Optimization

[AYDANN6ix9ine]

As games get more optimized for hardware and better developed, should more VRAM efficiency be expected, as in less VRAM usage?

 

Also, how long will a 4GB GPU be "good enough" for 1080p High Settings based on how games are going now? I know popular games like CSGO, LOL, and Fortnite take less than 2.5GB of VRAM event at max 1080p settings. I know it is nearly impossible to answer so if you don't want to, don't answer this question at all.

[Mira Yurizaki]

No. The main users of VRAM are:

• Textures. While textures can be compressed, they must be done with fixed compression to maximize predictability. And you can only go so far with this.
• Render targets, which are intermediate steps in the rendering process and are usually the size of the screen resolution
• Shadows, while user configurable, require more VRAM for higher resolution
• Real-time reflections may also be in the same boat.

There are things within the GPU that use up less VRAM. NVIDIA's done internal compression to pass render data around but that's about it.

[suchamoneypit]

4GB is usually more than enough for 1080p and probably will be forever (by the time its not, 4K will be so cheap you'd be silly to be using 1080p), although there are definitely a few outlier games that can use an insane amount of VRAM if you crank settings (I think rainbow six seige could go up to like 6.5GB usage with everything maxed). When the Furys (I know you're asking about furys hah) first came out, I remember some benchmarks showing how in some titles in 4K the 4GB wasn't enough and caused issues, off the top of my head GTAV was one of those games, but thats even in 4K, not 1080p.

[dgsddfgdfhgs]

18 minutes ago, AYDANN6ix9ine said:

Also, how long will a 4GB GPU be "good enough" for 1080p High Settings based on how games are going now? I know popular games like CSGO, LOL, and Fortnite take less than 2.5GB of VRAM event at max 1080p settings.

I often maxed out everything on my gtx970 including vsync &AA, depends on the game, 3.5G is usually used up, nothing happened, smooth gameplay all the way, and I dont care for shadows, so I might have turn it down.. 

For 1080P I get 45~55fps most of the time, It should last another 3/4 years