Limits on Vertex Buffer Object (VBO) Size in OpenGL 4.6

Goal

Determine the maximum size of a vertex buffer object that can be allocated in a given OpenGL 4.6 context.

Constraints & Uncertainty

The maximum buffer size is implementation‑dependent; the specification does not prescribe a single value, and drivers expose it through various queries. It is unclear whether the limit is identical for GL_ARRAY_BUFFER and GL_ELEMENT_ARRAY_BUFFER, or if it is affected by the chosen memory usage hint (GL_STATIC_DRAW, GL_DYNAMIC_DRAW, etc.). Additionally, the token used to query the limit is not consistently documented across driver releases.

Specific Questions

• What is the documented maximum size of a VBO on a typical GPU running OpenGL 4.6?
• Which glGet token(s) should be used to retrieve this limit reliably across drivers?
• Does the maximum size differ between GL_ARRAY_BUFFER and GL_ELEMENT_ARRAY_BUFFER bindings?