BIOS, log out of Windows and
shut down the computer. After restarting the computer, tap the “Delete,” “F1,”
or “F2″ key a few times as soon as you see the initial system POST screen or
company logo screen appear. After a few seconds, your computer should display
the BIOS menu screen. When the BIOS menu screen appears, you may have to log in
with an administrator password depending on your system security options.
Finding the Video Card Settings
Various manufacturers use different types of software to handle system BIOS
setting options. Consequently, finding the correct menu option for changing on-board video card memory settings may be easier with some models than with
others. Nevertheless, the menu option you need to use to change the graphics
adapter memory settings should be in “Advanced,” “Advanced Chip-set” “Advanced
Features” or other similarly named section of the menu. You can use the arrow
keys on the keyboard to navigate to the correct menu option or click the header
if the system BIOS supports use of a mouse.
Changing the Memory Allocation
Once you find the section of the BIOS menu that contains the “Graphics
Settings” or “Video Settings” option, changing the amount of memory allocated
to the on-board video card is relatively simple. Just press “Enter” to select
the menu option and then choose among the memory amount values listed with the
arrow keys or your mouse. Typical values listed in the BIOS are 32MB, 64MB,
128MB and 256MB. After you select the desired memory allocation amount for the
graphics adapter, press the “F10″ key or click the “Save Changes and Exit”
option at the bottom of the BIOS menu screen. After you save the changes and
exit the BIOS, the computer restarts and applies the new memory settings for
the onboard video card automatically.
Performance Considerations
The more RAM you allocate to the onboard graphics adapter, the better the
video chipset will perform. However, allocating more memory to the video card
does reduce the amount of system RAM available to the processor for running
applications. Therefore, you should select the lowest memory value that allows
you to use the system without video card memory performance issues issues. If
you only need the occasional video performance boost, you can increase the
amount of allocated video memory temporarily and then return the value to a
lower setting when you finish performing the video-intensive task. Just be sure
that you don’t open too many other applications while running the
video-intensive application, or the system may run out of memory if you do not
have enough RAM.
Alternative BIOS Entry Keys
If pressing the “Delete,” “F1″ or “F2″ keys does not display the BIOS menu
screen, press the “Pause” key as soon as the computer boots. Check for a
message near the bottom of the screen that displays the keys you need to press
to enter the BIOS. Press the “Pause” key again, then tap the appropriate key a
few times until the BIOS menu appears. If no such message appears during the
boot process, refer to the user guide for your motherboard or system to
determine which key you need to press to enter the system BIOS
