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4GB of VRAM is excessive for 1080p gaming?

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  • Graphics Cards
  • Graphics
Last response: in Graphics & Displays
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October 8, 2014 2:50:59 AM

I will be upgrading my graphics cards to two Nvidia GeForce GTX 970's in SLI soon, and I was wondering if 4GB of video memory is excessive for gaming at 1920x1080 resolution.

The newest generation of graphics cards from both AMD and Nvidia were designed to run games on 4K resolution. I only have a 1080p monitor.

My two GTX 680's (2GB) in SLI sometimes struggle to run games like Crysis 3 and Battlefield 4 on it's maximum settings and resolutions, which is why I am upgrading. I read on another forum that the maximum VRAM consumption of these two games on max detail @1080p is around 2.5GB, is that true?

More about : 4gb vram excessive 1080p gaming

a c 179 U Graphics card
October 8, 2014 2:56:34 AM

Just because it buffers that much to the VRAM, does not mean it NEEDS it to run optimally.

GTX680 x2 are quiet potent. I can not see why you would struggle in those 2 games.
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a c 78 U Graphics card
October 8, 2014 2:56:43 AM

Not excessive I guess if you play with max settings and tons of AA.

They can run games at 4k, but at lower settings with no AA.
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a c 111 U Graphics card
October 8, 2014 2:59:52 AM

No such thing as too much VRAM. Yes some games use up more than 2GB of VRAM, although having just 2GB doesn't mean you'll experience a drastic performance drop.

I'd rather just get one 980 if I were you. Its more than enough to max games at 1080p
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October 8, 2014 8:48:15 AM

Certain games like Crysis 3 and Battlefield 4, Far Cry 3, and Watchdogs can consume a little bit over 2GB of VRAM at 1080p/maximum detail/AA/AF, like let's say 2.5GB in the most extreme cases.

Having 4GB is obviously more than of enough headroom for maxing out any PC title at 1920x1080 and provides plenty of future-proofing.
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a b U Graphics card
October 8, 2014 8:56:10 AM

If you want more AA, don't you need more VRAM?

I'd go for the SLI over the 980 simply for using top AA settings.

Also, more power can be used for DSR and down sample it back to 1080p.
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