Is 8GB VRAM Enough for Gaming in 2023?

8GB video memory was considered best in 2015-16 to run the latest releasing games with ultra graphic settings, but the requirement of VRAM to run games over the years has increased.

Game graphics has been significantly increased, just as the game engines. New technology requires a significant amount of graphical memory and CPU usage. The only solution in this era is to keep upgrading your components after a few years. But if you still have an 8GB GPU, there are many games you can enjoy.

In this topic, we will find out if 8GB VRAM is good enough for gaming in 2023 and what games you can still enjoy on your old graphics card. We will also discuss further upgradation options and the best 8GB GPU model that still performs in 2023. So, let’s get into today’s topic without wasting more time.

Is 8GB VRAM Enough For Gaming In 2023?

No, 8GB VRAM was good enough a few years back, but for 2023, 8GB is considered the minimum required VRAM to run the latest titles with the lowest graphical settings. As Ray tracing graphic technology becomes popular, new game engines are introducing much heavier games with reflective RTX graphics.

Using an 8GB VRAM in 2023 to play the latest triple-A titles like Tekken 8, Hogwarts Legacy, CS 2.0, etcetera will cause significant lag because these new games are built with the latest game engines that require RTX support and more video memory to produce realistic and reflective graphics. The latest RTX GPU with 8GB memory is RTX 4060 of NVidia GeForce.

NVidia GeForce RTX 4060 is the latest 8GB VRAM GPU which supports the RTX graphic support, but playing the latest titles on ultra settings is not recommended because it reduces the frames causing significant lag, but is still a very good option for budget gamers to enjoy the new titles with ray tracing graphics.

These are the most popular 8GB VRAM GPUs you can buy on a budget to enjoy gaming in 2023. NVidia’s Geforce RTX 3050 is the cheapest 8GB RTX GPU you can find. At the same time, RTX 3060 Ti and 3070 Ti provide decent performance. AMD’s most popular Radeon RX 580 8 GB is still considered one of the best 8 GB GPUs.

Because this GPU can produce more frames on a minimum budget but still needs to be equipped with the RTX technology because it is an old machine released in 2017. In contrast, RTX technology has released in October of 2022. Ray tracing has greatly changed the graphics, making it reflective, realistic, and smooth.

Some of the justifications of why 8GB VRAM is not good enough for gaming in 2023 have been mentioned below, but remember that you can still play most of the updated competitive games on your 8GB GPU and many games released before 2023. The 2023 has changed gameplay mechanics and graphics significantly.

These features depend on the game you want to play with your 8GB VRAM GPU. Some older titles will have no problem running on ultra graphics while providing 60+ frames per second for smoother gameplay, such as the Tomb Raider series, or competitive games such as CS: GO and Volarant.

Ray Tracing

Ray tracing technology, known as RTX, has been the most significant upgrade to the gaming industry in the last few years. Almost all of the new releasing titles support RTX graphics, which has greatly increased the graphical quality, making the reflections realistic. Such as, water becomes more accurate.

But these graphical quality updates require more VRAM power usage and a much heavier graphic card. In this regard, many new titles released with RTX technology have left the support for the old 8GB VRAM GPUs. Some new RTX 8GB GPUs from NVidia still support this technology.

Some old game owners upgrade their previous game versions to add ray-tracing graphics. Still, it doesn’t work as well as the games based on the new engines with ray tracing technology infused with the gameplay to produce much better results. It has significantly increased the gaming quality in a very short time.

Unreal Engine 5

After the release, Unreal Engine 5 changed the industry by releasing breathtaking, realistic graphics with ray tracing and other graphical improvements. But these improvements require the new, improved RTX GPUs that support these graphics. Over the years, the demand for VRAM has also increased.

The RTX GPUs with 8GB VRAM still need to be improved to run the latest games made by Unreal Engine 5 with ultra graphics because they require more VRAM. But the new RTX 30 and 40 series of NVidia GeForce is good for running these new games with moderate and competitive settings.

Some of the upcoming game titles of Unreal Engine 5 are Tekken 8, The Witcher 4, Silent Hill 2, Quantum Error, ARK 2, and many more games that will be releasing this new game engine with highly updated graphics and quality. So, upgrading your GPU to at least an RTX 8GB or 12GB variant is recommended to run these games smoothly.

Improvement in Graphics

Graphical improvements are the key to keeping the gaming community active as technology improves. These new realistic graphics consumes more usage and requires more power from the components. Upgrading your hardware after a few years is recommended for hardcore gamers to keep up with the new releases.

VRAM is the video memory to render the graphics. Improved realistic graphics will ask for more video memory usage, and 8GB VRAM will not be able to provide the necessary power to render these graphics at 60 FPS for smoother gameplay. That is why 8GB for the new titles is not recommended; at least update to a 12GB GPU.

A few 8GB variants can still provide 60 frames to run the new titles with decent settings. But if you want to enjoy these new games with detailed graphics, go for the new GPUs with at least 12GBs of VRAM to run these games at moderate settings with playable smooth frames.

Can I Play Games at 4K With 8 GB VRAM GPU?

You can play 4K games using 8GB VRAM, but it has some limitations. 8 GB is enough to run old 4K games, but the latest 4k games are graphics-intensive and require at least 12 GB of VRAM. So, an 8GB VRAM GPU cannot deliver optimal performance due to its VRAM limitations.

There is only one option to play such games: reducing the in-game settings like anti-aliasing and other graphics settings. Some GPUs apply the texture compression technique to reduce the strain, but that technique doesn’t completely mitigate the need for larger VRAM requirements while playing 4K games. 

A larger VRAM (memory) allows for more spare resources for two major functions: high-resolution textures and buffering. Therefore always select your GPU according to the latest games. Also, don’t compromise on the monitor hertz and resolution for the best performance and results.

How Important is VRAM in 2023?

Video Random Access Memory or VRAM is instrumental in rendering the required graphics. The importance is subjective to the properties and quality of the graphics one wants to render in games or for editing. These memory requirements increase as the graphics quality becomes more realistic in games.

The video memory known as VRAM is more significant in 2023 to run the new games without causing lag issues. There have been requirements for the minimum VRAM over the years, and 8GB has now become the minimum to run the new releasing games of 2023 with lower graphical settings due to RTX updates.

Whereas 8GB was considered more than enough for many games almost five years ago. Almost all games require at least 12GB of video memory to produce playable 60 frames. As the resolution of games is increasing with the new technology and game engines, the developers encourage players to require a higher resolution to experience their hard work.

It is a rendering technique that stimulates light and other virtual environments. It heavily depends on the VRAM for storing the data like shadows, light effects, etc, for delivering realistic light effects. Ongoing graphics development emphasizes using more VRAM to deliver more effective results. That is why VRAM is so important in 2023 and the near future.

Conclusion

The gaming landscape has changed significantly since 8GB VRAM was deemed adequate for operating games with high graphics settings. Demand for VRAM has increased due to game graphics and technology development, particularly the introduction of features such as ray tracing. 

As of 2023, 8GB VRAM is considered the bare minimum for playing the most recent titles, albeit with reduced visual settings. As a result of the rise of ray tracing and enhancements to graphical quality, modern game engines require more VRAM to render realistic and reflective graphics.

Even though older games and competitive titles can still be played on an 8GB VRAM GPU, the latest AAA titles typically require more VRAM and processing power for a fluid experience, particularly when playing at higher resolutions and graphical settings.

The minimum recommended VRAM for smoother gameplay and more detailed graphics has increased to 12GB, and the RTX 30 and RTX 40 series are excellent choices for attaining this. Even though 8GB VRAM GPUs can still manage older games and some less demanding titles, the industry trend toward more realistic graphics and higher resolutions necessitates hardware upgrades for a better gaming experience. 

As the significance of VRAM continues to rise, it is clear that having sufficient VRAM is essential for rendering the intricate details and effects that modern games require.