Highlights
- 8GB VRAM is sufficient for indie, esports, and older AAA games.
- Struggles with newer AAA games like Forza Horizon 5 and Returnal.
- Recent titles like Hogwarts Legacy demand more than 8GB VRAM.
- Future games will require higher VRAM for optimal performance.
The struggle is real to keep on top of all these latest and greatest titles.
There’s one very important component that helps do all that fancy visual work, and that is the GPU, and its video memory, VRAM, makes a huge difference in just how smooth those visuals come through.
8GB VRAM: Sufficient for Indie, Esports, and Older Games
For anyone who revels in the colorful realm of indie games, the breakneck speed of eSports, or experiencing older AAA favorites from a few years ago, an 8GB video card is a faithful companion.
You can turn up all the visuals so that they are amplified to their maximum beauty without the concern for VRAM-related bottlenecks at high resolutions like 1440p ultrawide.
Games in these categories simply don’t require the bleed-ing-edge amounts of memory as their brethren.
Even with the details maxed out and activating DLSS for even frame rates at 1440p ultrawide, an 8GB GPU will play even notoriously resource hungry games like Cyberpunk 2077.
It’s no struggle to turn on ray tracing effects such as reflections, but you might have to tweak your DLSS settings a bit to maintain a frame rate.
Struggle with the Latest AAA Games
Things really get interesting when we get to the territory of newer AAA games-lengths that came out in 2021 and going forward.
This is where 8GB of VRAM can begin to hold you back in some situations.
Games like Forza Horizon 5 and Returnal may run fine with the textures cranked up for a few minutes, then start showing slowdowns, corrupted textures, or even crashes after a few minutes of play.
Lowering the texture quality alleviates these issues, and shows the shortcomings of 8GB when it comes to newer titles.
VRAM-Hungry Games and the Future
Other recent AAA releases like Hogwarts Legacy and Resident Evil 4 Remake want more than 8GB of VRAM anyway for optimal texture settings.
Hardware Unboxed video analysis has shown that often games simply refuse to load high-resolution textures on GPUs with 8GB VRAM and their smaller memory buffers.
Similarly, a few 2024 releases whittled down the list even further due to their comparable ravenous appetite for VRAM that was observed to cause performance drops and stuttering after extended playtime at high texture settings with an 8GB GPU, as shown in Horizon Forbidden West.
The Verdict
The call with regard to going the 8GB way depends on you and the gaming needs you may have along with the budget range.
If you are a gamer who needs to play the latest AAA titles with fully loaded visuals that would comprise high textures and ray tracing as well, an 8GB GPU at least would be less in 2024.
Since Games later on are going to be more demanding, you would need to take a hit on lower texture settings to maintain the playing performance smoothly.
But still, a gamer who is on an extremely tight budget and just plays multiplayer or simply adores older AAA titles will find an 8GB GPU a good enough choice even at resolutions of 1080p or 1440p.
But certainly do not expect to play the latest AAA games on the highest texture settings.
If you already have an 8GB GPU, you can likely get by for a while, as long as it has enough raw power to run newer games.
However, adjust your expectations regarding texture quality and ditch the dream of ray tracing for the latest titles.
FAQs
Is 8GB VRAM enough for indie and esports games?
Yes, 8GB VRAM is generally sufficient for indie and esports games, allowing for high visual settings without performance issues.
What problems might arise with an 8GB GPU in newer AAA games?
Newer AAA games may experience slowdowns, texture corruption, or crashes with an 8GB GPU when high texture settings are used.
Which recent games require more than 8GB of VRAM?
Recent games like Hogwarts Legacy and Resident Evil 4 Remake require more than 8GB of VRAM for optimal texture settings and performance.
How will future games affect the performance of an 8GB GPU?
Future games are expected to be more demanding, potentially causing performance drops and stuttering in high settings with an 8GB GPU.
Is an 8GB GPU a good choice for budget gamers?
For budget gamers focused on older AAA titles or multiplayer games, an 8GB GPU can be a good choice, but it may struggle with the latest games at the highest settings.
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