Answer

AMD Smart Access Memory (SAM) is a feature that allows the AMD processor to access the full memory of the discrete GPU instead of a limited portion, which can improve performance in supported games and applications. On MSI notebooks equipped with an AMD Ryzen 5000H series processor and an AMD Radeon RX 6000M series discrete GPU, AMD Smart Access Memory is enabled by default. Refer to this article if you want to confirm whether AMD Smart Access Memory is currently enabled, for example after a BIOS update, a BIOS reset, or a graphics driver reinstallation.

This article applies to MSI notebooks equipped with an AMD Ryzen 5000H series processor and an AMD Radeon RX 6000M series discrete GPU.

 

Method A: Check in Device Manager

1. Open Device Manager.

2. Under “Display adapters”, right-click the discrete GPU, then select “Properties”.

3. Select the “Resources” tab.

4. Check whether “Large Memory Range” is listed:

- Listed — AMD Smart Access Memory is enabled.

- Not listed — AMD Smart Access Memory is not enabled; use Method B to check the related BIOS settings.

 

Method B: Check in BIOS

1. Press [Del] while the notebook is booting up to enter the BIOS menu.

2. Go to the “Advanced” page.

3. Check both of the following settings:

- “Above 4G Decoding” is set to “Enabled”.

- “Re-Size BAR Support” is set to “Auto”.

4. If both settings match the values above, AMD Smart Access Memory is enabled properly.

Note: Only change the two settings listed above. Modifying unrelated BIOS settings can affect system stability.

 

 

Common Questions (Q&A): 

What does AMD Smart Access Memory actually do?

It allows the AMD processor to access the entire memory of the discrete GPU instead of a limited block, which can reduce data transfer bottlenecks between the CPU and GPU and improve performance in supported games and applications.