Dedicated video memory problem after upgrading to hardware version 11

[necklau]

Hello,

I have a problem after upgrading my virtual machines from hardware version 10 to 11. The problem is that, after the upgrade, the dedicated video memory of the guest OS is set to 64 MB and I can't increase it neither from Workstation 11 (by increasing graphic memory) nor by editing the .vmx file. To be more precise, after modifying video resolution in Workstation 11 or after trying some settings in the .vmx file, I manage to get 128 MB, but no more than that. Before upgrading the hardware version to 11, the dedicated video memory was 896 MB (as you can see in the attached image). I already updated VMWare Tools (even uninstalled and reinstalled again) more than once but the problem persisted. I didn't get any errors or warnings during the upgrade and now I can still use my virtual machines, but I think the dedicated video memory should be more than 64 MB, like it was before the upgrade.

I'm running Workstation 11 on a Windows 8.1 host laptop (i7 Ivy Bridge quad core CPU, 16 GB of RAM, full hd screen) and the guests with the problem are Windows 8.1 and Windows 7.

Is the problem I described really a problem or this is how the new Workstation 11 works?

Thank you in advance. If you need more details, I'll provide them.

[sunyj]

Hi necklau,

        As far as I know, the graphics memory in settings only change the Shared System Memory. 

        Is there any other issues except the dedicated video memory amount changes after upgrading to WS11 ? For example, some 3D applications do not work well?

[necklau]

Thank you for the answer. You are right, changing graphics memory in WS11 settings modifies only the shared system memory. After upgrading to WS11 i noticed a little decrease in graphic performance: when I move windows on around the desktop, the movement is not very smooth, or when I watch videos there are some frame drops. For now I decided to revert back to hardware version 10, because for me it seems to perform a little better than 11. I don't use any heavy 3D program, so the perfomances are good for what I do.