8GB Graphics Cards Struggle in Real-World Tests: Should You Upgrade?

Bloggers Prove 8GB Graphics Cards Can't Keep Up In Real-World Tests [VIDEO]

In the ongoing debate about how much video memory (VRAM) gamers actually need, the YouTube channel Hardware Unboxed conducted an interesting experiment. They compared the performance of 8GB and 16GB versions of the GeForce RTX 4060 Ti, but instead of using their standard test bench, they simulated a graphics card upgrade on older motherboards with previous-generation PCIe interfaces. The results showed that in this scenario, VRAM size really does matter.

The experiment is relevant because many PC owners upgrade their graphics cards without replacing their motherboards. This can result in the interface bandwidth becoming a bottleneck, limiting the performance of a graphics card with less VRAM.

In most modern games tested, the 8GB model performed on average half as fast as the 16GB model when running on PCIe 3.0 instead of 4.0. Additionally, the gameplay became noticeably less smooth and suffered from stuttering, even when the frame rate counter displayed seemingly acceptable numbers.

The 16GB version, on the other hand, experienced only a minor performance drop of a few percent. Switching to PCIe 2.0 further widened the gap, with the 16GB model outperforming the 8GB model by up to four times. However, since motherboards with PCIe 2.0 are becoming increasingly rare, this scenario is more hypothetical.

Ultimately, the bloggers concluded that buying a graphics card with only 8GB of VRAM is a "bad idea" in any case.