Hardware How necessary is 8GB of VRAM for the next couple of years vs 4GB?

[DiscostewSM]

Also, would you be willing to pay an extra $50 to go from 4GB to 8GB if it also meant benefiting from higher core/memory speed?

(yes, this is about the Sapphire Nitro+ RX 480, where the price supposedly is $219 for 4GB, and $269 for the 8GB)

 

[Boogieboo6]

Go big or go home!

 

[DiscostewSM]

Go big or go home!

Your avatar fits that statement very well, lol.

 

[raystriker]

Inferring that since you're buying an RX480, you must be interested in 1080p gaming.
The 4GB RX480 should be enough for 1080p. Even in max settings, games like GTA V use upto 3.6GB of the VRAM but if you have the money, go for the 8GB version. Because why not?
---
The RX480 hasn't shown to be a great overclocker as a chip, thought the Nitro's cooling will obviously run the card cooler and maybe a slight better OC.

Another thing to consider would be to go for the 249 USD EVGA GTX 1060.
the 1060 has way more raw power than the RX480 to begin with and surprisingly OCs better then the GP104 GTX 1080 and 1070.
I would certainly check them out.

 

[exdeath255]

i have 4GB[3.5 really, guess why lol] and some games are getting close to the 7-8GB barrier now at max setting 1080p-1440p120fps with ultra textures. If you do modded textures like in skyrim you will need more.

 

[Xenon Hacks]

8GB is the new minimum 4GB won't just cut it anymore.

 

[FireEmblemGuy]

The problem is that since so much VRAM is available on modern cards, people think it's OK to just stop optimizing and throw a bunch of shit in at once. Games like GTA V and Black Ops III are all last year's big stuff, and they'll still munch on all of 4GB, even at 1080p; Skyrim was pretty poorly optimized in 2011 and you can bet whatever new textures they're throwing in for the Special Edition won't be any better. You can crunch down some by turning down texture settings on demanding games, if you really want to compromise quality in most new titles for the sake of saving 20-30 bucks.

 

[Inukami]

I would say spend a little extra just to be safe unless you plan on upgrading again in a year.

 

[Deleted User]

if S3TC was still popular, it would still make 4GB relevant

 

[exdeath255]

if S3TC was still popular, it would still make 4GB relevant

ya game devs love to have textures just hanging around fully expanded.