Does extra RAM of GPU Make a Difference

[ttran7701]

Does extra memory on a video card make a difference? Would a jump from 8GB to 11GB do anything for me? How about future games? Thanks in advance.

 

[smashjohn]

It will only make a difference if you need more than 8GB. RAM generally penalizes you when you don't have enough, and it does nothing to have extra. I think you need to be running at least 4K+ resolution (probably more like 8K+) to use over 8GB of VRAM. But that also depends on a lot of other visual factors. There are some reviews out there that list VRAM utilization in different games at different resolution. (https://www.tweaktown.com/tweakipedia/90/much-vram-need-1080p-1440p-4k-aa-enabled/index.html)

In terms of future games, I think the higher VRAM cards are going to be important for VR as the technologies continue to develop. If you want to run a high-end VR setup, you may be looking 8K resolutions, and in complex visual environments that may push you into that 8GB-11GB zone. I haven't seen those numbers yet though.

 

[geofelt]

Do not buy a graphics card on specs.
Buy on performance in the games you play.

VRAM has become a marketing issue.
My understanding is that vram is more of a performance issue than a functional issue.
A game needs to have most of the data in vram that it uses most of the time.
Somewhat like real ram.
If a game needs something not in vram, it needs to get it across the pcie boundary
hopefully from real ram and hopefully not from a hard drive.
It is not informative to know to what level the available vram is filled.
Possibly much of what is there is not needed.
What is not known is the rate of vram exchange.
Vram is managed by the Graphics card driver, and by the game. There may be differences in effectiveness between amd and nvidia cards.
And differences between games.
Here is an older performance test comparing 2gb with 4gb vram.
http://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/articles/Video-Card-Performance-2GB-vs-4GB-Memory-154/
Spoiler... not a significant difference.
A more current set of tests shows the same results:
http://www.techspot.com/review/1114-vram-comparison-test/page5.html

And... no game maker wants to limit their market by
requiring huge amounts of vram. The vram you see will be appropriate to the particular card.