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VRAMFS: Using Your Video RAM As A Linux File-System

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  • VRAMFS: Using Your Video RAM As A Linux File-System

    Phoronix: VRAMFS: Using Your Video RAM As A Linux File-System

    The latest FUSE-based Linux file-system is VRAMFS to provide a general purpose file-system within your graphics card's dedicated video memory...

    Phoronix, Linux Hardware Reviews, Linux hardware benchmarks, Linux server benchmarks, Linux benchmarking, Desktop Linux, Linux performance, Open Source graphics, Linux How To, Ubuntu benchmarks, Ubuntu hardware, Phoronix Test Suite

  • #2
    Call me pessimistic, but this seems like a waste of time, although it's their personal project. Maybe if we start seeing PCIe based RAM expansion cards or a PCIe card that is nothing but boatloads of VRAM, then we could make good use of a VRAMdisk driver. As stated in the article, capacity is the problem. If I really need a RAM disk of any sort, it currently makes more sense for me to invest in a triple or quad channel mobo than anything else.

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    • #3
      Originally posted by Styromaniac View Post
      Call me pessimistic, but this seems like a waste of time, although it's their personal project. Maybe if we start seeing PCIe based RAM expansion cards or a PCIe card that is nothing but boatloads of VRAM, then we could make good use of a VRAMdisk driver. As stated in the article, capacity is the problem. If I really need a RAM disk of any sort, it currently makes more sense for me to invest in a triple or quad channel mobo than anything else.
      Ramdisk cards already exist... and would be far faster probably a bit quicker than an SSD.

      Remember GPUs are not optimised for quick transfer to and from but for fast access locally between VRAM and GPU.

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      • #4
        Originally posted by Styromaniac View Post
        Call me pessimistic, but this seems like a waste of time, although it's their personal project. Maybe if we start seeing PCIe based RAM expansion cards or a PCIe card that is nothing but boatloads of VRAM, then we could make good use of a VRAMdisk driver. As stated in the article, capacity is the problem. If I really need a RAM disk of any sort, it currently makes more sense for me to invest in a triple or quad channel mobo than anything else.
        I would agree, but the article reminds me of the saying, "What's old is new again."

        Originally posted by Styromaniac View Post
        Maybe if we start seeing PCIe based RAM expansion cards or a PCIe card that is nothing but boatloads of VRAM, then we could make good use of a VRAMdisk driver.
        I remember having old IBM PC-XT computers that had the bulk of the 640KB memory made available via a standard length ISA (not even and extended ISA or even VLB slot) add-in board. No dedicated slot for that stuff in those days.

        I remember having an old "clone" 80286-based computer that had an add-in memory board that was accessed through a 64KB "window" in lower memory (below the 640KB barrier). It could use either the "now ancient" EMS or XMS specifications, but I could be wrong as it was 20+ years ago!!

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        • #5
          I guess it's more for educational purposes than anything else.
          With some effort you could run an OpenCL kernel directly on a file

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          • #6
            I think it's a good idea, there have been similar works before to make use of unused VRAM. Be serious, a normal desktop barely uses 128mb, and current cards ship with boatloads you could use for better purposes when not gaming.

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            • #7
              While this does sound like a solution looking for a problem, might this find more traction in render farms? Although I bet 50 cents their render time is pretty full on, and at a price premium. Maybe in science labs as well?
              Hi

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              • #8
                https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Swap_on_video_ram sems a better idea for me.

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                • #9
                  Originally posted by dragonn View Post
                  Read the first two warnings at the page and screw that idea. Better use VRAMFS + swapfile.

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                  • #10
                    Originally posted by TAXI View Post
                    Read the first two warnings at the page and screw that idea. Better use VRAMFS + swapfile.
                    This are not warnings but "requirements" for using this way but I am sure it will have better performance.

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