How much VRAM I need, 8GB or 16GB?

[whm1974]

So I'm trying to keep track of Intel's upcoming Xe Graphics Card and personally I doubt I would need more then 8GB of Memory for a dGPU. I have no plans on getting a 4K Display anytime soon, so... Such displays and the Cards that power them will have to drop way down in price first.

 

Currently using 2460x1600p and happy with it. But 8GB is still fine for the future, right? Still using my GTX 970 4GB. Just replaced the fans too. 

[igormp]

If you have to ask, then you probably won't need it.

[xAcid9]

Hard to say, how far in the future? 2-3-4-5-6 years?

[jaslion]

Well if you do some data tracking and whatnot 4gb was the cutoff edge for solid 1080p gaming at medium to higher settings around 2020. Looking back at 2gb and such it seems the average was about 5 years after the first increase in vram. Also console generations played a huge role.

 

It is impossible to accurately predict but if history repeats then 4-5 years will start being the point of 8gb becoming low.

[whm1974]

29 minutes ago, xAcid9 said:

Hard to say, how far in the future? 2-3-4-5-6 years?

Considering that I'm still using the GTX 970 I purchased in Dec 2015, six years will be nice.

29 minutes ago, jaslion said:

Well if you do some data tracking and whatnot 4gb was the cutoff edge for solid 1080p gaming at medium to higher settings around 2020. Looking back at 2gb and such it seems the average was about 5 years after the first increase in vram. Also console generations played a huge role.

 

It is impossible to accurately predict but if history repeats then 4-5 years will start being the point of 8gb becoming low.

Given that the Standard for PC Gaming is still 1080p, and it is nuts to spend what a decent Rig will cost on just the dGPU alone, I just don't see the average PC Gamer jumping to 4K anytime soon. 

[Tech87]

As you already know, the vram needed is dependent on the resolution and settings you employ within your game.

It does appear 8GB is the sweet spot today.

 

There's actually a nice video by Jayztwocents on the subject. I'll link it below.

 

https://youtu.be/6vuFU_EF-38

[whm1974]

31 minutes ago, Tech87 said:

As you already know, the vram needed is dependent on the resolution and settings you employ within your game.

It does appear 8GB is the sweet spot today.

 

There's actually a nice video by Jayztwocents on the subject. I'll link it below.

 

https://youtu.be/6vuFU_EF-38

2560x1600p ~60fps with Med to High Settings. Forget 4K with Ultra Graphics...

[Tech87]

27 minutes ago, whm1974 said:

2560x1600p ~60fps with Med to High Settings. Forget 4K with Ultra Graphics...

There are probably a handful of titles that would use over 8GB today with those settings.

 

Moving into the future, that will only increase.

You may want to consider 12-16GB of vram to be on the safe side.

[xAcid9]

1 hour ago, whm1974 said:

Considering that I'm still using the GTX 970 I purchased in Dec 2015, six years will be nice.

Considering that you're asking this question while still using a GTX 970@1600p on 2021, I think you'll be just fine with 8GB. 

[manikyath]

adjusting game settings for VRAM usage is easy, my statement about the GTX970 '3.5GB' issue stays relevant;

 

Quote

Core craps out first.

 

For gaming you dont shop by VRAM, you shop by GPU performance.

[whm1974]

30 minutes ago, manikyath said:

adjusting game settings for VRAM usage is easy, my statement about the GTX970 '3.5GB' issue stays relevant;

 

 

For gaming you dont shop by VRAM, you shop by GPU performance.

This is what I thought given that some Card Manufactures have and still do put more VRAM then the dGPU can actually use.

[Tech87]

33 minutes ago, whm1974 said:

This is what I thought given that some Card Manufactures have and still do put more VRAM then the dGPU can actually use.

Future upgradability.

Also, users who do autocad or other graphic intensive work, may use even more vram than gaming.

 

[whm1974]

31 minutes ago, Tech87 said:

Future upgradability.

Also, users who do autocad or other graphic intensive work, may use even more vram than gaming.

 

Just minor video editing and the usage of DAZ3D from time to time.

[whm1974]

Thanks guys. Once Cards drop in Pricing and become more available I will pick out one.

[GamerDude]

I've played a number of games @ 3840x1080 (exactly half 4K) and in one or two of them, I saw VRAM usage hit just under 10GB, this was with max ingame setting (or damn near it). This is according to MSI AB which I had running to monitor temps/RAM/VRAM/GPU clk/etc. 

 

I think that perhaps certain game engines would dynamically limit themselves to however much VRAM is available on the cards being used. 8GB is still good for nVidia cards when DLSS is used as it cuts down on VRAM usage vs native resolution. Hopefully, AMD's FidelityFX Super Resolution would help AMD cards (and GTX 1000 series cards) improve performance (with acceptable expected image quality loss) since many of the older cards (Vega, RX 470/480, RX 570/580, RX 5000 series) have up to 8GB of VRAM as max.....other than the Radeon VII that is.