Windows 8.1 x64 - Low memory while playing full screen games

Anonymous
2013-12-01T18:38:14+00:00

Info: This bug was fixed on August 12th 2014 with the release of the month's Patch Tuesday. Make sure to install every update available for your system, if you're having the problem described on this thread.


Hello, I've been facing a "tough" problem with my computer running Windows 8.1 x64. I did not upgrade from Windows 8, I did a clean install and for the past month, everytime I play some of the new 2013 games (Assassin's Creed Black Flag, Battlefield 4, CoD:Ghosts etc.), I'm constantly getting a "low memory" warning from time to time. 

So, giving that my laptop is capable of running these games (Asus N56VZ - Intel Core i7, Intel HD 4000 + Nvidia GT650 M, 6GB DDR3, 750GB 7200rpm, Full-HD 15,6" screen), I began searching for an answer. Here's what I've concluded:

When the game (eg: Battlefield 4) opens, the memory consumption begins to rise, and rise, and rise, non stop, until the system doesn't have more memory available and triggers the low memory warning. However, in the exact moment that I "alt+tab" out of game OR the memory warning does it for me, all of the occupied memory is emptied instantly, like magic!

I was able to "understand" this using Process Explorer by MS (sysinternals), heres a screenshot that shows the "climbing" and the sudden drops:

http://prntscr.com/2809xc

I cant really discover where all this memory is being allocated/used, and I have no idea on whats causing this. I also don't know if this is Windows-related, device-related or driver-related.

Is anyone facing this as well? 

[UPDATE DECEMBER 9th] This issue is triggered when the resolution in which the games are being played differs from the resolution configured on Windows.

If you are playing a game, say, in 1366x768, you need to change the system resolution to the same 1366x768 BEFORE opening the game. That will stop the excessive memory consumption and you'll be able to play the game fine.

My system is in Portuguese, but I think it's easy to get it:

This also concludes that the issue is Windows-related and not driver related, so we'll have to wait for Microsoft to patch it. Meanwhile, remember to change your resolution when you're going to play.

[UPDATE APRIL 26th 2014]

According to some Intel folks at communities.intel.com (http://is.gd/71Vha2), Microsoft has confirmed the issue with Windows 8.1 in an internal email. It resides - as it was explained - on the DWM (Desktop Window Manager) which triggers a memory leak when running fullscreen games with a resolution different than the desktop resolution.

The memory leak fills the system memory and page file with junk until there's no more memory available.

We assume Microsoft is already working on a fix for this, altough we never heard anything "official" from them regarding the issue. 

[UPDATE AUGUST 14th 2014]

The problem has been finally fixed by Microsoft with the release of the August updates on Aug. 12th.

Make sure to install every single update available - including the optional ones - and you'll no longer receive low-memory warnings when running fullscreen games/apps with different resolution/refresh rate.

Also make sure you're using the latest drivers available for your Intel and/or Nvidia GPU (it might be important).

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Gaming

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

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Anonymous
2014-08-13T05:04:19+00:00

I might be a bit cynical but I looked through all the support KB's from the updates today and couldn't find anything that related to fixing this issue (unless I'm missing something)...

Yesterday i have made the update and i found via the link also no description, but...

Yah!, after nearly 10 months, microsoft have now solved this bug.

With the latest patches (Patch Day 12.08.2014, also install the optional Updates),

all different resolutions and framerates works well.

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  1. Anonymous
    2014-02-05T17:21:18+00:00

    Good to hear this! Remember to disable automatic updates in Windows otherwise you will have the same problem back again in short time...

    Bye,

    S.

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  2. Anonymous
    2014-02-05T16:04:27+00:00

    Thanks Stefano, it worked for me too.  I did read something similar but actually downloaded the latest driver from intel and assumed that is what was being talked about.  You explained it simpler and it worked, I just installed the original .2875 driver from my windows 8 install disk and all is beautiful.

    Just played an hour of Crysis 3 at 1600,900 whilst my desktop was at 1920,1080 and no issues at all, (which would have normally raised their heads after about 15 minutes.

    Thanks again.

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  3. Anonymous
    2014-02-05T13:54:10+00:00

    Hello,

    happy to have helped you! For what concerns the reason why the old driver was ok, my personal opinion is that Intel has done something wrong in the implementation of new directx 11.2 drivers, therefore all old drivers (before 11.2) are ok. This could be also the reason why Win 8.1. As far as I understood, Win 8 did not had DirectX 11.2...

    Have a nice play :)

    S.

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  4. Anonymous
    2014-02-05T12:53:17+00:00

    stefano, it worked!

    i installed the standard intel HD driver from the driver disc and tested it on Assassins Creed Black Flag, i even switch to several different resolution settings, let the game run and idling and watch the resource monitor and its stayed flat.

    im going to keep this old intel HD driver for awhile until there is a direct fix from microsoft since all my multimedia applications using nvidia, it wont hurt performance.

    but still it puzzles me how intel HD driver dictates which API to use. because in the end the game run on GTX.

    about to have both geforce and intel run the latest drivers(supporting directx 11.2), i had that already. which the ones that causing the problems.

    if on fullscreen games runs on GTX and windowed runs on intel HD there should be a difference in performance. i tried switching fullscreen-windowed with having FRAPS running on the background, and i dont see performance hit. and the issue starts when the lower resolution than the monitor are displayed in fullscreen. and only in lower resolution. but its fine now with the old intel driver.

    i initialy concludes that it was "frame buffer scaling" of directx 11.2 that interferes because the issue triggered when we scaling the frame. but the memory leak problems more likely related to another directx 11.2 feature: "DXGI Trim API" which override the behaviour of the memory dumping process.

    somehow this makes me suspects that the latest intel HD drivers makes the Intel GPU runs in the background and processing the same application regardless we are actually using the other GPUs.

    check it out here :

    http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/apps/bg182880.aspx#seven

    directx 11.2 has some very promising features that will benefit gaming, but the current implementation is too "rushed".

    but maybe it is Intel's problem. But why only in Windows 8.1?? (the old intel HD driver that i just installed is a windows 8.0 version)

    i'm gonna do the same thing to my other laptop.

    thanks Stefano.

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