Is 4GB VRAM Enough for Gaming in 2023?

VRAM of a GPU is considered the most necessary memory to run and play games. Gameplay smoothness depends on frames rendered by the video memory of the GPU.

The requirement for better hardware components with more video memory has increased as technology upgrades, improving the game engines with graphics and gameplay mechanics. Having a 4GB VRAM GPU in 2023 for gaming is considered low-end. Upgrading your components is necessary to stay updated over the years.

In today’s article, we will discuss if 4GB VRAM is good enough for gaming in 2023. We will further examine the reasons with proper hypotheses and answers. We will also find out how much VRAM is good for gaming in 2023. So, without wasting more time, let’s dive into this topic to learn more.

Is 4GB VRAM Enough for Gaming in 2023?

No, 4GB VRAM is considered very low-end for the new game titles in 2023. The demand for VRAM has increased as new game engines are developed to make more realistic graphics with ray tracing technology. These graphics need an enormous amount of VRAM to render.

Realism is always invested in games by increasing newly released games’ graphical quality and gameplay mechanics. These necessities require more video memory and usage, as the developers have instructed with requirements. Fulfilling these demands is important to run and enjoy the gameplay with smooth frames.

As different game companies are developing new game engines, they introduce new graphical improvements and settings, which leads to demand for more video memory usage. 4GB will not do the trick like it used to do a decade ago. 8GB is the minimum required VRAM to run the new titles with the lowered setting.

New titles in 2023 require at least 12GB of VRAM with RTX support to play the games smoothly with at least 60 frames per second. Ray tracing has changed the gaming industry significantly by introducing new game designs and graphical improvements for reflective and more real gameplay and graphics.

It is fine if you have a 4GB GPU and want to enjoy some games, but buying a 4GB GPU in 2023 is not recommended. At least increase your budget to get a decent 8GB or 12GB GPU with RTX support. Still, you can enjoy many old games released 5 years ago with your 4GB GPU, such as GTA V, Battlefield 3, CS: GO, etc.

Games released almost 5 years ago will provide decent frames on your 4GB VRAM GPU. To play the latest titles of 2023, you need to upgrade your GPU, CPU, and RAM to meet the requirements of game developers. An RTX-supported GPU is a must to enjoy the new graphical improvements with reflective graphics.

Some reasons why 4GB VRAM is insufficient in 2023 are mentioned below, with upgrade options and possible suggestions. But remember, there are so many games that you can still play and enjoy with your old GPU. Upgrading your GPU for old games will not be wise, but newly released games require an upgrade.

Future Proof

The first and foremost reason for 4GB not being enough is that it is not future-proof. 4GB is not even recommended for 2023, and if you want to buy a GPU, at least go for an 8GB or 12GB RTX-supported DDR6 GPU. A 12GB VRAM graphic card will be future-proof to run the games on moderate settings for a few years.

If you have a 4GB VRAM GPU, that’s fine because you can still enjoy some old releases with customized lowered graphical settings to gain more performance and smooth gameplay. But, buying a brand new 4GB GPU in 2023 is not recommended because it will not support the latest games and graphics.

Upgrading your computer hardware components over the years is useful to stay future-proof. Technological advancements are being made rapidly; it is best to be updated with the new trends. Many graphical improvements are being made to showcase realism in games; they require more power usage and new technology.

Ray Tracing

Ray Tracing Texel eXtreme technology, known as RTX, has improved the graphical details significantly. Nvidia’s GeForce released the first RTX GPU in their 20 series GPUs. They allowed the users to use real-time ray tracing technology, enhancing the overall quality of reflections and making the games look real.

This technology improved the graphical details by implementing new real-time gameplay mechanics and realistic physics to make the environment look real. For example, with RTX, users can see more reflective windows, waters, and shadows that react with the environment, having accurate physics and realism.

Some of the most popular GPUs for ray tracing in 2023 are GeForce RTX 4090, Radeon RX 7900 XTX, GeForce RTX 4070 Ti, Radeon RX 7900 XT, GeForce RTX 4070, and Radeon RX 6800 XT. The most popular Nvidia has introduced the GeForce series, whereas the budget-friendly AMD is developing the Radeon.

Old Technology

Most 4GB VRAM GPUs were released a decade ago, with old DDR technology and bitrate speed. The most recent 4GB VRAM GPU was the GeForce GTX 1650, released in June 2020. Despite the new technology, GDDR6, and faster bitrate speed, it still performs poorly because of VRAM limitations. Low VRAM GPUs are failing now.

As the graphical quality has improved over the years, most new game titles require at least 8GBs of video memory with RTX support to render the required frames for smooth gameplay. 4GB will not be enough to run these guns as their system requirements have significantly increased by involving real physics.

Some of the most popular 4GB GPUs were GeForce GTX 1050 Ti, Radeon RX 570, and GeForce GTX 1650. Most 4GB GPUs are considered old and low-end because of their poor performance for new games. Maintenance of these old GPUs is tough due to poor updates and compatibility issues with other hardware components.

Compatibility

The low VRAM GPUs, such as 4GB variants, will not be compatible with the newly released i-series and Ryzen processors to provide the required performance. Instead, it will bottleneck the system, causing performance deficiency and lag in various games. The old technology of GPUs limits their performance.

Most of the 4GB GPUs have old firmware, and compatibility errors also occur due to the un-updated firmware of the GPU. Old firmware software of any hardware device will lead to bugs and maintenance issues, causing unstable performance and low usage. It will also be incompatible with the latest hardware.

The only 4GB VRAM GPU compatible with the new GDDR6 technology is the GeForce GTX 1650, but it has performance limitations due to low video memory. GTX 1650 hardly performs to provide stable frames in old competitive games like CS: GO. Buying a 4GB GPU, even GTX 1650, is not wise due to low performance.

Driver Updates

Driver updates are very important to keep the communication between hardware and operating systems smooth without causing bugs and virus inflictions. Without the updates, new features and settings will cause difficulty running and achieving the required frames. Driver and firmware updates are necessary.

Old GPUs will no longer have the driver updates and bug fixes for the new game releases. These old hardware components will cause instability and lower performance without the driver updates. The latest hardware components, such as graphic cards, must keep up with the new games and driver updates.

Users should always keep their GPU’s drivers up to date to fix the bugs and crashes against newly released titles. After the release of the famous Unreal Engine 5, new games are being developed with more advanced graphics. New components with the latest drivers are recommended to enjoy these titles in 2023.

How Much VRAM Is Good For Gaming In 2023?

12GB is considered a decent VRAM to play games in 2023. 12GB VRAM can play almost every game released in 2023 and 2024. Some games may require moderate settings and compromises, but this video memory is more than enough overall. It can also run and achieve decent frames on updated competitive games like CS2.

Some of the most popular 12GB VRAM GPUs are released by Nvidia GeForce, known as the RTX series. They support ray tracing and new DLSS technology, which enhances the quality of graphics and gameplay mechanics to make it more realistic. Some models of Nvidia GeForce RTX include RTX 3060, RTX 4070, RTX 3080 Ti, and RTX 4070 Ti.

Whereas AMD has released their Radeon XT and XTX series of GPUs on a very low budget to compete with Nvidia. Some of the most popular Radeon series GPUs with ray tracing are RX 6700 XT, RX 6800 XT, RX 7900 XTX, and RX 6750 XT. All of these graphic cards are equipped with the latest ray tracing technology.

Conclusion

4GB VRAM is not enough for the new games of 2023. It will not be enough to run the latest games, which now require at least 8 GB of video memory to run on moderate or low graphical settings. Having a 4GB VRAM GPU is not bad, and you can still enjoy many games and competitive games.

Many games are being developed in the latest game engines, such as Unreal Engine 5, which has introduced new limits and significant graphical improvements. As well as new game mechanics based on real-time physics. The new titles require more than 4GB of VRAM to render the game smoothly with playable frames.

4GB VRAM is not future-proof at all. It doesn’t fulfill the video memory requirements to match the performance of newly released GPUs. Most new releases require more VRAM to render the frames for a smooth gameplay experience. 4GB was good enough a decade ago; the minimum requirement for VRAM is 8GB.

Most graphic cards with 4GB VRAM are very old, making them incompatible with the new firmware and driver updates. These GPUs will have compatibility issues with the latest Ryzen and i-series processors, making the system bottleneck. A bottleneck decreases the overall performance of a computer.

At least 12GB of video memory is good enough for gaming in 2023. Upgrading your old GPU with the new graphic cards with ray tracing technology is essential to run the latest titles with playable frames. Users should always keep their computer setup updated with the time to avoid incompatibility issues.