8GB VRAM not enough (and 10 / 12)

[BFG10K]

8GB

• Dying Light 2, Battlefield 2042, Avatar Frontiers of Pandora, Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3, Starfield, Forza Horizon 5, Horizon Forbidden West, Alan Wake 2, The Last of Us, Tekken 8, FC 24, Detroit Become Human, Death Stranding, Alone in The Dark, Overwatch 2
  3060 12GB higher 1% low than 4060 8GB https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIfz57wmywg
• Cyberpunk 2077, Diablo 4, Hogwarts Legacy, Horizon Zero Dawn, Microsoft Flight Sim 2020, Witcher 3, Watch Dogs Legion skip to 4K + DLSS for each game https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPiaWWd0xGc
• Ratchet & Clank, Plague Tale Requiem, Last Of Us, Jedi Survivor, Far Cry 6, Hogwarts Legacy, Forza Horizon 5, Cyberpunk 2077 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wr3MckDxMfE&pp=ygUTMTZnYiB2cyA4Z2IgNDA2MCB0aQ==
• Far Cry 6, Godfall, Hogwarts Legacy, Forza Horizon 5, Forspoken, Doom Eternal, Watchdogs Legion https://youtu.be/fJc--C01P90?t=268
• Last Of Us, Resident Evil 4, Callisto Protocol, Plague Tale Requiem, Halo Infinite, Forspoken https://youtu.be/2_Y3E631ro8?t=429
• Last Of Us, Hogwarts Legacy, Resident Evil 4, Forspoken, Plague Tale Requiem, Callisto Protocol https://youtu.be/Rh7kFgHe21k?t=288
• Hogwarts Legacy, Last Of Us, Spider Man Remastered, Doom Eternal, Forza Horizon 5 https://youtu.be/R943CbDTq_s?t=1473
• Horizon Forbidden West 4060 has issues @ 1080p + DLSS unless you switch off frame generation and reduce settings to high https://youtu.be/3AyKvI23VGw?t=233
• Horizon Forbidden West 3070 requires reducing textures 2 notches https://youtu.be/xTwEGy6HHKo?t=351
• Deathloop https://youtu.be/lu_XHyO-6zY?t=918
• Ghost Recon Breakpoint https://youtu.be/iUGppQVpXzU?t=529
• Resident Evil 2 https://youtu.be/Aa-gsgRjMII?t=796
• Talos Principle 2 https://youtu.be/K6FATQAuEwI?t=337
• Spider Man Remastered https://youtu.be/vRVR_plVSlc?t=1060
• Witcher 3 https://youtu.be/vRVR_plVSlc?t=1240

Horizon Forbidden West 3060 is faster than the 2080 Super despite the former usually competing with the 2070. Also 3060 has a better 1% low than 4060 and 4060Ti 8GB.

Spoiler

Resident Evil Village 3060TI/3070 tanks at 4K and is slower than the 3060/6700XT when ray tracing:

Spoiler

Company Of Heroes 3060 has a higher minimum than the 3070TI:

Spoiler

10GB / 12GB

• Plague Tale Requiem 3080 10GB tanks if you enable ray tracing, would be fast enough if it had more VRAM because if you stop moving, the framerate stabilizes to >60FPS https://youtu.be/7zjrMww3fAc?t=496
• Hogwarts Legacy 4K + RT, 4060Ti 16GB is faster than 4070 12GB https://youtu.be/X-h_R488Mq8?t=191

Reasons why still shipping 8GB since 2014 isn't NV's fault.

Spoiler

1. It's the player's fault.
2. It's the reviewer's fault.
3. It's the developer's fault.
4. It's AMD's fault.
5. It's the game's fault.
6. It's the driver's fault.
7. It's a system configuration issue.
8. Wrong settings were tested.
9. Wrong area was tested.
10. Wrong games were tested.
11. 4K is irrelevant.
12. Texture quality is irrelevant as long as it matches a console's.
13. Detail levels are irrelevant as long as they match a console's.
14. There's no reason a game should use more than 8GB, because a random forum user said so.
15. It's completely acceptable for the more expensive 3070/3070TI/3080 to turn down settings while the cheaper 3060/6700XT has no issue.
16. It's an anomaly.
17. It's a console port.
18. It's a conspiracy against NV.
19. 8GB cards aren't meant for 4K / 1440p / 1080p / 720p gaming.
20. It's completely acceptable to disable ray tracing on NV while AMD has no issue.
21. Polls, hardware market share, and game title count are evidence 8GB is enough, but are totally ignored when they don't suit the ray tracing agenda.

According to some people here, 8GB is neeeevaaaaah NV's fault and objective evidence "doesn't count" because of reasons(tm). If you have others please let me know and I'll add them to the list. Cheers!

 

[fleshconsumed]

Nvidia was deliberate about it. The lack of memory in 3080 is intended to drive buyers with a "fear of future proofing" into the 3090 and much higher profit margins.

Yep, very deliberate, nVidia buyers would either have to buy overpriced 3090 or upgrade to 4xxx series as soon as it becomes available.

 

[repoman0]

I would be pissed seeing something like that Far Cry 6 Vram suggestion if I bought a 3080 for $700 let alone the $1800 most people pay for it these days.

Hard to be pissed at a $700-800 3080 when anyone who paid that has probably mined $3-4k worth of Ethereum since.

I personally didn’t try the texture pack, but the game looks and runs really well in 4k HDR. Still only played for an hour before getting bored with it and going back to the Mass Effect remasters on a peasant console.

 

[mohit9206]

Nvidia uses memory compression technology but I have no idea if that helps cards utilize frame buffer more efficiently. If such a magic technology actually works, then 8GB should be enough for the time being till 1440p resolutions. But I don't know if it helps.

 

[Hitman928]

Nvidia uses memory compression technology but I have no idea if that helps cards utilize frame buffer more efficiently. If such a magic technology actually works, then 8GB should be enough for the time being till 1440p resolutions. But I don't know if it helps.

Everyone uses memory compression now, some more effectively than others, but the purpose is really to help with bandwidth needs as far as I know. By and large the RAM space used is the same with or without.

 

[Golgatha]

Everyone uses memory compression now, some more effectively than others, but the purpose is really to help with bandwidth needs as far as I know. By and large the RAM space used is the same with or without.

As I understand it, the encoding for data transfer is more efficient, so it performs faster, but as you said it has very little (if any) effect on total vRAM size needed for a frame buffer.

 

[BFG10K]

Yet another example, Far Cry 6 added to OP:

 

[BFG10K]

A more recent example where 8GB cards fall to the bottom of the trash heap:

Spoiler

That's right folks, even Arc is faster than 3070Ti with ray tracing in this test, even more embarrassing given ReBAR's off. 8GB is enough, yo. GG.

Intel Arc A770 Tested with PCIe 3.0 and Resizable BAR Off

In this article we're testing the Intel Arc A770 graphics card running at PCI-Express 3.0, to get a feel for performance on older systems that don't have the PCIe Gen 4 capability. Another round of testing is done with PCIe Resizable Bar disabled, and finally we have benchmarks on Gen 4 with...

www.techpowerup.com

 

[jpiniero]

A more recent example where 8GB cards fall to the bottom of the trash heap:

Even 10 GB isn't enough given that the 3080 10 GB does much worse than the 12 GB. I remember that from the Compubase RDNA 2 Refresh benchmarks.

But that's the only game that I saw where 10 GB might be an issue.

 

[Stuka87]

A more recent example where 8GB cards fall to the bottom of the trash heap:

That's right folks, even Arc is faster than 3070Ti with ray tracing in this test, even more embarrassing given ReBAR's off. 8GB is enough, yo. GG.

Intel Arc A770 Tested with PCIe 3.0 and Resizable BAR Off

In this article we're testing the Intel Arc A770 graphics card running at PCI-Express 3.0, to get a feel for performance on older systems that don't have the PCIe Gen 4 capability. Another round of testing is done with PCIe Resizable Bar disabled, and finally we have benchmarks on Gen 4 with...

www.techpowerup.com

Well, I think it still matters on use case. Its certainly not enough for 4K. But the vast majority of users have 1080P displays, and 1440P has become more popular. 8GB still does fine for any game at 1080P. 1440P might still run short with lots of RT and extras enabled.

However, this does show us that nVidia 3K series cards are going to age REALLY poorly.

 

[blckgrffn]

Well, I think it still matters on use case. Its certainly not enough for 4K. But the vast majority of users have 1080P displays, and 1440P has become more popular. 8GB still does fine for any game at 1080P. 1440P might still run short with lots of RT and extras enabled.

However, this does show us that nVidia 3K series cards are going to age REALLY poorly.

NVidia is counting on it. It's been my theory that memory increases is how nvidia planned to move people from Ampere as an incremental step and those holding out on Turing and Pascal all along.

 

[Zeze]

Well, I think it still matters on use case. Its certainly not enough for 4K. But the vast majority of users have 1080P displays, and 1440P has become more popular. 8GB still does fine for any game at 1080P. 1440P might still run short with lots of RT and extras enabled.

However, this does show us that nVidia 3K series cards are going to age REALLY poorly.

I'm a casual observer of GPU market. I'm still on 1080p, and I'd wager lots of gamers still are. Latest AAA titles struggle at 1080p still at max.

OP was very educational. It looks like PC 4K 144hz gaming still a good decade away (if not more). GPU performance increases been pretty stagnant and I feel like we've all been on 1920x1080 monitors for over a decade. I feel like my next GPU upgrade should have no less than 16gb of RAM in about 3-4 yrs.

I just upgraded from 1060 6gb to 2070 used. lmao, I'm loving it for today's games.

 

[Leeea]

I'm a casual observer of GPU market. I'm still on 1080p, and I'd wager lots of gamers still are. Latest AAA titles struggle at 1080p still at max.

1. max settings = pointless, visual is the same as high settings
2. ray tracing is stupid
3. Current high end cards ( rx6800xt, rtx3080 ) can easily do 1440p on high settings with good frame rates
4. monitors are so much better now that if you are staying at 1080p, you probably should upgrade to a decent monitor anyway

 

[Zeze]

1. max settings = pointless, visual is the same has high settings
2. ray tracing is stupid
3. Current high end cards ( rx6800xt, rtx3080 ) can easily do 1440p on high settings with good frame rates
4. monitors are so much better now that if you are staying at 1080p, you probably should upgrade to a decent monitor anyway

Stop it. I can no longer upgrade.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

1. max settings = pointless, visual is the same has high settings
2. ray tracing is stupid
3. Current high end cards ( rx6800xt, rtx3080 ) can easily do 1440p on high settings with good frame rates
4. monitors are so much better now that if you are staying at 1080p, you probably should upgrade to a decent monitor anyway

I am in complete agreeance, aside from RT reflections in Cyberpunk'd and Spiderman, those are worthwhile.

A good monitor will last through several builds usually.

A look at the most played games, most used GPUs, and most used resolution, says where most gamers priorities are.

OP is right though. What Nvidia charges for 8GB cards is highway robbery. Talk about planned obsolescence.

 

[Zeze]

OP is right though. What Nvidia charges for 8GB cards is highway robbery. Talk about planned obsolescence.

Jesus I didn't think about that. Why are 3xxx and even 4xxx so low on memory.. why are they flirting with 8gb-12gb memory all across the generations?

Is memory quantity actually expensive make and slap on the cards? I thought most of the R&D went to architecture, small die size, and speed.

 

[Stuka87]

Jesus I didn't think about that. Why are 3xxx and even 4xxx so low on memory.. why are they flirting with 8gb-12gb memory all across the generations?

Is memory quantity actually expensive make and slap on the cards? I thought most of the R&D went to architecture, small die size, and speed.

Part of it was that nVidia chose to go with GDDR6X, which at the time of launch of the 3K series, did not have larger capacity chips. Which is why the 3090 had memory on the backside of the board. But the later 3090Ti did not. And then there was the fact that they DID make 20GB 3080's, but every single one of them went to miners. None of them were available for retail.

AMD on the other hand stuck with standard GDDR6, and had no issues with putting 16GB on any card that was fast enough to use it.

 

[StinkyPinky]

This is exactly why I got the 12GB 3080. I did not feel comfortable with 10GB at 4K. Even 12GB seems a little tight.

 

[kondziowy]

People were fighting to justify GTX960 2GB, GTX1060 3GB, RTX 2060 6GB, and they will defend 3070Ti 8GB. When you see it on the graph tanking to 5fps you know it was going on for years but in smaller, less spectacular fasion. Maybe some stutter here and there and stuff. I've seen people reporting less stutters when switching from rtx2060. I myself had to drop textures on 8GB card.

 

[yottabit]

A more recent example where 8GB cards fall to the bottom of the trash heap:

Spoiler

That's right folks, even Arc is faster than 3070Ti with ray tracing in this test, even more embarrassing given ReBAR's off. 8GB is enough, yo. GG.

Intel Arc A770 Tested with PCIe 3.0 and Resizable BAR Off

In this article we're testing the Intel Arc A770 graphics card running at PCI-Express 3.0, to get a feel for performance on older systems that don't have the PCIe Gen 4 capability. Another round of testing is done with PCIe Resizable Bar disabled, and finally we have benchmarks on Gen 4 with...

www.techpowerup.com

That’s interesting. I experienced the “6 FPS“ firsthand first time I tried Cyberpunk 4k + RT on my 3070. I wasn’t expecting playable performance so just figured the card didn’t have enough GPU horsepower, not that there was VRAM bottleneck. Thanks for sharing

I’m still quite happy with the card overall. I feel like high refresh rate monitors must be a creation of some secret GPU lobbyist group. Right around the time the average 1060 could run any console port maxed out, they popped up for people to find new things to complain about

I honestly don’t really have any sympathy for people that have 4K / VR, want to run everything maxed, and then complain about the GPU landscape. I don’t think NV ever marketed the 3070 as a “4K” card

Back with my 1070 I was happy to run most games at medium settings 4k or maxed with “render resolution” reduced to get 1080 or 1440p 3D visuals and 4k crisp UI elements

DLSS 2 was a godsend for the 3070. Even use it in VR with No Mans Sky

All that being said my next card will be at least 16 GB

Thanks for sharing

 

[GodisanAtheist]

Just solidifies my decision to only pursue cards that have 10gb of VRAM and up in my latest upgrade.

8gb feels like entry level nowadays, we've been on it so long and the modern console generation comes with more built in.

 

[Golgatha]

Just solidifies my decision to only pursue cards that have 10gb of VRAM and up in my latest upgrade.

8gb feels like entry level nowadays, we've been on it so long and the modern console generation comes with more built in.

My thought on it is at 1440p, I want 10GB or more. My reasoning is the current generation of gaming consoles have about 10GB available, so a lot of games will be developed going forward with that in mind, and most 4k console games are actually rendered at something close to 1440p and upscaled.

In my mind, 8GB is ok for all 1080p and most 1440p gaming, and 12GB or more is ok for 4K gaming.

 

[Golgatha]

Just solidifies my decision to only pursue cards that have 10gb of VRAM and up in my latest upgrade.

8gb feels like entry level nowadays, we've been on it so long and the modern console generation comes with more built in.

Another comment. We've been on 8GB of VRAM since the GTX 1080, and that was released on 5/27/2016. That's way too long in my book.

 

[desrever]

Mid gen refreshes are coming sooner or later and will probably bump up vram use if you expect to keep a card for a while.

 

[adamge]

Mid gen refreshes are coming sooner or later and will probably bump up vram use if you expect to keep a card for a while.

I don't follow your comment. The RTX 3000 series had a number of 'mid gen refreshes', quite a long time ago. As did the Radeon 6000 series. I do not think there will be more 'mid gen refreshes' of the same generation.

 

[blckgrffn]

I don't follow your comment. The RTX 3000 series had a number of 'mid gen refreshes', quite a long time ago. As did the Radeon 6000 series. I do not think there will be more 'mid gen refreshes' of the same generation.

Console refreshes. Expecting the “Pro” SKUs to carry what, 24GB of ram? I don’t know how far out they are, given that PS5s are just starting to get actually accessible.

I agree, however, that you want at least the same amount of memory as the latest Gen console uses for graphics, and this Gen was 10GB. It’s likely a well optimized target for many games that are cross platform.