# Mapped pinned memory

**URL:** <https://forums.developer.nvidia.com/t/mapped-pinned-memory/15638>\
**Category:** CUDA Programming and Performance\
**Created:** [March 23, 2010, 4:50am UTC](https://forums.developer.nvidia.com/t/mapped-pinned-memory/15638 "2010-03-23T04:50:06Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![gpuguy](https://developer.download.nvidia.com/images/forums/profile-default-devtalk-84.png) [@gpuguy](https://forums.developer.nvidia.com/u/gpuguy)\
**Post date:** [March 23, 2010, 4:50am UTC](https://forums.developer.nvidia.com/t/mapped-pinned-memory/15638/1 "2010-03-23T04:50:06Z")

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Hi,

Quick question: Where does the Mapped pinned memory located physically: inside DRAM of Graphics card or inside systems main memory? Also where is this mapping information stored (where and in which file )?

Thanks

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**Author:** ![Simon\_Green](https://developer.download.nvidia.com/images/forums/profile-default-devtalk-84.png) [@Simon\_Green](https://forums.developer.nvidia.com/u/Simon_Green)\
**Post date:** [March 23, 2010, 12:32pm UTC](https://forums.developer.nvidia.com/t/mapped-pinned-memory/15638/2 "2010-03-23T12:32:51Z")

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Pinned memory is host (i.e. CPU) memory that is page-locked (so the OS can’t swap it out) and mapped (so that the GPU can access it across the PCIE bus).

There’s a good document in the “simpleZeroCopy” sample in the SDK that explains all this.