Experiencing the dreaded “out of video memory” error while playing Dark and Darker can be incredibly frustrating, especially when you’re in the middle of a tense dungeon crawl. This issue, which often leads to crashes and gameplay interruptions, is a common problem for many gamers. In this article, we’ll dive into the reasons behind this error, explore various troubleshooting techniques, and provide solutions to get you back into the action. We’ll cover everything from the basics to more advanced tweaks to optimize your gaming experience. If you’ve been struggling with this issue, you’re not alone, and we’re here to help you understand and fix it.
What Causes the “Out of Video Memory” Error in Dark and Darker?
The “out of video memory” error, also known as VRAM error, typically occurs when your graphics card runs out of the dedicated video memory it needs to render the game. This can be due to several reasons. Understanding these causes will help you target the most appropriate solutions.
- High Game Settings: Pushing the graphics settings too high for your GPU’s capabilities is a prime culprit. Things like texture quality, shadow details, and anti-aliasing can consume significant amounts of VRAM.
- Insufficient VRAM: Some graphics cards, especially older models or low-end ones, may simply lack enough VRAM for demanding games like Dark and Darker.
- Background Applications: Running other resource-heavy applications in the background while gaming can eat into your GPU’s available resources.
- Outdated Drivers: Old or corrupted graphics drivers can cause conflicts and lead to memory-related errors.
- Operating System Issues: Sometimes, issues with your operating system’s memory management can contribute to VRAM errors.
- Overheating: A GPU that is overheating due to inadequate cooling will not perform at its peak and could trigger an out of memory error.
Basic Troubleshooting Steps to Resolve Video Memory Issues
Before we get into the advanced stuff, let’s start with some fundamental troubleshooting steps. These fixes are often the simplest and can help alleviate the problem.
- Restart Your Computer: A classic yet effective step, rebooting can clear temporary files and memory leaks that might be causing issues.
- Close Background Applications: Make sure that you are not running resource hungry applications in the background. Closing all of these before you start the game will free up memory.
- Lower In-Game Graphics Settings: Reduce graphics settings like texture quality, shadow details, and anti-aliasing. Gradually lower the settings until the issue is resolved. Remember, you can tweak your setting in the game’s graphic options.
- Update Graphics Drivers: Head to your GPU manufacturer’s website and download the latest drivers for your specific model. Outdated drivers can be the cause of many problems, including this one.
- Check for Game Updates: Ensure your game is updated to the latest version, as patches often address known issues.
- Monitor GPU Temperature: Download and install software like MSI Afterburner, which lets you monitor temperature. If it is overheating then make sure that you improve cooling.
How To Adjust In-Game Graphic Settings for Better Performance
Optimizing your game’s graphic settings can make a big difference. It’s not just about making the game look great; it’s also about playing smoothly.
- Lower Texture Quality: This is often the biggest VRAM hog. Try reducing this from high to medium or even low.
- Reduce Shadow Quality: Shadows are another significant resource consumer. Lower their resolution or disable them completely.
- Disable or Reduce Anti-Aliasing: While it makes edges smoother, it also demands a lot of VRAM. Lower it or disable it altogether.
- Adjust View Distance: Reducing the view distance can lessen the strain on your graphics card.
- Test Settings Incrementally: After each adjustment, check if the problem has gone away. Don’t change too many settings at once, because if it is fixed, you will not know what setting fixed it.
“I’ve seen many users fix this problem just by adjusting a few key graphics settings,” says Mark Johnson, a tech support specialist from the gaming community. “Start with texture and shadow quality; those are the usual suspects.”
Advanced Fixes for “Out of Video Memory”
If the basic troubleshooting steps didn’t work, it might be time to try some more advanced fixes. These methods require a little more technical know-how.
- Increase Virtual Memory: Virtual memory uses your hard drive as an extension of your RAM. Increasing it can sometimes mitigate VRAM errors.
- Go to “System Properties” and click on “Advanced system settings.”
- Under the “Performance” section, click on “Settings.”
- Select the “Advanced” tab and then click on “Change” under the virtual memory section.
- Uncheck “Automatically manage paging file size.”
- Select “Custom size” and set initial and maximum size values, typically 1.5-3 times of installed ram, click set and ok.
- Disable Hardware Acceleration: Disabling this feature can reduce GPU usage, as it forces the CPU to handle certain tasks instead.
- Right click the desktop and choose display settings, then click “graphics”.
- Turn off hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling.
- Restart your computer to see if changes have an effect.
- Reinstall the Game: Sometimes, game files can get corrupted, so reinstalling might be a solution. Remember to backup any save data before doing so.
- Perform a Clean Driver Install: Completely uninstall your graphics drivers and perform a clean installation. This often fixes corrupt driver issues.
- Download Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU).
- Boot Windows into safe mode.
- Run DDU to remove all graphic drivers.
- Reboot Windows and install a fresh copy of graphic drivers.
- Run the Game in Compatibility Mode: This might help with older systems.
- Right click on the Dark and Darker icon, and choose properties.
- Choose the compatibility tab and check the “run this program in compatibility mode”.
- Choose a previous windows version and click apply and then ok.
- Check for Memory Leaks: Use Windows’ resource monitor to identify memory leaks and which applications are causing them. You may need to update those.
How To Adjust Virtual Memory Settings
Tweaking virtual memory can be a straightforward way to manage memory issues, but you need to be careful when adjusting this setting.
- Access System Properties: Find this in the system settings menu.
- Navigate to Virtual Memory Settings: Look for the virtual memory settings in the advanced system properties menu.
- Adjust Virtual Memory Size: Set the virtual memory to a higher value. A good rule of thumb is setting it to 1.5-3 times your total RAM.
- Test the Changes: After you have adjusted the value, run your game and test if the changes have fixed the problem.
“When dealing with VRAM errors, virtual memory adjustments can act as a temporary buffer. It’s like giving your system some extra breathing room,” says Sarah Chen, a systems engineer specializing in memory management.
Comparing Solutions: Basic vs. Advanced
Let’s compare the effectiveness of these solutions and when each one might be most appropriate:
Solution | Difficulty | Effectiveness | When to Use |
---|---|---|---|
Restart Computer | Easy | Medium | As a first step to clear temporary errors. |
Close Background Apps | Easy | Medium | When other applications are hogging resources. |
Lower Graphics Settings | Easy | High | When your GPU can’t handle the current settings. |
Update Graphics Drivers | Easy | High | When drivers are out of date or corrupted. |
Increase Virtual Memory | Medium | Medium | When system RAM is limited or has memory leaks |
Disable Hardware Acceleration | Medium | Medium | If the GPU is struggling, this may offload some processing to the CPU |
Reinstall the Game | Medium | Medium | If game files are corrupt. |
Clean Driver Install | Advanced | High | When drivers are severely corrupted or causing conflicts. |
Compatibility Mode | Medium | Low-Medium | When your system is running old software, or has an old system configuration |
Is Upgrading Your Hardware Needed?
Sometimes, the “out of video memory” error is a sign that your hardware is becoming outdated. If your current setup consistently falls short of the game’s requirements, upgrading may be your only solution.
- Graphics Card: Consider upgrading to a GPU with more VRAM. This is often the most effective solution for VRAM-related problems.
- RAM: Ensure you have enough RAM to support both the game and your operating system. If you have 8GB of RAM then upgrading to 16 GB will help with resource allocation.
- Storage: Consider upgrading to a fast SSD so that programs load fast.
What To Do If The Problem Persists
If you have tried all the fixes mentioned and still encounter the error, it might be worth seeking help from online communities, support forums, or contacting the game’s support team. There could be a specific issue with your setup that needs professional help.
Common Questions About Dark and Darker Memory Issues
Here are some frequently asked questions about dealing with “out of video memory” errors:
- Will lowering my resolution help? Yes, lowering the resolution can reduce VRAM usage.
- Is a gaming laptop going to cause more problems? Some gaming laptops have less powerful GPUs than their desktop counterparts, if so then it might cause problems.
- Can the game’s settings be to blame? Absolutely, overly high or incorrectly configured settings often trigger VRAM issues.
- Are all VRAM errors hardware related? Not always, sometimes it is software issues that cause problems.
- Can overclocking the graphics card cause VRAM errors? Yes, overclocking improperly can cause instability and memory errors.
- What is the best way to monitor memory usage during the game? Use software like MSI Afterburner to monitor memory and temperature.
- Do the graphic settings of the monitor have an effect? Some monitors have features such as refresh rates that can effect the GPU usage, so you should set it appropriately.
Conclusion
Dealing with “out of video memory” errors in Dark and Darker can be frustrating, but with the right troubleshooting steps, you can often fix the issue. By understanding the causes, implementing basic fixes, trying advanced tweaks, and considering hardware upgrades, you can minimize or eliminate these annoying crashes and get back to enjoying the game. Remember to start with the basics and gradually move to more complex solutions, and always monitor your system for potential hardware issues. If the problem persists then contact the game developers support or online communities for help.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Q: What does “out of video memory” mean?
- A: It means your graphics card has run out of memory needed to render the game’s visuals, leading to crashes or other issues. It can be caused by high in game settings, hardware limitations, or conflicts in the system.
- Q: Is it always the graphics card that is causing problems?
- A: Whilst it is most often caused by the graphics card, sometimes it can be from other components such as RAM or even the operating system itself, so it is necessary to check everything.
- Q: Can too many programs open on my computer cause the problem?
- A: Yes, having multiple programs open will take up valuable memory resources, this reduces the performance of your game and can potentially cause the out of memory error.
- Q: Will upgrading to a better graphics card solve the issue?
- A: Often, yes, upgrading to a card with more VRAM is a very effective solution. If you are struggling with memory issues then it would be highly recommended.
- Q: Can lowering the graphics settings improve game performance?
- A: Yes, reducing settings such as texture and shadow quality can drastically reduce the demand on your graphics card. This can reduce and remove the out of video memory error.
- Q: What are the most common fixes for “out of video memory” errors?
- A: The most common solutions involve lowering in-game graphics settings, updating graphics drivers, increasing virtual memory, and closing background applications.
Related Articles
To further enhance your troubleshooting skills and knowledge, consider checking out these related articles on Flycam Review:
- Understanding Graphics Card Performance for Gaming: [link to relevant article 1]
- Troubleshooting Common Game Crashes: [link to relevant article 2]
- Tips to Improve Gaming Performance: [link to relevant article 3]
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