Fortnite Out of Video Memory Error: Troubleshooting Guide
The dreaded "Out of Video Memory" error in Fortnite can abruptly halt your gaming session. This error indicates that your graphics card (GPU) is running out of memory (VRAM) to render the game's visuals. This doesn't necessarily mean you need a new GPU; often, it's a configuration or resource management issue. This guide will help you troubleshoot and resolve this problem.
Understanding VRAM and Its Limits
VRAM is the dedicated memory on your graphics card used for storing textures, models, and other visual data. Fortnite, especially with high settings, can demand a significant amount of VRAM. If the game requires more VRAM than your GPU has available, you'll encounter the "Out of Video Memory" error. For example, a GPU with 4GB of VRAM might struggle with Fortnite at "Epic" settings at 1080p, especially with other applications running in the background.
Practical Solutions to Fix the Error
Here are several steps you can take to address the "Out of Video Memory" error in Fortnite:
- Lower Graphics Settings: This is the most effective immediate solution.
- In Fortnite's settings, navigate to the "Video" tab.
- Reduce the "Graphics Quality" preset from "Epic" to "High," "Medium," or even "Low."
- Lower individual settings like "Textures," "Effects," and "Post Processing."
- Experiment to find a balance between visual quality and performance.
- Close Unnecessary Applications: Other programs running in the background consume VRAM.
- Close web browsers (Chrome, Firefox), especially those with multiple tabs open.
- Close streaming software (OBS, Streamlabs).
- Close image editing software (Photoshop, GIMP).
- Use Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc) to identify and close resource-intensive processes.
- Update Graphics Drivers: Outdated drivers can cause compatibility issues and inefficient VRAM usage.
- Visit the NVIDIA or AMD website and download the latest drivers for your GPU.
- Use the NVIDIA GeForce Experience or AMD Radeon Software to automatically check for updates.
- Perform a clean driver installation to remove any corrupted files from older drivers.
- Adjust Resolution: Lowering the game's resolution can significantly reduce VRAM usage. Try decreasing the resolution from 1920x1080 (1080p) to 1280x720 (720p).
- Increase Virtual Memory (Page File): Windows uses virtual memory as an extension of RAM.
- Search for "Adjust the appearance and performance of Windows" in the Start menu.
- Go to the "Advanced" tab and click "Change" under "Virtual memory."
- Uncheck "Automatically manage paging file size for all drives."
- Select the drive where Windows is installed (usually C:).
- Choose "Custom size" and set the "Initial size" and "Maximum size" to values higher than your physical RAM (e.g., 8192 MB initial and 16384 MB maximum for 8GB of RAM).
By implementing these solutions, you should be able to resolve the "Out of Video Memory" error and enjoy a smoother Fortnite experience.