2gb VRAM vs 4gb VRAM?

maza90210 · Sep 27, 2013

Well I want to get a gtx 760 msi gaming, and I may/may not SLI in the future, but if I do, I'll go for a 1440p monitor as well. I know that more VRAM would probably be more useful in this situation. I'm just wondering, can the gtx 760 utilise that much ram? I know there are gtx 660 versions with 3gb VRAM, but the graphics card can't handle all that VRAM, so it reduces performance.
Also another question, I know if I got 2x2gb graphics cards, only 2gb VRAM can be used, but what if you got a 4gb MSI gaming with a 2gb MSI gaming? would it use 2gb of VRAM or 4gb VRAM (probably a stupid question, just wondering). so basically, can the gtx 760 use 4gb VRAM effectively?

thanks in advance

namdlo · Sep 27, 2013

if you got the same card with different amounts of ram it would use the less amount.

2gb and 4gb - 2gb usable
4gb and 4gb - 4gb usable

The memory is not shared between the cards - it's still only used on the original card.

thenay · Sep 27, 2013

The GTX 760 should be able to utilise all its VRAM if it needs to. If you SLI a 2GB card with a 4GB, the 4GB can only utilise 2GB so therefore the 4GB of VRAM cannot be used effectively.

JackNaylorPE · Sep 27, 2013

what are you expecting 4GB to provide over 2GB ?

http://alienbabeltech.com/main/gtx-770-4gb-vs-2gb-tested/3/

geofelt · Sep 27, 2013

Vram is a performance issue, not a functional issue.
And... there is a negligible performance difference.
Read the Jacknaylorpe link and this one:
http://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/articles/Video-Card-Performance-2GB-vs-4GB-Memory-154/

ingtar33 · Sep 27, 2013

maza90210 :

ok. having too much vram doesn't slow down a card. it just never gets used. generally speaking gpus the speed of a 650ti BOOST or 7850 and slower aren't fast enough to actually use more then 1gb of vram (as in the gpu is NEVER bottle-necked by ram issues, regardless of resolution or title). the only reason to get either of these cards with more vram then 1gb would be to SLi/xfire.

as you accurate surmised vram isn't shared in SLi/xfire. the gpu is only able to use the ram it has physically on it's board, the result is 2 650ti BOOSTs in sLI certainly are fast enough to use more then 1gb of vram, so such a settup will be ram bottle-necked. That's why you'd get 2 of them with 2gb of vram. If one card had 1 gb and another 2, they'd use the ram they had, but the whole thing would be bottle necked by the card with 1gb of vram. forcing the 2gb card to wait, increasing stuttering and low frame-rates.

as to your question, 2 760's in SLI should be fast enough to use more then 2gb of vram. The question you should be asking is "do i have anything or expect to play anything that might need more then 2gb of vram". currently i think there are only 2 or 3 titles that might reach more then 2gb of vram, and none of them at 1080p (though both skyrim with a bunch of mods, and crysis 3 come close). Early reports are BF4 might need more then 2gb of vram at resolutions over 1080p.

If this is the case, an SLi setup of 760s with 2gb of vram may be ram bottle-necked in the future. So you may benefit from getting the 4gb version. just understand there are almost no titles that will need more then 2gb of vram currently or soon to be on the market, so it's a future proofing tech.

maza90210 · Sep 27, 2013

ingtar33 :

maza90210 :

ok. having too much vram doesn't slow down a card. it just never gets used. generally speaking gpus the speed of a 650ti BOOST or 7850 and slower aren't fast enough to actually use more then 1gb of vram (as in the gpu is NEVER bottle-necked by ram issues, regardless of resolution or title). the only reason to get either of these cards with more vram then 1gb would be to SLi/xfire.

as you accurate surmised vram isn't shared in SLi/xfire. the gpu is only able to use the ram it has physically on it's board, the result is 2 650ti BOOSTs in sLI certainly are fast enough to use more then 1gb of vram, so such a settup will be ram bottle-necked. That's why you'd get 2 of them with 2gb of vram. If one card had 1 gb and another 2, they'd use the ram they had, but the whole thing would be bottle necked by the card with 1gb of vram. forcing the 2gb card to wait, increasing stuttering and low frame-rates.

as to your question, 2 760's in SLI should be fast enough to use more then 2gb of vram. The question you should be asking is "do i have anything or expect to play anything that might need more then 2gb of vram". currently i think there are only 2 or 3 titles that might reach more then 2gb of vram, and none of them at 1080p (though both skyrim with a bunch of mods, and crysis 3 come close). Early reports are BF4 might need more then 2gb of vram at resolutions over 1080p.

If this is the case, an SLi setup of 760s with 2gb of vram may be ram bottle-necked in the future. So you may benefit from getting the 4gb version. just understand there are almost no titles that will need more then 2gb of vram currently or soon to be on the market, so it's a future proofing tech.

Wow! got a lot of replies quick! anyways I'll go with 4gb cards, just for the future-resistancibility (not a word lol) I'd like the PC to last me a very long time so it's best to get the 4gb now.

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2gb VRAM vs 4gb VRAM?

maza90210

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ingtar33

namdlo

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thenay

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JackNaylorPE

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geofelt

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ingtar33

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maza90210

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