As Intel put it in its recent Battlemage launch, “just a few generations ago, 4GB of graphics memory was sufficient” – this is no longer the case and at least 8GB is recommended for a whole host of modern titles. More VRAM is more important with higher texture settings and higher resolutions; there’s a reason why Intel fitted its new 10GB+ instead as it prepares for more and more players stepping up to 1440p.
We don’t want to say flat-out that 8GB isn’t good enough anymore – it’s sufficient for plenty of current-gen games. However, AAA titles are getting more memory-hungry and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is a good example of that. Initial benchmarks for the game demonstrate that VRAM makes an impact, with Intel’s Arc A770 (16GB) even outperfoming the RTX 3080 (10GB).
8GB GPUs get a much-needed performance boost in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Great Circle’s high system requirements are evident, even if you only plan to play at 1080p. The first update for Great Circle has arrived with new features such as full ray tracing for Nvidia GPUs over 12GB VRAM, but what about something that boosts performance? Well, within the same patch is another optimization that promises “Improved performance on larger game levels if using an 8GB VRAM video-card.” We don’t know for sure how much difference this makes, but it’s a start.
This is a promising patch note for those looking to enjoy smoother performance with their 8GB graphics card. ComputerBase’s benchmarks demonstrate some pretty shoddy 1% low values for Nvidia’s 8GB GPUs in particular, so you may run into stuttering problems on these mid-range options. In any case, we expect the game to be more and more optimized as further updates roll through. For now, making full use of tech such as upscaling and lower texture settings feels like a must.
Should you upgrade your GPU?
Moving on from 8GB is something worth thinking about, especially if you want to move up to 1440p or even 4K in the near future. With Intel now using 10GB as a bassline for its Arc B-Series and AMD expected to follow suit (Team Red has long been a proponent for higher amounts of memory), the next generation of GPUs should offer a solid selection. We can only hope that Nvidia also gets the memo; an 8GB RTX 5060 isn’t exactly going to win over many fans.
In the meantime, you can check out our best settings for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle guide. We tested the game on an RTX 3090 (24GB) and Ryzen 7 7800X3D combo and it ran exceptionally well as expected. With more than enough VRAM to deal with the game’s heavy demands, it’s clear to see how much different memory makes at the moment for Indy.
