Acer Aspire E1-531G - VRAM reduction to 64MB after BIOS update to V2.21 (Intel HD Graphics)

Dear Acer Community,

I am seeking assistance regarding a significant issue I've encountered with my Acer Aspire E1-531G laptop.
My laptop originally came with BIOS V1.09, and the integrated Intel HD Graphics was allocated 128 MB of dedicated video memory (VRAM).
Recently, I updated the BIOS to V2.21. After this update, I've noticed that the dedicated VRAM for the integrated Intel HD Graphics has been reduced by half, to only 64 MB. This is confirmed in the BIOS setup utility's "Main" tab.
While my laptop also has a discrete graphics card, the reduction of VRAM for the integrated Intel HD Graphics still negatively impacts system responsiveness and performance during lighter tasks and general Windows 10 usage. I would like to restore the original 128 MB allocation.
I have already attempted the following to resolve this, without success:
Downgrading to BIOS V2.17:Using the Windows-based InsydeFlash utility (from V2.17 package) with a modified platforms.ini (attempting to disable version checks). This resulted in a "BIOS version compare error!"Using the BIOS Crisis Recovery Mode (Fn + Esc) with various .fd file names (including Q5WV1X64.fd, BIOS.fd) from the V2.17 package on a FAT32 USB drive. The laptop enters a state with max fans and a blinking/solid USB drive LED, laptop produced 3 long, loud beeps and then simply rebooted into Windows, with no BIOS flash occurring. I even attempted this procedure with RAM modules temporarily removed to rule out RAM-related issues during recovery mode.
My current BIOS version is V2.21, and the dedicated video memory for Intel HD Graphics is 64 MB.
Could you please advise on how to:
Restore the 128 MB dedicated VRAM for the Intel HD Graphics while remaining on BIOS V2.21 (e.g., through a hidden BIOS setting or a specific modification)?Successfully downgrade the BIOS from V2.21 to V2.17 on this specific model, if a known working method exists that bypasses the current protections?
Any guidance or assistance from the Acer support team or community members who have experienced and resolved a similar issue would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you for your time and help. 🙏

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StevenGen

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/726011/acer-aspire-e1-531g-vram-reduction-to-64mb-after-bios-update-to-v2-21-intel-hd-graphics

There are allot of guides on "How to Increase Dedicated Video RAM on Windows Laptops with Intel Graphics" so go to that wikiHow link and do it that way. You don't need to downgrade the bios version either, always use the last version bios for your Aspire E1-531G laptop. Good luck.

If this answers your question and solved your query please "Click on Yes" or "Click on Like" if you find my answer useful👍

Hildr1

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/comment/1344913#Comment_1344913

Thank you for your reply!

However, this is a fairly well-known issue on various forums. Many users who updated their BIOS to version 2.21 have experienced this, which appears to be a deliberate halving of the video memory. In my BIOS, it currently shows the dedicated video memory as 64 MB, when it previously was 128 MB with earlier BIOS versions. Furthermore, Windows 10 display settings report it as only 32 MB, which is perplexing.

This issue cannot be resolved with default registry modifications, as it seems to be a hardcoded limitation imposed by Insyde's BIOS implementation. That's why I reached out to you, hoping there might be a method to successfully downgrade to version 2.17 without the need for a hardware programmer.

Initially, I had no intention of updating the BIOS on my older laptop. However, a recent plan to upgrade to a more advanced processor, the Intel Core i3-3130M (which features the Ivy Bridge architecture, a different generation than my current Sandy Bridge CPU), necessitated the BIOS update to 2.21 to ensure future compatibility.

I understand it might be simpler to provide a standard template response, but I kindly ask for specific assistance. I truly do not wish to see my future i3-3130M processor limited by only 32 MB of VRAM. I sincerely hope for your detailed reply.😥

StevenGen

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/comment/1344931#Comment_1344931

I do understand what you are trying to do but your Aspire E1-531G laptops Intel HM77 (Panther Point) chipset mobo bios is not designed to run the 3rd Gen Intel cpu's like the Ivy Bridge i3-3130M as these Intel 3rd Gen cpu's are not listed as compatible cpu's for the Aspire E1-531G laptop.

You would be much better upgrading to the compatible E1-531G laptops Intel 2nd Gen Sandy Bridge cpu's like the higher spec Core i5-2540M or the Core i7-2620M or even the Core i7-2640M (can run max 16GB at DDR3-1333MT/s speed ram) as all these cpu's have a TDP of 35W that your E1-351G oem bios can run and its designed for these 2nd Gen cpu's. As your laptop will perform much better with those cpu's with the NVidia GeForce gpu that your E1-351G has, as you have to understand that "more is not better" as these laptops need to have a balanced cpu, gpu to ram frequency to perform to their best and peak performance also fit a 2.5" SSD like the Samsung 870 EVO model SATA 3 drivethat will greatly speed up your laptop.

Note: I've still got my Aspire V3-571G from new, and that runs the i7-3720QM, NVidia GT640M0 gpu and I've upgraded the ram to 16GB at 2x DDR3-1600MT/s speed ram and that works perfectly without any problems, as the cpu, gpu and ram capacity is well balanced and not one component is not compatible.

If this answers your question and solved your query please "Click on Yes" or "Click on Like" if you find my answer useful👍

Hildr1

Thanks again for your reply 💝. You're right, it's better to stick with your opinion. I guess I got a bit carried away with the "generation" thing because of the Al models that were trying to push the 3rd generation on me. So I'd take i7.

I still have two questions: will this definitely fit me? The i7-2640M has HM65 and HM67 sockets, but mine is 77 and will the VRAM actually increase? I'm also concerned if the VRAM will be cut by 3 times...

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/comment/1344940#Comment_1344940

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