PC gamers agree that 8GB of VRAM “isn’t enough anymore” according to our recent poll
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It seems like many PC gamers have concluded they’re done buying any more 8GB graphics cards. While they may remain relevant for entry-level systems or 1080p gaming, 8GB of memory is quickly becoming outdated, especially in modern AAA games. Games like Doom: The Dark Ages struggle with memory capacity, even on low settings, and we also noticed Indiana Jones and the Great Circle suffering from similar problems.
We recently ran a poll to gather your thoughts on 8GB GPUs, and it’s clear what you think. At the time of writing, 82% of voters agree that 8GB simply isn’t enough anymore, with the remaining 18% saying they would consider buying one of these cards. The poll below is still up and running if you want to have your say.
12GB or 16GB should be the new standard
You may have noticed that both AMD and Nvidia have released graphics cards with 8GB and 16GB variants this year, and it’s clear which model PC gamers prefer. We’re talking about the RX 9060 XT and RTX 5060 Ti, the companies’ low-mid-range options at the moment. Sales stats for these cards back up the idea that 8GB isn’t good enough – PC gamers are voting with their wallets as 16GB cards are outselling 8GB by a large margin.
Intel’s latest entry-level models have also ditched 8GB; the Arc B580 and B570 offer 12GB and 10GB, respectively. The way we see it, this amount of memory should really be the new standard. With a growing amount of pressure from enthusiasts to ditch 8GB, we might finally see the baseline being lifted. AMD has previously said that there’s still a market for 8GB graphics cards, but we’ll have to wait and see if this changes next generation.
Note that cards like the RTX 5070 are still using 12GB of RAM, though rumor has it that Nvidia will be finally upgrading this tier to, strangely, 18GB with the upcoming Super model. That’s far from being confirmed, but it would certainly be a welcome improvement.
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