Nvidia is launching Resizable BAR support today, a feature of PCI Express that can boost frame rates in certain games by up to 10 percent. Resizable BAR works by unlocking access to the full graphics frame buffer, instead of limiting it to 256MB block reads. This can improve frame rates in games, but it will require a compatible CPU, motherboard BIOS update, and even a VBIOS update for all 30-series desktop GPUs.
Nvidia has been working with both AMD and Intel to provide chipset support. AMD’s Zen 3 CPUs are supported, alongside Intel’s 10th Gen processors and the company’s new 11th Gen desktop chips that launch today. You can find Nvidia’s full FAQ on motherboard and VBIOS updates right here.
Resizable BAR works the same as AMD’s Smart Access Memory, which also promises to improve frame rates in certain games by up to 10 percent. The frame rate increase using both will really depend on the game, and resolution will also impact how much performance will improve.
Thenew RTX 3060 graphics cardwas the first to include Resizable BAR last month, and wccftech found that it improved performance between 4 and 11 percent in certain games. Nvidia initially limited support to fewer than 10 games, as the company warned enabling it on all games might result in performance decreases in some.
Nvidia is now pre-testing titles and using special game profiles to enable Resizable BAR only where the performance increases. That means that only 17 games are currently supported, including Cyberpunk 2077, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, and Watch Dogs Legion. More games will be added in future driver updates.
Resizable BAR support on the AMD side has been tested thoroughly, and TechSpotfound that some games making use of Smart Access Memory could see a nearly 20 percent boost at 1440p and 4K.
