Does my graphics card share RAM with the CPU? How to find this information in Ubuntu?

Does integrated graphics card on my motherboard use the same RAM that CPU uses? Or does it have its own RAM? How to know this information on my laptop running Ubuntu 14.04?

I tried lspci -vnn but couldn't find any information about RAM. It only shows how much memory is used for display.

Solution 1:

Both AMD and Intel have introduced CPUs and motherboard chipsets which support the integration of a GPU into the same die as the CPU. AMD markets CPUs with integrated graphics under the trademark Accelerated Processing Unit (APU), while Intel markets similar technology under the Intel HD Graphics and Iris brands.^Wikipedia

Modern Intel processors can have either Intel HD Graphics, Intel Iris integrated GPUs, or hybrid AMD Radeon Vega M graphics.

• Intel HD Graphics are the more common version of Intel integrated graphics. According to Graphics Cards: Integrated vs. Dedicated website:

  An integrated graphics processing unit (GPU) doesn't use its own RAM; it utilizes the system's memory instead. For modern Intel processors having integrated graphics, at any given time the GPU can access between 1 and 5 percent of the available memory. This percentage varies depending on the size of task, especially if you're multitasking or playing a game.

• Unlike Intel HD Graphics GPUs, Iris integrated GPUs have a small amount of onboard memory to help speed them up.

• Hybrid AMD Radeon Vega M graphics is connected to 4GB of second-generation High Bandwidth Memory (HBM2).

• Some AMD Ryzen CPUs do not have integrated graphics. You need a discrete GPU for Ryzen CPUs that don't have a G suffix.