[PLUS] Upgrade or not? This is how much graphics memory you need in PC games for 2023

The topic of graphics cards is currently on everyone’s lips. Both AMD and Nvidia have released new, very powerful pixel boosters that should give you enough power for the upcoming games and technologies. With a new generation of graphics cards, apart from discussions about pricing and performance, the question of the right memory equipment and how much of the precious silicon should be put aside for the GPUs repeatedly arises in order to run new games in an appealing quality and without streaming dropouts, mud textures or to enjoy stuttering. However, the question of the right memory equipment for the desired resolution and the desired level of detail is not easy to answer, but in this article we want to make every effort to make the complicated topic as easy and understandable as possible for you.

Difficult classification

The subject of graphics memory is becoming increasingly difficult to understand and requires complex consideration. On the one hand, this is due to modern game engines and streaming technologies. The times when complete levels all fit into the graphics memory are long gone. Modern games load the required content into the main memory and graphics memory at runtime, and the memory management also ensures that the main memory can serve as a buffer when the graphics RAM is full. However, since the system RAM is significantly slower than the fast graphics memory, there are delays that are sometimes very noticeable when the VRAM is clearly overfilled. But modern streaming engines can, among other things, adjust the level of detail of the textures at runtime – if a high-resolution MIP level of a texture takes too long to be loaded into the graphics memory, the engine simply displays a (more or less clearly) lower quality level – which in turn can be streamed faster due to its smaller size and uses less memory. In such a case, performance can often be maintained to a certain extent, but in return you will see reduced detail.

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How much memory do current games need? 11 games tested with RTX 4090Ultra HD in all its glory with eight graphics cardsWQHD – 8, 10 or 12 GiByte with eight graphics cardsFull HD – 4, 6 or 8 GiByte with eight graphics cardsConclusion & Outlook: Three editors, three opinions INFO: You can use PCGH-Plus- Buy items individually or purchase a Plus subscription.
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