diff --git a/libraries/gpu-gl-common/src/gpu/gl/GLBackend.cpp b/libraries/gpu-gl-common/src/gpu/gl/GLBackend.cpp
index 44f2722ac8..1dd58904e8 100644
--- a/libraries/gpu-gl-common/src/gpu/gl/GLBackend.cpp
+++ b/libraries/gpu-gl-common/src/gpu/gl/GLBackend.cpp
@@ -148,6 +148,8 @@ void GLBackend::init() {
         GL_GET_INTEGER(MAX_UNIFORM_BLOCK_SIZE);
         GL_GET_INTEGER(UNIFORM_BUFFER_OFFSET_ALIGNMENT);
 
+        GPUIdent* gpu = GPUIdent::getInstance(vendor, renderer);
+
         if (vendor.contains("NVIDIA") ) {
             qCDebug(gpugllogging) << "NVIDIA card detected";
             GL_GET_INTEGER(GPU_MEMORY_INFO_DEDICATED_VIDMEM_NVX);
@@ -178,12 +180,17 @@ void GLBackend::init() {
                 _totalMemory = mem * BYTES_PER_MIB;
                 _dedicatedMemory = _totalMemory;
                 _videoCard = Intel;
+            } else {
+                qCWarning(gpugllogging) << "Intel card on non-Linux system, trying GPUIdent fallback";
+                _videoCard = Unknown;
+                _dedicatedMemory = gpu->getMemory();
+                _totalMemory = _dedicatedMemory;
             }
         } else {
             qCCritical(gpugllogging) << "Don't know how to get memory for OpenGL vendor " << vendor;
             _videoCard = Unknown;
-            _dedicatedMemory = 0;
-            _totalMemory = 0;
+            _dedicatedMemory = gpu->getMemory();
+            _totalMemory = _dedicatedMemory;
         }
 
         qCDebug(gpugllogging) << "dedicated: " << _dedicatedMemory;
@@ -191,7 +198,7 @@ void GLBackend::init() {
 
 
         LOG_GL_CONTEXT_INFO(gpugllogging, contextInfo);
-        GPUIdent* gpu = GPUIdent::getInstance(vendor, renderer);
+
 
         // From here on, GPUIdent::getInstance()->getMumble() should efficiently give the same answers.
         qCDebug(gpugllogging) << "GPU:";
@@ -233,6 +240,17 @@ size_t GLBackend::getAvailableMemory() {
 
 }
 
+bool GLBackend::availableMemoryKnown() {
+    switch( _videoCard ) {
+        case NVIDIA: return true;
+        case ATI: return true;
+        case Intel: return false;
+        case Unknown: return false;
+    }
+
+    return false;
+}
+
 GLBackend::GLBackend(bool syncCache) {
     _pipeline._cameraCorrectionBuffer._buffer->flush();
     initShaderBinaryCache();
diff --git a/libraries/gpu-gl-common/src/gpu/gl/GLBackend.h b/libraries/gpu-gl-common/src/gpu/gl/GLBackend.h
index ca44b897d9..3be1dfad55 100644
--- a/libraries/gpu-gl-common/src/gpu/gl/GLBackend.h
+++ b/libraries/gpu-gl-common/src/gpu/gl/GLBackend.h
@@ -111,6 +111,7 @@ public:
     static size_t getDedicatedMemory() { return _dedicatedMemory; }
 
     static size_t getAvailableMemory();
+    static bool availableMemoryKnown();
 
 
 
diff --git a/libraries/gpu-gl-common/src/gpu/gl/GLTextureTransfer.cpp b/libraries/gpu-gl-common/src/gpu/gl/GLTextureTransfer.cpp
index 98c8244c91..c39dc2917d 100644
--- a/libraries/gpu-gl-common/src/gpu/gl/GLTextureTransfer.cpp
+++ b/libraries/gpu-gl-common/src/gpu/gl/GLTextureTransfer.cpp
@@ -19,6 +19,8 @@
 #define MAX_RESOURCE_TEXTURES_PER_FRAME 2
 #define NO_BUFFER_WORK_SLEEP_TIME_MS 2
 #define THREADED_TEXTURE_BUFFERING 1
+#define MAX_AUTO_FRACTION_OF_TOTAL_MEMORY 0.8f
+#define AUTO_RESERVE_TEXTURE_MEMORY MB_TO_BYTES(64)
 
 static const size_t DEFAULT_ALLOWED_TEXTURE_MEMORY = MB_TO_BYTES(DEFAULT_ALLOWED_TEXTURE_MEMORY_MB);
 
@@ -183,12 +185,24 @@ void GLTextureTransferEngineDefault::manageMemory() {
 void GLTextureTransferEngineDefault::updateMemoryPressure() {
     PROFILE_RANGE(render_gpu_gl, __FUNCTION__);
 
+    bool useAvailableGlMemory = false;
     size_t allowedMemoryAllocation = gpu::Texture::getAllowedGPUMemoryUsage();
+
     if (0 == allowedMemoryAllocation) {
-        allowedMemoryAllocation = GLBackend::getTotalMemory();
-        if ( 0 == allowedMemoryAllocation ) {
-            // Last resort, if we failed to detect
-            allowedMemoryAllocation = DEFAULT_ALLOWED_TEXTURE_MEMORY;
+        // Automatic allocation
+
+        if ( GLBackend::availableMemoryKnown() ) {
+            // If we know how much is free, then we use that
+            useAvailableGlMemory = true;
+        } else {
+            // We don't know how much is free, so leave some reasonable spare room
+            // and hope it works.
+            allowedMemoryAllocation = GLBackend::getTotalMemory() * MAX_AUTO_FRACTION_OF_TOTAL_MEMORY;
+
+            if ( 0 == allowedMemoryAllocation ) {
+                // Last resort, if we failed to detect
+                allowedMemoryAllocation = DEFAULT_ALLOWED_TEXTURE_MEMORY;
+            }
         }
     }
 
@@ -222,7 +236,19 @@ void GLTextureTransferEngineDefault::updateMemoryPressure() {
 
     Backend::textureResourceIdealGPUMemSize.set(idealMemoryAllocation);
     size_t unallocated = idealMemoryAllocation - totalVariableMemoryAllocation;
-    float pressure = (float)totalVariableMemoryAllocation / (float)allowedMemoryAllocation;
+    float pressure = 0;
+
+    if ( useAvailableGlMemory ) {
+        float total_mem = GLBackend::getTotalMemory();
+        float avail_mem = GLBackend::getAvailableMemory() - AUTO_RESERVE_TEXTURE_MEMORY;
+        if ( avail_mem < 0 ) {
+            avail_mem = 0;
+        }
+
+        pressure = (total_mem - avail_mem) / total_mem;
+    } else {
+        pressure = (float)totalVariableMemoryAllocation / (float)allowedMemoryAllocation;
+    }
 
     // If we're oversubscribed we need to demote textures IMMEDIATELY
     if (pressure > OVERSUBSCRIBED_PRESSURE_VALUE && canDemote) {