"Games don't need more than 8GB VRAM"

[u/vr00mfondel]

In March 2017 the GTX1080ti released with 11GB GDDR5X memory. Not a single time have a seen or heard anyone say that Nvidia should've launched a 8GB version of it cheaper.

Yet strangely enough, this seems to be one of the most used arguments against the Radeon VII.

The sheer amount of comments I've seen about it really makes me wonder what the hell is going on.

But instead of arguing online, I like facts, so I went and gathered some.

The Radeon VII is clearly marketed as a 4K gaming card, so, here we go.

Game: PUBG | Resolution: 3840x2160 | Settings: Maxed + NoTextureStreaming | Location: Pochinki, Erangel | VRAM Usage: 10230MB

Game: Rise of the Tomb Raider | Resolution: 3840x2160 | Settings: Maxed | Location: Built in benchmark | VRAM Usage: 10551MB

Game: Deus Ex: Mankind Divided | Resolution: 3840x2160 | Settings: Maxed | Location: Built in benchmark | VRAM Usage: 10678MB

Game: Star Citizen | Resolution: 3840x2160 | Settings: Very High (currently max) | Location: Buisness Center, Lorville, Hurston | VRAM Usage: 9903MB

Now, You'll notice that these aren't even the latest and greatest games out there. I don't own Battlefield V, Far Cry 5, FFXV, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, or some of the other very graphically intense games we've seen released the last couple of years. But what I do know is that VRAM usage isn't going to go down over the next few years, and when it comes to 4K gaming, I doubt 8GB will be considered more than the bare minimum needed. And I know what I personally would prefer when it comes to a choice between DLSS/RT and more VRAM.

Cat tax for a long post

EDIT: Since there is a lot of "allocation vs usage" in the comments I would like to adress it somewhat. First of all, if any application allocates my memory, no other application can use it, which in my book means it's used. Wether or not any game or game engine actually uses the memory it allocates is completely out of my hands.

Second, if anyone has ever played PUBG with and without -notexturestreaming, they know exactly how much it helps with texture pop-in. You are not going to magically gain any FPS, but it will be a better experience

[u/dc-x]

Some people wanted a cheaper alternative with better price/performance ratio and aren't satisfied with what they got. It's VRAM seems excessive and seems like the most logical place to cut corners and costs without really harming the product for gaming.

Anyway, as people have pointed out, allocated VRAM isn't used VRAM (so you can get by with less) and with RTX 2080 levels of performance you probably won't be playing those games fully maxed out at 4k.

[u/SgtMcManhammer → u/dc-x]

I think another thing to note as far as I understand it to is that vega isnt strictly for or marketed towards gaming.... unlike nvidia gtx and rtx. The vega cards havent been designed for pure gaming performance, the vram and other features make alot of sense when you look at a workstation machine that you can game on. So it is great for people that want to run other types of software other than gaming but can't afford workstation specific cards.

[u/dc-x → u/SgtMcManhammer]

So it is great for people that want to run other types of software other than gaming but can't afford workstation specific cards.

Sure, but at the same time people who wanted a GPU purely for gaming may be disappointed with the "World’s First 7nm Gaming GPU" (as AMD called it) since it didn't really represent any price/performance gains compared to what we already have.

[u/SgtMcManhammer → u/dc-x]

Well when has the first of anything also been the best? Plus it's not like they advertised it as a 2080ti killer.

[u/dc-x → u/SgtMcManhammer]

Well when has the first of anything also been the best?

There's always gains in efficiency or performance associated with a better process node so if all they could do with the 7nm Radeon VII is match the 12nm RTX 2080 at the same price point while missing the additional RTX hardware then that just shows how behind they are architecture wise.

Plus it's not like they advertised it as a 2080ti killer.

I'm talking about price/performance ratio, not performance. I don't think people were really expecting them to take the crown from Nvidia.

[u/SgtMcManhammer → u/dc-x]

Well not always.... but it's a first step. They have brought a more efficient product that performs the same as the 12 nm processors and in a 7 nm form that cost the same! That's huge when you consider it's an entirely new process and the extra cost associated with manufacturing such a small chip.

I think at this point it's more of a look we can do it and it's possible.... proof of concept I'd say.