diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/gvt/aperture_gm.c b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/gvt/aperture_gm.c
index 7d33b607bc89..1bb7a5b80d47 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/gvt/aperture_gm.c
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/gvt/aperture_gm.c
@@ -48,47 +48,34 @@ static int alloc_gm(struct intel_vgpu *vgpu, bool high_gm)
 {
 	struct intel_gvt *gvt = vgpu->gvt;
 	struct drm_i915_private *dev_priv = gvt->dev_priv;
-	u32 alloc_flag, search_flag;
+	unsigned int flags;
 	u64 start, end, size;
 	struct drm_mm_node *node;
-	int retried = 0;
 	int ret;
 
 	if (high_gm) {
-		search_flag = DRM_MM_SEARCH_BELOW;
-		alloc_flag = DRM_MM_CREATE_TOP;
 		node = &vgpu->gm.high_gm_node;
 		size = vgpu_hidden_sz(vgpu);
 		start = gvt_hidden_gmadr_base(gvt);
 		end = gvt_hidden_gmadr_end(gvt);
+		flags = PIN_HIGH;
 	} else {
-		search_flag = DRM_MM_SEARCH_DEFAULT;
-		alloc_flag = DRM_MM_CREATE_DEFAULT;
 		node = &vgpu->gm.low_gm_node;
 		size = vgpu_aperture_sz(vgpu);
 		start = gvt_aperture_gmadr_base(gvt);
 		end = gvt_aperture_gmadr_end(gvt);
+		flags = PIN_MAPPABLE;
 	}
 
 	mutex_lock(&dev_priv->drm.struct_mutex);
-search_again:
-	ret = drm_mm_insert_node_in_range_generic(&dev_priv->ggtt.base.mm,
-						  node, size, 4096,
-						  I915_COLOR_UNEVICTABLE,
-						  start, end, search_flag,
-						  alloc_flag);
-	if (ret) {
-		ret = i915_gem_evict_something(&dev_priv->ggtt.base,
-					       size, 4096,
-					       I915_COLOR_UNEVICTABLE,
-					       start, end, 0);
-		if (ret == 0 && ++retried < 3)
-			goto search_again;
-
-		gvt_err("fail to alloc %s gm space from host, retried %d\n",
-				high_gm ? "high" : "low", retried);
-	}
+	ret = i915_gem_gtt_insert(&dev_priv->ggtt.base, node,
+				  size, 4096, I915_COLOR_UNEVICTABLE,
+				  start, end, flags);
 	mutex_unlock(&dev_priv->drm.struct_mutex);
+	if (ret)
+		gvt_err("fail to alloc %s gm space from host\n",
+			high_gm ? "high" : "low");
+
 	return ret;
 }
 
diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_gem_gtt.c b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_gem_gtt.c
index 6af9311f72f5..c8f1675852a7 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_gem_gtt.c
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_gem_gtt.c
@@ -2044,7 +2044,6 @@ static int gen6_ppgtt_allocate_page_directories(struct i915_hw_ppgtt *ppgtt)
 	struct i915_address_space *vm = &ppgtt->base;
 	struct drm_i915_private *dev_priv = ppgtt->base.i915;
 	struct i915_ggtt *ggtt = &dev_priv->ggtt;
-	bool retried = false;
 	int ret;
 
 	/* PPGTT PDEs reside in the GGTT and consists of 512 entries. The
@@ -2057,29 +2056,14 @@ static int gen6_ppgtt_allocate_page_directories(struct i915_hw_ppgtt *ppgtt)
 	if (ret)
 		return ret;
 
-alloc:
-	ret = drm_mm_insert_node_in_range_generic(&ggtt->base.mm, &ppgtt->node,
-						  GEN6_PD_SIZE, GEN6_PD_ALIGN,
-						  I915_COLOR_UNEVICTABLE,
-						  0, ggtt->base.total,
-						  DRM_MM_TOPDOWN);
-	if (ret == -ENOSPC && !retried) {
-		ret = i915_gem_evict_something(&ggtt->base,
-					       GEN6_PD_SIZE, GEN6_PD_ALIGN,
-					       I915_COLOR_UNEVICTABLE,
-					       0, ggtt->base.total,
-					       0);
-		if (ret)
-			goto err_out;
-
-		retried = true;
-		goto alloc;
-	}
-
+	ret = i915_gem_gtt_insert(&ggtt->base, &ppgtt->node,
+				  GEN6_PD_SIZE, GEN6_PD_ALIGN,
+				  I915_COLOR_UNEVICTABLE,
+				  0, ggtt->base.total,
+				  PIN_HIGH);
 	if (ret)
 		goto err_out;
 
-
 	if (ppgtt->node.start < ggtt->mappable_end)
 		DRM_DEBUG("Forced to use aperture for PDEs\n");
 
@@ -3553,3 +3537,49 @@ i915_get_ggtt_vma_pages(struct i915_vma *vma)
 	return ret;
 }
 
+int i915_gem_gtt_insert(struct i915_address_space *vm,
+			struct drm_mm_node *node,
+			u64 size, u64 alignment, unsigned long color,
+			u64 start, u64 end, unsigned int flags)
+{
+	u32 search_flag, alloc_flag;
+	int err;
+
+	lockdep_assert_held(&vm->i915->drm.struct_mutex);
+
+	if (flags & PIN_HIGH) {
+		search_flag = DRM_MM_SEARCH_BELOW;
+		alloc_flag = DRM_MM_CREATE_TOP;
+	} else {
+		search_flag = DRM_MM_SEARCH_DEFAULT;
+		alloc_flag = DRM_MM_CREATE_DEFAULT;
+	}
+
+	/* We only allocate in PAGE_SIZE/GTT_PAGE_SIZE (4096) chunks,
+	 * so we know that we always have a minimum alignment of 4096.
+	 * The drm_mm range manager is optimised to return results
+	 * with zero alignment, so where possible use the optimal
+	 * path.
+	 */
+	GEM_BUG_ON(size & 4095);
+	if (alignment <= 4096)
+		alignment = 0;
+
+	err = drm_mm_insert_node_in_range_generic(&vm->mm, node,
+						  size, alignment, color,
+						  start, end,
+						  search_flag, alloc_flag);
+	if (err != -ENOSPC)
+		return err;
+
+	err = i915_gem_evict_something(vm, size, alignment, color,
+				       start, end, flags);
+	if (err)
+		return err;
+
+	search_flag = DRM_MM_SEARCH_DEFAULT;
+	return drm_mm_insert_node_in_range_generic(&vm->mm, node,
+						   size, alignment, color,
+						   start, end,
+						   search_flag, alloc_flag);
+}
diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_gem_gtt.h b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_gem_gtt.h
index 0055b8567a43..4c7bef07e38a 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_gem_gtt.h
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_gem_gtt.h
@@ -528,6 +528,11 @@ int __must_check i915_gem_gtt_prepare_pages(struct drm_i915_gem_object *obj,
 void i915_gem_gtt_finish_pages(struct drm_i915_gem_object *obj,
 			       struct sg_table *pages);
 
+int i915_gem_gtt_insert(struct i915_address_space *vm,
+			struct drm_mm_node *node,
+			u64 size, u64 alignment, unsigned long color,
+			u64 start, u64 end, unsigned int flags);
+
 /* Flags used by pin/bind&friends. */
 #define PIN_NONBLOCK		BIT(0)
 #define PIN_MAPPABLE		BIT(1)
diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_vma.c b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_vma.c
index fd75d5704287..608008d2d999 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_vma.c
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_vma.c
@@ -415,43 +415,11 @@ i915_vma_insert(struct i915_vma *vma, u64 size, u64 alignment, u64 flags)
 				goto err_unpin;
 		}
 	} else {
-		u32 search_flag, alloc_flag;
-
-		if (flags & PIN_HIGH) {
-			search_flag = DRM_MM_SEARCH_BELOW;
-			alloc_flag = DRM_MM_CREATE_TOP;
-		} else {
-			search_flag = DRM_MM_SEARCH_DEFAULT;
-			alloc_flag = DRM_MM_CREATE_DEFAULT;
-		}
-
-		/* We only allocate in PAGE_SIZE/GTT_PAGE_SIZE (4096) chunks,
-		 * so we know that we always have a minimum alignment of 4096.
-		 * The drm_mm range manager is optimised to return results
-		 * with zero alignment, so where possible use the optimal
-		 * path.
-		 */
-		if (alignment <= 4096)
-			alignment = 0;
-
-search_free:
-		ret = drm_mm_insert_node_in_range_generic(&vma->vm->mm,
-							  &vma->node,
-							  size, alignment,
-							  obj->cache_level,
-							  start, end,
-							  search_flag,
-							  alloc_flag);
-		if (ret) {
-			ret = i915_gem_evict_something(vma->vm, size, alignment,
-						       obj->cache_level,
-						       start, end,
-						       flags);
-			if (ret == 0)
-				goto search_free;
-
+		ret = i915_gem_gtt_insert(vma->vm, &vma->node,
+					  size, alignment, obj->cache_level,
+					  start, end, flags);
+		if (ret)
 			goto err_unpin;
-		}
 
 		GEM_BUG_ON(vma->node.start < start);
 		GEM_BUG_ON(vma->node.start + vma->node.size > end);
