Question Pls help to clarify several starting point basics

[PiffPuff]

Hi folks,

a first time PC builder needs some help. Will highly appreciate your comments on the following:

1. As the price for the same GPU increases in the "Reference unit -> Founders Edition -> Add-in board/AIB" paradigm, which version has the best "bang for buck" after which it makes sense to buy the next-gen Reference GPU rather than keep on moving up within the said paradigm?
2. Which version of GPU (Reference/Founders/AIB) provides better cooling (= more stable and silent functioning)? Are AIB GPUs considerably more silent compared to the Founders Edition?
3. Is it true that the same GPU card may have several variations, e.g. single-slot/dual-slot, full-height/half-height? Is it true that larger versions will always cool better and run quieter than smaller ones?
4. VRAM size. The more - the higher can be the resolution and detalization of the game, right? How much VRAM do I need to play 85% of modern games in: 1080p (1920x1080, FHD); 2K 1440p (2560x1440, QHD); 4K 2160p (3840x2160, UHD)?

Thank you!

 

[Lutfij]

1| AIB and the FE are about the same but FE would be a good idea.
2| That's relative to the cooler used, often times the FE's are more than adequate while AIB's have more bells and whistles in the cooling department.
3| Yes
4| Yes. The current gen cards are good 4K gaming cards, they're going to be overkill for 1080p, though unless you're looking at the RTX 3060.

 

[PiffPuff]

@Lutfij Thank you dude! Just to clarify:

1| AIB and the FE are about the same but FE would be a good idea.
2| That's relative to the cooler used, often times the FE's are more than adequate while AIB's have more bells and whistles in the cooling department.

Do those bells&whistles have mostly the cooling nature? If yes, the buying logic (based on your previous answer) looks to me like that: FE is a sure sweet spot, but if you want more silence or your usage scenario supposes above average workload, check its AIB version instead. However, if you want better gaming experience, don't go for its AIB, but rather buy next gen Reference (basic) model. Right?

same GPU card may have several variations, e.g. single-slot/dual-slot, full-height/half-height

You confirmed bigger versions have better cooling. Whether the card is single-slot or dual-slot depends only on its size (half-height/full-height), right? I mean there's direct dependance between those parameters, so finally no "single-slot full height vs. double-slot full height" dilemma exists, correct?

The current gen cards are good 4K gaming cards, they're going to be overkill for 1080p, though unless you're looking at the RTX 3060.

Well, the resolution (and detalization) depends mainly (but not limited to) VRAM size. So while you're right that there definitely are top-tier $1000-1500 cards for 4K playing I want to understand the correllation between the VRAM size and what I will see on the screen as the result. I mean the logic I'm looking for is smth like "6Gb VRAM allows 1080p with max detalization or 2K with medium detalization", etc.