Will 8GB VRAM increase gaming performance at 1440p?

Gondvanaz · Jan 13, 2015

I found this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLo7oU_napA and it seems that Sapphire R9 290X 8 GB destroys GTX 970 at 1440p. I can't figure out what is the part of 8 GB VRAM but it seems that 8GB R9 290X is outperforming GTX 970 absolutely at 1440p. I mean i watched quite some videos of comparisons between R9 290X 4GB and GTX 970 4 GB and there was not big difference... R9 290X was a litlle bit better while here R9 290X is without doubt the winner.

quilciri · Jan 13, 2015

There's something fishy about that video. Every review from reputable sites of the 8gb sapphire 290x shows no difference between it and the 4gb version, even at 4k. The benchmarks between the 290x's and the 970 also turn out much different than that video.

In short, that video is suspect.

SkyBill40 · Jan 13, 2015

They're comparing the results of two cards, one of which has DOUBLE the VRAM of the other? Yeah, seems legit. Of course a card with double the available memory is going to have an easier time of things at extremely high resolutions when compared to a card with half as much. Still, as Quilciri said... it's pretty suspect for the most part.

Gondvanaz · Jan 13, 2015

quilciri :

At 1440p or at lower resolution? By and large is R9 290X better choice than GTX 970 for 1440p gaming? And what is the sense of 8GB VRAM when games are not using more than 3GB?

SkyBill40 · Jan 13, 2015

Gondvanaz :

Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it, don't you think? If the price between a 4GB and 8GB card isn't too large, why not spring for the larger one?

quilciri · Jan 13, 2015

SkyBill40 :

The case in which having an 8gb video card over a 4gb one is so limited as to be ridiculous. It makes zero difference at 1440p. I was being generous when i only said that video is "suspect".

The 8gb card costs a LOT more.

Gondvanaz · Jan 13, 2015

SkyBill40 :

Well... i have 3 options:
1) Sapphire Radeon R9 290X Tri-X - 4 GB, cheapest card.
2) Inno3D GeForce GTX 970 "iChill Herculez X4 Air Boss Ultra - 4GB
3) XFX Radeon R9 290X 1000M DD 8GB - 80 euros more compared to first card (I don't include Sapphire R9 290X 8 GB TRI-X because it is 140 euros more expensive compared to first card)
Which one will give best performance at 1440p?
Which one will give best performance at 1440p after overclock?

SkyBill40 · Jan 13, 2015

quilciri :

The case for it to be limited isn't nearly as ridiculous as you're making it sound. If that were so, it wouldn't even be an option. I've seen tests on both this site and others that showed better 4K performance when using an 8GB card but, again, that's 4K and not 1440p.

Seeing how the card costs significantly more, I agree that it's not worth it. I was only making the point about it if the prices weren't that far apart.

quilciri · Jan 13, 2015

The 970 and the 290x are about even at 1440p. At 1080, the 970 performs better, @ 4k, the 290x shines a bit more.

If you have a motherboard that supports crossfire and you plan on eventually going to 4k, the 290x is a good option. The 970 draws much less power than the 290x (though, in the states, it would take about 2,500 hours of gaming to make up the price difference in electricity).

You really can't go wrong with either card, but either way I recommend the 4gb versions.

quilciri · Jan 13, 2015

SkyBill40 :

You made a false assumption. Card manufacturers add more RAM to cards that don't need/can't use it all the time; conceivably in order to jack up the price on people who don't know any better.

case in point.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA1N82855847
That GPU runs out of steam even before the card can use even 1gb, much less 2.

You should reread those reviews on the 8gb card, too. I'd bet most say something like "while the 8gb card does slightly outperform the 4gb 290x, this is mostly attributable to its higher GPU clock speed"

Gondvanaz · Jan 13, 2015

I don't think that i will play 4k soon, i just bought my BENQ BL2710PT. I like NVidia's cards but it seems that R9 290X is producing more or less 4-5 fps more than GTX 970. While GTX 970 is cooler. Will overclocked GTX 970 beat overclocked R9 290X at 2k? 80 euros for 4 GB more VRAM. Does it worth? I mean will the games need more than 4 GBs at 1440p in near future?

SkyBill40 · Jan 13, 2015

quilciri :

I believe you're assuming a lot in kind. I'm pretty sure there's a reason for an 8GB card for reasons other than "screwing the consumer who simply doesn't know better." It's of no consequence, really.

As you've mentioned, I, too would easily recommend a 4GB card over an 8GB version. There's really no point in the here and now and likely won't be for at least another 5-8 years.

quilciri · Jan 13, 2015

SkyBill40 :

I didn't assume about motives, hence the word "conceivably". That some cards have more RAM than they can usefully use is a fact.

Conceivably, the 8gb card could make a difference if you were running two or more of those cards in crossfire @4k or 5k....a ludicrously expensive proposition.

Gondvanaz · Jan 13, 2015

So... which card do you recommend?

quilciri · Jan 13, 2015

Either of the 4gb cards. You can't go wrong between the 970 and the 290x. At 1440p, they're about even performance-wise.

Gondvanaz · Jan 13, 2015

quilciri :

Which GTX 970/R9 290X has best cooling system?

quilciri · Jan 13, 2015

Sapphire's tri-x has the best stock air cooler on the 290x. I dunno what the absolute best is for the 970 yet, but the Gigabyte ACX is a good one.

SkyBill40 · Jan 13, 2015

Bear in mind that the 290X is a power hungry beast, so make sure your PSU is up to the task. As for cooling and card build in general, I'm an MSI guy all the way.

chenw · Jan 13, 2015

quilciri :

Kitguru's test showed that for dual cards, 8GB doesn't make much of a difference, 4GB SLI'ed 980's were still outperforming or at least on par with dual 8GB 290x XFired setups, with the current games anyway.

I think it's a peace of mind (or Placebo) thing, but an expensive one at that

quilciri · Jan 14, 2015

chenw :

Well, we're back to the 8gb card just being ludicrous, then

quilciri · Jan 14, 2015

290X Sapphire Tri-X load temps. The cooler is just head and shoulders above everything else.

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sapphire/R9_290X_Tri-X_OC/28.html

For the 970: Using EVGA's ACX as a baseline for the tests (it's common to both roundups), it looks like Gigabyte's G1 is the best of those five. It bests the EVGA by 28% under load. The second best cooler among those five, the MSI gaming, bests the EVGA by 11%.

http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/hardware-canucks-reviews/67800-gtx-970-roundup-evga-galax-gigabyte-7.html
http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/graphics/2014/09/19/nvidia-geforce-gtx-970-review/11

Gondvanaz · Jan 14, 2015

quilciri :

What do you think about Inno3D GeForce GTX 970 iChill X4. It has 3 heatpipes and 4 fans. I saw review of GTX 980 with the same cooler which keeps 57 °C under load.

quilciri · Jan 14, 2015

I don't know. If you have a link to the review, I can compare if there's something common to both reviews.

Gondvanaz · Jan 14, 2015

http://www.hardwareluxx.com/index.php/reviews/hardware/vgacards/32981-test-inno3d-ichill-geforce-gtx-980-x4-air-boss-ultra.html?start=4
http://www.hardwareluxx.com/index.php/reviews/hardware/vgacards/32981-test-inno3d-ichill-geforce-gtx-980-x4-air-boss-ultra.html

quilciri · Jan 14, 2015

That looks good. I imagine it will perform similarly on a 970.

Will 8GB VRAM increase gaming performance at 1440p?

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