How much vRam Do I really need for Maxing out at 720p

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Sayan Koley

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Hey i am buying a new graphic card
I will be playing every latest game at 720p With Maxed Out settings Mainly
so I will be considering GTx960(2gig) or R9 280(3gig)
Or a R9 270x will be sufficient?
Which will be significant in future(not be upgrading soon)
And how much the AA eats up Vram in that res .Thanks in advance
 
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TechiCanadian
I would highly recommend 2gb minimum. Games are getting more and more demanding unless your only planning on playing LOL and Runescape, you need at least 2gb. And if I was you i would get the GTX 960 ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814487091&cm_re=gtx_960-_-14-487-091-_-Product) Although if you have an extra $100 lying around get the GTX 970 ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125684 )

Hope i helped you

-Byron
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Sayan Koley

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but GTA tents to eat excess of 3Gb of Vram at max although at 1080p.Will 720p also need the same amount?
 
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TechiCanadian

TechiCanadian

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I would highly recommend 2gb minimum. Games are getting more and more demanding unless your only planning on playing LOL and Runescape, you need at least 2gb. And if I was you i would get the GTX 960 ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814487091&cm_re=gtx_960-_-14-487-091-_-Product) Although if you have an extra $100 lying around get the GTX 970 ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125684 )

Hope i helped you

-Byron
 
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geofelt

geofelt

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Vram has become a marketing issue.
It is a performance issue, not a functional issue.
If you have insufficient vram, the contents get swapped into pc ram.
That is a relatively fast process.
Here is one study on the performance effects of 2gb vs. 4gb of vram.
Turns out the difference is minimal.
https://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/articles/Video-Card-Performance-2GB-vs-4GB-Memory-154/

Just because you see in monitors that your vram is filled, that does not mean that it is all needed and that performance suffers.
Buy your graphics card first on it's basic performance capabilities.
It is probably better to buy a stronger card with less vram at any given price point.
 
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Achint2000

Achint2000

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720p Gaming? 2GB is enough for max settings.
I have a GTX 650 Ti Boost (2GB VRAM) and I can easily run Assassin's Creed IV on 45-60 FPS on 1280 x 720 on TXAA 4x AA Mode.

More VRAM is needed when you use more than one monitor or an extreme resolution.
(My custom one is 3600 x 2025 on a 19 inch 1366 x 768 Monitor and I get 30 FPS on it when I minimize all graphic options :) )

UPDATE: The rest depends on the number of cores in your GPU. If I have a 4 GB GPU with 96 Cores against a 2 GB GPU with 768 Cores, the 2 GB one will be like 20 times faster.

So overall, 2 GB should be enough. 4 GB will be overkill.
 
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Sayan Koley

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Thanks helped me a lot.By the Which Graphic Card will be best from the above options?
 
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Sayan Koley

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This Article is Killer.But Is it true When Vram is full extra Thing goto system ram?
 
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Achint2000

Achint2000

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Well, depends on you. If you want a GPU which will easily handle many games in the future,

I think ASUS Strix GTX 960 2GB will be good. But I suggest you to go with ASUS Strix GTX 960 4GB GPU because it's a HUGE increase in VRAM for just around $50 more. :)

Otherwise I cannot say about AMD, I don't have any experience with AMD yet. If you don't like the GPU I suggested above, tell me, I can also spend a while in learning more about AMD :)
 
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Sayan Koley

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I am also into GTX Series but I am also curious about R9 280's 3Gig Vs 960..Thanks
 
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Achint2000

Achint2000

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Yes, it's true bit it'll be a LOT slower and will make all other process on the machine a lot slower. Basically when a system is out of VRAM it starts taking normal DRAM which makes the overall system slower.

If you ever experienced, a GPU with 2GB VRAM and 4 GB DRAM has an area in the Resource Monitor saying
"Shared system memory" Which means the amount of DRAM shared as VRAM.

On my GTX650TiB, when I go on 3600 x 2025 with just 2x MSAA my FPS drop from 30 to 10.
Huge decrease !!

Don't go with card with VRAM lower than 2 GB. Latest games need minimum over 1GB :)

I strongly suggest you to get an ASUS Nvidia Strix GTX 960 4GB Graphics Card. Best one from your Nvidia GPU Options :D
 
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maxtex

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Don't suggest him the 4GB version of 960, cos first of all 50$ more isn't "just" 50$, and secondly the 960's memory bandwidth isn't fast enough for 4GB. Thirdly, why on earth would you need over 2GB for 720p?...

Anyway, a 280(x) and 960 are 1080p cards, really all you need for 720p gaming is a R9 270x, all else is overkill. A 960 or 280x would be more ideal though if you think you wanna upgrade to a 1080p screen some day.
 
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Sayan Koley

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I know those are overkill right now but i will not upgrade soon so I just want to be future compatible at 720p
 
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Achint2000

Achint2000

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I'm suggesting a 4GB Card because Sayan isn't going to upgrade soon and who knows if he changes the mind and go over 720p? And it sure is "just" $50 if you don't upgrade so frequently :) I'm with my GTX 650 TiB 2GB since 2012.

If I would've got a 4GB Version of the GTX 650 (if there was one) it would be a world of change for me right now because I'll not upgrade until this rusts xD



Why 720p? Are you specifically running through a display device which has a maximum res of 720p or just because 1080p causes lags? If my 2GB GTX650 Ti Boost can give 45 FPS on 1080p 8x MSAA on games like Assassin's Creed 4 and Saints Row 4, i'm pretty sure the 4GB Version of the GTX 960 will easily give you 45-60 FPS on 1080p with 8x MSAA on even demanding games!

(Im sorry im not playing any new games atm, studies caught me :( )

UPDATE: Sayan, if you want to save money as much as possible on this case, go withmaxtex's suggestion but it won't be saving if you ever needed over 4GB of VRAM in the future before you're about to "Upgrade Soon". :)
 
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Sayan Koley

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Because 1080p lags ....I also Have a 1080p panel but Will not use it Due to lag
 
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Achint2000

Achint2000

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I don't think 1080p will lag on a GTX Strix 960 :eek:
Check the benchmarks on latest games on Google, you'll get your answer there :)
 
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geofelt

geofelt

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How well you perform is largely determined by your cpu and the graphics card.
What is the rest of your system? Particularly the cpu.

Do some tests; 720P is not particularly demanding.

Lower your eye candy or aa and see how things change. If performance is better, your cpu is ok and graphics can be upgraded.
If performance stays the same, you are likely cpu limited.
 
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Sayan Koley

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I don't think my I5 4690 in the cause of bottle neck..
 
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geofelt

geofelt

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I would not think so either.
 
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Sayan Koley

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Last thing are you sure that in future at 720p 2gb will be enough.after some years i will not mind lowering the AA
 
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