What is VRAM and What Is It For?

[macleody]

So this is a pretty lame question I know. I'm not 100% what it is and what is it for, and I'm looking to build my first gaming rig but I don't know much about GPU's. Here is my setup so far:

Intel i5-3570K 3.4GHz
8GB Corsair Vengence
GIGABYTE GA-Z77X-UD3H
Corsair 750W

I will be doing 1080p gaming and will be doing heavy graphics mods for games (HD texture packs, ENBs, Ultra setting, etc), such as Skyrim and GTA. Battlefield is another game I will play.

So I'm not sure what VRAM is for and if it will affect what I want to do. Right now I'm thinking the GTX 670 FTW or the AMD 7970, but I'm not sure because I don't know much about the VRAM on graphics cards.

Also, overclocking might be a possibility, but I am not sure because I don't know how safe it is or if it will damage my GPU and CPU.

 

[manofchalk]

VRAM is essentially the same as normal RAM, except dedicated to the GPU and a lot faster than standard RAM. It stores all the textures and such the GPU is working on at any particular time.
Heres a good video that will explain how VRAM is useful and how its not. Skip to 2:29 to get to the bit about VRAM, though the whole video is worth watching.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0VNiWtQqb4

 

[unksol]

Http://lmgtfy.com/?q=what+is+vram

You are talking about GDDR. But same idea. It's the frame buffer. In general 1GB is enough for 1080p for most games, although as games continue to develop it won't be. 2GB is standard. 3GB is unnecessary except for higher res. But there's no reason not to have the extra.

As for those cards the memory doesn't really matter.for your resolution. The 7970 is just the better performing card. It also comes with 3 free games at the moment which.is a great deal.

Overclocking is easy, and very safe if you read some guides. It's pretty hard to damage something unless you have a bad power supply or set voltages out if spec, as the components shut down or throttle if they overheat.

do some reading. You need an aftermarket CPU cooler if you want to overclock. If you don't a z77 board and K processor are probably a waste of money.

 

[macleody]

Http://lmgtfy.com/?q=what+is+vram

You are talking about GDDR. But same idea. It's the frame buffer. In general 1GB is enough for 1080p for most games, although as games continue to develop it won't be. 2GB is standard. 3GB is unnecessary except for higher res. But there's no reason not to have the extra.

As for those cards the memory doesn't really matter.for your resolution. The 7970 is just the better performing card. It also comes with 3 free games at the moment which.is a great deal.

Overclocking is easy, and very safe if you read some guides. It's pretty hard to damage something unless you have a bad power supply or set voltages out if spec, as the components shut down or throttle if they overheat.

do some reading. You need an aftermarket CPU cooler if you want to overclock. If you don't a z77 board and K processor are probably a waste of money.

Do you have any recommendations for a good CPU cooler? I plan on over clocking the CPU because I'm going to get the protection plan for my CPU, or is that plan just a waste of money?

 

[jaguarskx]

CoolerMaster Hyper 212 EVO is generally considered very good for the price you pay.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103099

 

[determinologyz]

Http://lmgtfy.com/?q=what+is+vram

You are talking about GDDR. But same idea. It's the frame buffer. In general 1GB is enough for 1080p for most games, although as games continue to develop it won't be. 2GB is standard. 3GB is unnecessary except for higher res. But there's no reason not to have the extra.

As for those cards the memory doesn't really matter.for your resolution. The 7970 is just the better performing card. It also comes with 3 free games at the moment which.is a great deal.

Overclocking is easy, and very safe if you read some guides. It's pretty hard to damage something unless you have a bad power supply or set voltages out if spec, as the components shut down or throttle if they overheat.

do some reading. You need an aftermarket CPU cooler if you want to overclock. If you don't a z77 board and K processor are probably a waste of money.

True..Ive seen skyrim crysis 2 take up more then 1GB on high settings..2GB is more then enough unless you installing mods on top of mods