Enough VRAM - true or false

[Vexr]

"Why 10 GB is enough" - written in September 2020 and aimed at 4K gaming.

https://www.resetera.com/threads/vram-in-2020-2024-why-10gb-is-enough.280976/

I also remember having a GTX 970 4 GB (3.5 GB) and it took a LOT of settings - textures, resolution, and AA - to overload its VRAM at 3440x1440 in GTA V, Rise of the Tomb Raider, and Shadow of the Tomb Raider (I think that's the last title I tried it on, can't quite remember if I already had a 1070 Ti at that time, which I then dropped for an RX 5700 XT).

So is it true? Is going beyond the current standard 'almost high-end' VRAM (8GB-10GB) as useless as the increasingly bloated enthusiast uptake of system RAM to 32GB? Or will it be absolutely essential beyond 2020?

Is it like Hardware Unboxed says, that VRAM will be bigger than ray tracing when it comes to future proofing your card beyond 1-2 years (with the obvious annoying proviso you can never future proof anything beyond this exact minute).

Or are they dribbling words like industry hype morons who think they've hit the formula of enriching themselves with views/subs, whilst at all times being useless amateur mouth breathers with the combined knowledge of 'what they managed to google'?

Or is it like said in the original link at the top of this page - that breaching VRAM usage is a paranoid illusion caused by Afterburner and the such misreporting, showing allocated VRAM rather than true VRAM usage, like apparently Special K can report?

 

[varkanoid]

Not another VRAM thread - yawn - pass the popcorn.

 

[Gerard]

Not another VRAM thread - yawn - pass the popcorn.

Get yer own!

 

[Johnny Silverhand]

10GB is just enough for 4K gaming right now. In another couple of years we can't be so sure it will be enough.

So basically not very future proof. So for a 4 year build you probably want something else unless you can get a 3080 for MSRP.

 

[Vexr]

Not another VRAM thread - yawn - pass the popcorn.

I've been out of the game for a year+. A search of the forums revealed 'relevant' posts on the 168th page of some RTX thread. There's not been anything to my eye on the last couple of pages of this subforum that claims to discuss the issue of VRAM.

I largely put this down to the generally low level of expertise on the OCUK forum and the proliferations of Stans in all things, rather than actual discussion, but thought I'd try to dredge these depths in the hope of bringing up a few diamonds and perhaps even igniting some real discussion that could offer an answer to the question I just posed.

 

[kevman]

No more - please see the other extensive threads on this topic

10GB vram enough for the 3080? Discuss..

 

[Chuk_Chuk]

I've been out of the game for a year+. A search of the forums revealed 'relevant' posts on the 168th page of some RTX thread. There's not been anything to my eye on the last couple of pages of this subforum that claims to discuss the issue of VRAM.

I largely put this down to the generally low level of expertise on the OCUK forum and the proliferations of Stans in all things, rather than actual discussion, but thought I'd try to dredge these depths in the hope of bringing up a few diamonds and perhaps even igniting some real discussion that could offer an answer to the question I just posed.

Grab a drink and a treat before you read.
Tldr:depending on who you ask you will get a yes or a no
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/forums/threads/10gb-vram-enough-for-the-3080-discuss.18897519/

If you finish reading that thread. There is also the on about the 3070 to keep you entertained. t

 

[Scougar]

From what I see there are "optimisations" happening that are removing items from RAM or rendering them at lower quality, that enable it 'look like' these amounts are enough at 4K.

 

[varkanoid]

I've been out of the game for a year+. A search of the forums revealed 'relevant' posts on the 168th page of some RTX thread. There's not been anything to my eye on the last couple of pages of this subforum that claims to discuss the issue of VRAM.

I largely put this down to the generally low level of expertise on the OCUK forum and the proliferations of Stans in all things, rather than actual discussion, but thought I'd try to dredge these depths in the hope of bringing up a few diamonds and perhaps even igniting some real discussion that could offer an answer to the question I just posed.

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/forums/threads/is-8gb-of-vram-enough-for-the-3070.18903623/

3 pages back 40 pages long.

and the 3080 one mentioned. Yawn.

Also nice way to alienate the whole forum when you want to discuss and get answers.

 

[Woodsta888]

I've been out of the game for a year+. A search of the forums revealed 'relevant' posts on the 168th page of some RTX thread. There's not been anything to my eye on the last couple of pages of this subforum that claims to discuss the issue of VRAM.

I largely put this down to the generally low level of expertise on the OCUK forum and the proliferations of Stans in all things, rather than actual discussion, but thought I'd try to dredge these depths in the hope of bringing up a few diamonds and perhaps even igniting some real discussion that could offer an answer to the question I just posed.

You may now complete this 143 page thread for everyone else, with your far superior knowledge............................. even though you've been out of it for a year. I'll look forward to your final summation.

 

[Wrinkly]

The conclusion of the last 'is 10GB enough' thread was the reason I bought a 3080. You will need a better GPU before your need more VRAM.

Now when next gen appears, Lovelace, Hopper or RDNA3, that Ampere GPU is not going to cut it, even if you gave it 1TB of VRAM.

 

[Vexr]

Alright, maybe I underestimated the discussion that's gone in to this here (and went by the old rule of 'search before asking')

I thought I did my due diligence and the search engine here brought up quite a bit of fragmented dross in unrelated threads.

Disturbing nothing approaching consensus has apparently happened. I will read more.

Raises the disturbing possibility that an alleged RTX 3080 Ti with 20 GB of VRAM is little more than a placebo against 'VRAM superstition'

I recall the 1060 3 GB vs 6 GB. Certainly you'd have had to be living on faith that VRAM is a scam to go with the 3 GB version, in that bountiful era all GFX cards were available and in stock.