Virtual machines with the 3D graphics option enabled can have higher memory consumption than other virtual machines. You can reduce the memory overhead by editing the configuration file (.vmx file) of your virtual machines and disabling certain memory-related settings. Reducing the memory overhead of virtual machines can help you increase the number of virtual machines per host.

Prerequisites

Verify that your virtual machines are using hardware version 10 or later.

Procedure

  1. Shut down the virtual machine on which the 3D graphics option is enabled.
  2. Deactivate the Accelerate 3D Graphics option.
  3. Upgrade your ESXi host to use the features available in hardware version 10 or later.
  4. Set the maximum size of your display to the size you need.
  5. Locate the configuration file (.vmx) of your virtual machine.
  6. Open the virtual machine configuration file in a text editor and add the line, svga.vgaOnly=TRUE.
    This option removes all graphics and SVGA functionality from your SVGA device, but does not remove the settings that allow BIOS to enter VGA mode.
  7. Save the changes and exit the text editor.
  8. Power on your virtual machine and check the display console.
  9. Verify the memory reservation settings in the vmware.log file.