Since memory is important in GPU rendering, I think you will find that useful... For MAX users there is a built-in optimizer but this can be very useful too...
http://www.atangeo.com/
Our goal is to provide you with tools that let you optimize your 3D models, quickly, efficiently, with best results possible.
Atangeo Balancer is a tool that puts your 3D polygonal models in balance.
With Balancer you can
* quickly and easily find your perfect balance between
visual appearance and the number of polygons;
* optimize your models even further for best visualization performance
depending on your rendering method.
Balancer is fast and robust
No more extra coffee breaks when you work with large models.
No more unnecessary memory upgrades either.
Balancer won't typically need more than 75 Mb of memory to optimize a 1 million triangle model in less than 10 seconds.
Balancer is accurate
It utilizes a high quality polygon reduction (aka mesh simplification or decimation) to preserve the visual appearance of your model.
The model features, normals, texture coordinates, material or layer boundaries are all honored.