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What is Resizable Bar, when and why you should use it, and more.

Whether you’re on the hunt for thebest graphics cardon the market or already have a recent GPU and have been tweaking your settings, you’ve likely come across a feature called Resizable BAR (Base Address Register), also known as Resize BAR or ReBAR (or forAMDcards, the equivalent Smart Memory Access, or SAM). Oftentimes, however, there’s not much explanation given in your system settings about what it is or does, prompting a lot of questions from readers like ‘What is Resizable BAR?’ and ‘Will Resizable BAR improve my gaming performance?’

Originallydeveloped as a way to improve how CPUs access GPU memory, Resizable BAR can provide meaningful performance improvements in certain cases, typically boosting frame rates in games, reducing load times, and creating a smoother gaming experience overall.

For users who’ve invested in high-end GPUs, such as thebest Nvidia graphics cards, Resizable BAR might unlock your GPU’s untapped potential. You’ll also absolutely need to use it if you want to get acceptable performance from any ofIntel’s latest Arc graphics cards.

However, like many performance tweaks, enabling Resizable BAR isn’t always straightforward, and it might not always be beneficial. Understanding what it does, when to use it, and how to set it up properly can make all the difference in terms of your PCs performance.

So, with all that said, I’m here to break down everything you need to know about Resizable BAR and answer common questions about the feature to help you better decide whether to enable it on your PC.

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What is Resizable BAR?

Resizable BAR is a BIOS-level system setting that changes the way CPUs are able to access a graphics card’s physical memory, or VRAM.

Without Resizable BAR, CPUs can only access a limited portion (256MB) of VRAM at a time, requiringmultiple access operations to read or modify large files in VRAM, such as textures.

Resizable BAR allows the CPU to access the entire GPU memory buffer simultaneously, facilitating more efficient data transfers. This can lead to improved performance in applications that benefit from rapid data exchange between the CPU and GPU, most notably PC games.

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What is Resizable BAR good for?

Resizable BAR is especially helpful in PC gaming, where large assets like textures and shaders are frequently transferred between the CPU and GPU, particularly at higher resolutions where these files can be much larger.

By enabling the CPU to access the full GPU memory, Resizable BAR can reduce the number of data operations a CPU and GPU need to perform to generate a frame, potentially stabilizing and speeding up framerates as well as reducing loading times.

However, the extent of performance improvement varies depending on the game and system configuration, so these benefits aren’t guaranteed in all cases.

(Image credit: Zoomik / Shutterstock)
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Can Resizable BAR cause issues?

While Resizable BAR is effectively free frames in PC games, it can also introduce issues in some rare cases:

System Instability:Some users have reported system instabilityorcrashesafter enabling Resizable BAR.

Performance Degradation: In certain games,enabling Resizable BAR may lead to reduced performanceor increased stuttering.

Compatibility Issues:Not all hardware configurations support Resizable BAR, and enabling it on unsupported systems can cause problems.

If you plan on enabling Resizable BAR, your system components (CPU, GPU, motherboard)must support Resizable BAR in the first place, and you should ensure that all firmware and drivers are up to date for these components before attempting to enable the feature.

(Image credit: DisobeyArt / Shutterstock)

Should Resizable BAR be turned on?

Before we go any further,your PC hardware (CPU, GPU, and motherboard) needs to support Resizable BAR and all of your drivers, BIOS, and firmware need to be up to date before attempting to enable Resizable BAR. Assuming all of this is true, Resizable BAR can offer performance gains in many games, especially those that are optimized by their developers to utilize it.

However, the benefits are not universal. Some games may see negligible improvements, and in rare cases, performance could decrease.

Generally, you’ll want to test specific games and monitor performance to determine if enabling Resizable BAR is a good move, though you can always disable it if it causes issues with a particular title or application and enable it in other circumstances.

Does Resizable BAR increase FPS?

The impact of Resizable BAR on a game’s framerate (FPS) varies. Some games may experience noticeable FPS increases, while others show minimal or no improvement.

The effectiveness of Resizable BAR is determined by factors such as each game’s optimization for this feature, overall system configuration, and in some cases, GPU architecture.

Google agrees Privacy Sandbox isn’t working

(Image credit: Pixabay)

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• RIP: Privacy Sandbox, 2019-2025 – Google confirms it won’t go ahead with plans
• Third-party cookies continue, but Incognito mode offers enhanced protection
• Some tech, like Topics API, will continue to be used

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Googleis scaling back its Privacy Sandbox project, which was originally aimed at phasing out third-party cookies, after six years of hard work and its fair share of delays.

Launched in 2019 to address privacy concerns and to meet regulatory standards without impacting advertisers’ abilities to target specific users, we now know that Google will not phase out third-party cookies.

In ablog postconfirming Privacy Sandbox’s demise, Google’s Anthony Chavez blamed publishers, developers, regulators and the ads industry for resistance, as well as a changing landscape and increased scrutiny from regulatory bodies.

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Google has pulled the plug on Privacy Sandbox

“Taking all of these factors into consideration, we’ve made the decision to maintain our current approach to offering users third-party cookie choice in Chrome, and will not be rolling out a new standalone prompt for third-party cookies,” Chavez confirmed.

Although Google will continue to support cookies in Chrome, the company has promised to “enhance tracking protections” in Incognito mode, which already blocks third-party cookies.

Some tech remains in development or use, though, including IP address protection in Incognito mode, which is planned for Q3 2025, and Topics API, which allows interest-based advertising without sharing full browsing history.

Google is now committed to working with the industry to gather feedback in order to inform an updated roadmap for the technologies it’s already been developing. “In light of this update, we understand that the Privacy Sandbox APIs may have a different role to play in supporting the ecosystem,” Chavez said.

Privacy advocates have argued that Google undermined its own privacy claims, noting that privacy came second to surveillance, with many users seeking to switch to alternativebrowserslike Firefox.

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Movement for an Open Web also hailed the announcement as the end of Google’s attempt to monopolize digital advertising standards.

Even if you’ve been using your iPhone for a long time, there are still things that can leave you confused. For instance, you might wonder what the arrow at the top of the screen means or what the orange and green dots indicate. Another common mystery with iPhones is why you sometimes see a “slide to answer” option when receiving a call, while other times you get “Decline” and “Accept” buttons instead. There’s a simple explanation for this. When your iPhone is unlocked, you see the red and green buttons to decline and answer the call. In the latest versions of iOS, you don’t even see a full-screen alert if you’re watching a video or playing a game. Instead, a banner appears at the top. You can change this in the settings if you prefer full-screen incoming call alerts. On the other hand, the “slide to answer” option appears when you receive a call while your iPhone is locked. However, you can still decline calls by pressing the side button twice, which sends the call to voicemail. Pressing the side button once only silences the call without rejecting it. Below, we’ll explain the reason why your iPhone shows two different call screens. >>>Replacement battery for Apple iPhone 13 MiniWhat’s the need for two different incoming call screens?

In earlier versions of iOS, specifically iOS 1 through iOS 5, Apple only offered a single incoming call screen with options to answer or decline calls. This worked well when your iPhone was already unlocked, as you were likely looking at it. However, imagine your iPhone being in your pocket or bag, and you accidentally answer or reject a call with a stray touch.>>>Replacement battery for Apple iPhone 14 PlusTo solve this, Apple introduced the “slide to answer” option with iOS 6. This was a clever solution, as sliding the screen from left to right is much less likely to happen accidentally. If you look at Android phones, most devices offer only one incoming call screen, regardless of whether the phone is locked or unlocked. You need to swipe the green or red button upwards or sideways to answer or decline calls, which helps prevent any accidental actions.

Powered by AI, it will ‘detect and blur images that may contain nudity’ and provide warnings.

Google Messages has started rolling out sensitive content warnings for nudity after first unveiling the feature late last year. The new feature will perform two key actions if the AI-based system detects message containing a nude image: it will blur any of those photo and trigger a warning if your child tries to open, send or forward them. Finally, it will provide resources for you and your child to get help. All detection happens on the device to ensure images and data remain private.

Sensitive content warnings are enabled by default for supervised users and signed-in unsupervised teens, the company notes. Parents control the feature for supervised users via the Family Link app, but unsupervised teens aged 13 to 17 can turn it off in Google Messages settings. The feature is off by default for everyone else.

With sensitive content warnings enabled, images are blurred and a “speed bump” prompt opens allowing the user to block the sender, while offering a link to a resource page detailing why nudes can be harmful. Next, it asks the user if they still want to open the message with “No, don’t view,” and “Yes, view” options. If an attempt is made to send an image, it provides similar options. So, it doesn’t completely block children from sending nudes, but merely provides a warning.

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The feature is powered by Google’s SafetyCore system whichallowsAI-powered on-device content classification without sending “identifiable data or any of the classified content or results to Google servers,” according to the company. It only just started arriving on Android devices and is not yet widely available,9to5Googlewrote. 

There are several things you can do to customize your Chromebook experience and make it comfortable to use. For instance, you can enable dark mode to make ChromeOS easier on the eyes, especially at night. For added convenience, you can even schedule the dark mode to turn on automatically at specific times. That said, enabling dark mode may not always be enough. If you’re using an app that doesn’t support dark mode, like Google Docs or Sheets, it will still appear with white backgrounds and strain your eyes. In such cases, your next best option may be to invert screen colors on your Chromebook. Enabling color inversion can also be helpful for those with low vision or anyone who finds bright colors uncomfortable. Fortunately, Chromebook offers more than one way to invert screen colors. Below, we’ll walk you through these methods and explain how this mode affects your Chromebook’s display.>>>Replacement battery for Asus Chromebook Flip CM3 CM3200 CM3200FVAHow to enable screen color inversion on Chromebook

Google’s ChromeOS makes it easy to invert screen colors. Here’s how you can enable or disable this mode via the Settings app. Go to your Chromebook desktop. 
Click on the time in the bottom-right corner of the screen. 
In the Quick Settings panel, click the gear-shaped icon to launch the Settings app. 
Go to the Accessibility tab in the left pane. 
Click the Display and magnification option on your right. 
Finally, turn on the toggle next to Color inversion.
Once you complete the above steps, the colors on your Chromebook screen will be inverted. If you need to toggle this mode on and off frequently, there’s a quicker way. You can press the Ctrl + Search + H keyboard shortcut on your Chromebook, then click the Continue button to enable the mode. You can use the same shortcut to turn off inverted colors and return to normal screen colors.>>>Replacement battery for Samsung Galaxy Chromebook XE930QCAWhat does color inversion on Chromebook do and how is it different from dark mode?

Color inversion is an accessibility feature on Chromebook that aims to improve screen readability. As the name suggests, it swaps bright colors for dark ones and vice versa. Once enabled, it applies to everything on your Chromebook screen, from icons to images. This makes content easier to read, especially in places where there’s too much light. Further, it also helps reduce the screen glare effects caused by sunlight or overhead lights. While color inversion may seem similar to dark mode, they are not the same. A major difference is that color inversion applies to every element on the screen, whereas dark mode only typically replaces light backgrounds with darker ones. Dark mode needs to be enabled for each of your apps separately, so if an app doesn’t support it, you can’t use it in dark mode. Compared to this, color inversion works across all apps and screen elements, so you don’t need to worry about compatibility.