The Vram memory It is one of the most important elements that we must take into account, especially when playing in high resolutions. In addition, it is something that is the order of the day, since we see how models of different manufacturers can arrive with different memory settings.
Depending on your claimswe are going to tell you all the keys that you must keep in mind so as not to make mistakes when choosing your GPU, and that your VRM memory fits what you are looking for as a user.
8 GB vs 12 GB of vram memory
The first thing to know is what exactly The Vram. However, it is something that we already commented in detail in another article to which we have linked. Therefore, we are going to talk directly about what kind of memory you should choose from depending on your goal.
The resolution
As you know, the resolution we play will considerably mark the performance we will obtain with our graphics card. And in this aspect, the vram memory that we have available will be crucial for our games to execute correctly, or that, on the contrary, we begin to notice FPS falls.
The three most popular resolutions today are, as you can intuit, 1080p, 1440p and 4k. Each of them requires a specific amount of memory, but we already warn that neither with 8 GB nor with 12 GB of Vram would have enough to execute the games in its maximum graphic configuration in 4K. For that reason, we are going to talk to you exclusively about the first two resolutions
Play in 1080p resolutions
For a long time, the 8 GB of VRM memory have been established as the standard necessary to play to the maximum in 1080p. It is true that, for a long time, this amount of memory has been more than enough to play all the titles, and as a rule it still is.
However, we find some exceptions, and there are titles in the market in which they begin to require a little more memory, which causes that we want to have all the graphic options configured to the maximum Let's have to make a vram leap. As we say, it is not about the general norm, at least not today, so with this amount of memory it will be more than enough to play in Full HD.
This is especially appreciable when we activate one of the most draft technologies in the last five years: The Ray Tracing. This technology, which is responsible for creating the entire real -time lighting system (depending on the type of RT that is implemented), it is much more demanding than the classic lighting and shadow options, giving a good bite to our vram memory.
Therefore, although it is true that The 8 GB of memory are enough For the great bulk of the market games, it is possible that in a few years something short stays, especially if we want to play with Ray Tracing activated.
Play in resolutions 1440p
This is where the jump in the VRM memory matters really. Unlike in the previous case, the games ask for a quite higher amount of memory to run the games in 1440p. If we want to make the leap to this resolution, the most recommended is to opt for at least graphics cards 12 GB of Vram.
In the case of opting for 8 GB models, we will witness how we will begin to have Framerate problems If we do not touch some of the graphic options offered by the game, such as textures. The greater the resolution, the more is the memory that the games require for the loading of textures, so if we opt for the highest option, we may suffer FPS falls.
However, with the 12 GB of VRM we should have more than enough to the resolution cited. Especially, considering that today technologies such as DLSS or AMD FSR They allow to execute games in higher resolutions (1440p or 4K), while our GPU is really rendering the content in 1080p.
And what happens here with the Ray Tracing? Because in this case the 12 GB should be enough in most games to play 1440p with Ray Tracing. However, as always happens, there will be some exceptions with which even with that amount of memory we can play to the fullest. At least not natively.
8 GB vs 12 GB of vram memory. What GPU should buy?
Seen the different standards that must be taken into account both when playing in Full HD and when playing in 1440p, the best recommendation we can make is that You directly opt for 12 GB model of VRM.
As usual, this It will depend largely on your budgetsince the prices of the same graphics card in different configurations (as with the RTX 4060, which is available in an 8 GB version and in another of 16 GB) vary considerably. Therefore, we are going to make a slight summary of what we have explained to you.
- Play in Full HD Without Active Ray Tracing: 8 GB VRR GPU
- Play in Full HD with Active Ray Tracing: 12 GB GPU of VRM
- Play in 1440p without active ray tracing: 12 GB GPU of VRM
- Play in 1440p with active ray tracing: 12 GB or 16 GB GPU
We recommend you best graphics cards.
Therefore, as you see, the 12 GB of Vram memory They become The most versatile option Of all, since it is the one that will allow us to play both in 1080p and in 1440p with the best possible quality.