diff --git a/tinygrad/codegen/late/devectorizer.py b/tinygrad/codegen/late/devectorizer.py
index 7d37aa180d..93d65da486 100644
--- a/tinygrad/codegen/late/devectorizer.py
+++ b/tinygrad/codegen/late/devectorizer.py
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ from tinygrad.renderer import Renderer
 
 # ***** image load valid simplification *****
 
+@functools.cache
 def _drop_valid_stmts(valid:UOp, idx:UOp, height:int, width:int) -> list[UOp]:
   # can drop valid if idx is out of bound when valid is False
   drop_stmt = []
@@ -187,12 +188,15 @@ def _do_image_fixup(dt:ImageDType, idx:UOp) -> tuple[UOp, UOp, int, int]:
   buf = idx.src[0]
   x, valid = idx.src[1].get_idx(), idx.src[1].get_valid()
   h, w = dt.shape[0], dt.shape[1]
-  if IMAGE == 1 and valid is not None:
-    h, w = max(ImageDType.valid_dims(dt), key=lambda hw:
-                # maximize number of valids removed
-               (len(_drop_valid_stmts(valid, idx:=uop_given_valid(valid, UOp.vectorize((x//4)%hw[1], x//(4*hw[1])).simplify()), *hw)),
-                # and minimize idx complexity (number of nodes)
-                -len(idx.gep(1).backward_slice)))
+  if IMAGE == 1:
+    # search for dims that drop the most valid statements
+    best_drop, cands = -1, []
+    for ch, cw in ImageDType.valid_dims(dt):
+      if (dropped:=len(_drop_valid_stmts(valid, cidx:=uop_given_valid(valid, UOp.vectorize((x//4)%cw, x//(4*cw))), ch, cw))) > best_drop:
+        best_drop, cands = dropped, [(ch, cw, cidx)]
+      elif dropped == best_drop: cands.append((ch, cw, cidx))
+    # and tiebreak with indexing complexity (ie. number of nodes)
+    h, w, _ = cands[0] if len(cands) == 1 else min(cands, key=lambda cand: len(cand[2].simplify().gep(1).backward_slice))
     buf = buf.replace(dtype=(dtypes.imageh if dt.itemsize == 2 else dtypes.imagef)((h, w, 4), w * 4 * dt.itemsize))
   oidx = UOp(Ops.VECTORIZE, dtypes.index.vec(2), ((x // 4) % w, (x // (4*w))))
   return x, idx.replace(src=(buf, oidx.valid(valid))), w, h