diff --git a/test/vfio_user/common.sh b/test/vfio_user/common.sh
index 4c7f11ab4..8f1f2540f 100644
--- a/test/vfio_user/common.sh
+++ b/test/vfio_user/common.sh
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 #  All rights reserved.
 #
 
-: ${MALLOC_BDEV_SIZE=256}
+: ${MALLOC_BDEV_SIZE=128}
 : ${MALLOC_BLOCK_SIZE=512}
 
 source "$rootdir/test/vhost/common.sh"
diff --git a/test/vfio_user/nvme/common.sh b/test/vfio_user/nvme/common.sh
index 3fd566dab..040b3cae6 100644
--- a/test/vfio_user/nvme/common.sh
+++ b/test/vfio_user/nvme/common.sh
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ function vfio_user_run() {
 	mkdir -p $vfio_user_dir
 
 	timing_enter vfio_user_start
-	$rootdir/build/bin/nvmf_tgt -r $vfio_user_dir/rpc.sock -m 0xf &
+	$rootdir/build/bin/nvmf_tgt -r $vfio_user_dir/rpc.sock -m 0xf -s 512 &
 	nvmfpid=$!
 	echo $nvmfpid > $nvmf_pid_file
 
diff --git a/test/vfio_user/virtio/common.sh b/test/vfio_user/virtio/common.sh
index aed46907d..3703e6bf6 100644
--- a/test/vfio_user/virtio/common.sh
+++ b/test/vfio_user/virtio/common.sh
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ function vfu_tgt_run() {
 	mkdir -p $vfio_user_dir
 
 	timing_enter vfu_tgt_start
-	$rootdir/build/bin/spdk_tgt -r $vfio_user_dir/rpc.sock -m 0xf &
+	$rootdir/build/bin/spdk_tgt -r $vfio_user_dir/rpc.sock -m 0xf -s 512 &
 	vfupid=$!
 	echo $vfupid > $vfu_pid_file