Graphics cards are the backbone of modern gaming. They’re relatively small devices that are essentially self-contained computers running alongside the larger system.
Your computer’s central processing unit (CPU) handles standard calculations while the random-access memory (RAM) stores data from ongoing processes.
The graphics card, on the other hand, runs alongside your main system to provide more complex calculations and tasks such as gaming-specific graphics rendering etc.
However, these two systems are similar in having both a processing unit and active memory.
The graphics card has a graphics processing unit (GPU), which is analogous to the main system’s CPU. And the card also has something similar to RAM, called the video random-access memory (VRAM).
It’s generally fairly easy to decide on the GPU type as games tend to specifically target specific GPU generations.
But VRAM can be a little more tricky to decide on. In particular, you might find yourself wondering if you should go with 8 GB or 12 GB of VRAM for your system.
Understanding GPU VRAM
One of the first things to remember about VRAM is how it differs from standard RAM. At first glance, they seem pretty similar. Both are forms of random-access memory.
You’ll even see some programs that can seamlessly shift data between RAM and VRAM.
It’s quite possible to use them interchangeably and in the same way. But the key difference is speed.
RAM is usually slower than VRAM due to the nature of how it connects to your motherboard. Likewise, RAM is also typically a merged entity made up of separate physical DIMM chips. Dual or quad-channel RAM support can also improve performance to some extent.
Some systems, such as modern laptops from Apple, use a more tightly integrated system. But RAM is usually going to be slower than the dedicated VRAM found on GPU cards.
And this is further compounded by the fact that VRAM is tightly tied to the GPU. The GPU essentially has a fast pipe with minimum latency which directly links it up to VRAM.
This means that a video game or other program that uses both 3D acceleration and VRAM can load and render data at a vastly faster pace than seen with a GPU and standard RAM.
Games will typically be able to shift additional storage from VRAM to RAM if the amount of VRAM runs out. But once the game overflows from VRAM to RAM, so will latency build as well.
The Current Gaming Landscape
If you look at the market, you’ll typically find VRAM set at 8, 12, 16, and occasionally 24 GB.
This might give the impression that the 8 GB range is on the lower end of the scale and would make it impossible to play a lot of newer games. But this idea doesn’t really hold up when you look at some of the latest titles.
For example, the recommended VRAM for Shin Megami Tensei V is 4 GB or more.
Baldur’s Gate 3 recommends 8 GB or more. Street Fighter 6 also recommends 8 GB or more.
Those numbers might seem shockingly low when compared to the amount of VRAM in most graphics cards.
However, those numbers are typically based on standard resolutions. The higher the resolution the greater the VRAM requirements.
Resolution Settings and VRAM
A game might only require 8 GB of VRAM to run at 1080p. But if you ran the game at 4k the requirements could rise to 16 GB or more.
One of the larger issues is that there’s usually no way to be sure how VRAM is going to change as you scale resolution upward. How well-optimized a game engine is can make a huge impact on resource utilization.
Some games will roughly scale VRAM requirements by the exact increase in resolution. Others might be able to optimize VRAM usage so that increased resolution only has a small impact.
The settings you’re running a game at, such as low, medium, or ultra, also impact VRAM usage.
However, the impact of settings on VRAM is even more unpredictable than with resolution.
This is due to most games implementing settings differently than each other. Sometimes settings do little more than change the resolution. Other games might tie settings into texture size, particle effects, texture filtering, and the amount of concurrent data loaded within each environment.
Again, this is also tied to the amount of optimization within a game.
As a general rule of thumb, you can typically assume that if your VRAM meets a game’s recommended requirements then you’ll be able to run it at 1080p and at least medium quality with stable FPS.
At the moment this also typically means that 8 GB GPUs can run most games with that resolution and settings.
Pros and Cons of 8GB GPUs
You might have noticed that the prior examples of VRAM use didn’t push beyond the 8 GB mark for recommended settings. That might lead you to believe that an 8 GB graphics card is the best option. This can be the case, but there are some other factors to consider.
Cost is easily the biggest advantage that GPUs with 8 GB have over the 12 GB models.
A graphics card with 8 GB VRAM is generally extremely cost-effective in comparison to the higher-range cards.
The previously mentioned compatibility is also important. 8 GB GPUs are extremely common in gaming machines and publishers know that they can increase their potential customer base by keeping requirements within that range.
You probably won’t be able to run newer games with the highest possible settings with 8 GB VRAM, but it’s still enough to make them look great.
However, that isn’t going to be the case forever. Probably the biggest downside of graphics cards with 8 GB of VRAM is in terms of future-proofing.
The industry is always pushing technology forward, and eventually, 12 GB instead of 8 GB is going to be the norm.
This will become even more apparent as the next generation of consoles comes out. A considerable number of games are developed for both console and PC releases at the same time.
The lower PC requirements often come about as a side effect of console hardware lagging behind the state of the art in PCs. But that changes the moment a new generation of consoles comes out to shift developer’s workflow to higher specs.
Pros and Cons of 12GB GPUs
Graphics cards with 12 GB VRAM have the obvious benefit of being able to handle almost any game on the market with the highest settings.
It’s true that there are GPUs with 24 GB VRAM out there, but they’re generally not used within consumer hardware.
Likewise, the 16 GB cards are a smaller portion of the consumer market. As a result, the 12 GB GPUs are typically held up as among the larger cards that the public will have access to. This makes 12 GB a solid figure for game developers to target for their higher-end users.
Likewise, the 12 GB VRAM range provides a high level of future-proofing. Over time the 8 GB VRAM market will shift to the next highest point – 12 GB.
Those already using 12 GB cards will be able to rest easy knowing that they’ve already jumped to the newest target.
Of course, over time developers will even move past the 12 GB range. But it’s something that will almost certainly happen far enough in the future that it’s not really worth worrying about at the moment.
With all that in mind, it might seem like a 12 GB GPU is an easy choice. However, there is one significant detriment – price.
You really don’t find a lot of options for 12 GB cards with value pricing. At the same time, however, you should also keep in mind that the market is moving to 12 GB as the norm.
A 12 GB card is an investment, but it’s cheaper than buying an 8 GB GPU and then upgrading to a 12 GB GPU the next year. As such it’s generally a good idea to go with a 12 GB card if you see yourself wanting it in the near future.
Another less often considered disadvantage is raw power. The more powerful the GPU the more electrical power it needs.
The power requirements don’t always scale to VRAM. Rather, it’s the GPU processing itself that determines power requirements.
However, higher VRAM numbers tend to correlate with more powerful GPUs. The more a GPU can do the more memory it requires to max out its capabilities.
In short, a card with lots of VRAM has a good chance of also using lots of power. You might simply shrug and imagine it’s only a little extra added to your power bill every month. But the larger issue with a GPU’s power requirements is your computer’s power supply unit (PSU).
A computer’s PSU can only draw, and output, so much electricity. If your GPU requires more power than the PSU can provide then you’re going to encounter a wide variety of issues.
It’s not that the GPU will underperform, rather the entire computer will usually shut down as the GPU tries to draw more power than the PSU can provide.
Underclocking the GPU might be an option in some cases but it’s not an especially reliable solution.
Before buying a GPU with 12 GB of VRAM you should double-check your PSU to ensure that it’s able to supply enough power.
If it isn’t, then you’ll also need to buy a new PSU. And if the new PSU doesn’t fit inside your computer’s case? You might need to buy a new case as well and move your system over into it to get the new card, and new PSU, running.
This isn’t always a necessity of course. But it’s a potential disadvantage that you should always check on before going with the latest and greatest graphics card.
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