Despite their initially appealing low prices, PC gamers are increasingly turning away from 8GB graphics cards. This widespread rejection is causing a significant price drop for these models when compared to their 16GB counterparts. Currently, several 8GB AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT graphics cards are available for as little as $269.99, which is $30 below their manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP). Similar price reductions are also being seen on Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8GB cards.
In recent evaluations, it was found that the 16GB version of the AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT stands out as an excellent choice for budget-conscious gamers, while the RTX 5060 Ti 16GB is the preferred option for those with a bit more to spend. It’s quite telling that neither AMD nor Nvidia provided review samples for their 8GB models. The reason is clear: 8GB of VRAM is simply insufficient for running many of today’s latest games at high settings, let alone anticipating future demands over the next couple of years.
This isn’t just about demanding features like path tracing at 4K. My own benchmark tests reveal that some games struggle significantly, even at 1080p with moderate settings, when played on a graphics card with only 8GB of VRAM. For instance, consider the performance in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle at 1080p using the Ultra preset. Keep in mind, there are two higher graphics presets available, plus an entire tier dedicated to path tracing with four additional levels.
As the data illustrates, there’s a dramatic performance gap between an 8GB graphics card, such as the RTX 4060 Ti or RTX 5060, and a 16GB model. This difference is far more substantial than what the increase in GPU processing power alone would suggest. On 8GB cards, performance in this game plummets at these settings, with 1% lows frequently dipping to 15 frames per second or less. In fact, the game’s settings menu continuously displays a red warning about insufficient VRAM even at the high and medium graphics presets, only turning green when you reduce settings to the low preset.
Even a slightly older title like Doom Eternal encounters difficulties on an 8GB card when ray tracing is enabled. The following graph demonstrates how, even at 1080p, performance drastically declines on the RTX 4060 and Radeon RX 7600. While the RTX 5060 can manage to run the game (though with disappointing 1% lows), there’s a massive performance boost once you step up to 16GB cards. These more capable cards can even handle Doom Eternal at 4K (with the 9060 XT averaging 103fps), whereas the game simply refuses to launch on 8GB cards at these same demanding settings.
It appears gamers have clearly received the message: 8GB is no longer adequate when investing in a new graphics card, highlighting an imbalance in current GPU pricing. While an 8GB RTX 5060 Ti card can currently be purchased for $349.99, which is $30 below its MSRP, the most affordable 16GB 5060 Ti card sells for $429.99, exactly at its MSRP. Similarly, 8GB AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT cards are available for just $269.99 ($30 below MSRP), while 16GB 9060 XT cards start at $349.99, again precisely at their MSRP.
In a year marked by exorbitant GPU price hikes and undeniable massive demand, one might expect these cheaper 8GB graphics cards to fly off the shelves. However, this isn’t the case. The 16GB cards are consistently holding their prices, while 8GB cards require significant discounts to attract buyers.
Is the era of 8GB VRAM truly coming to an end? In the lower-mid range segment, it very well might be. Although a complete supply chain picture isn’t available, it strongly suggests a substantially higher demand for 16GB cards compared to 8GB models.
However, it’s worth noting that the $299 Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060 still maintains its price, despite also having only 8GB of VRAM. This is likely due to the strong Nvidia brand appeal and the absence of a 16GB alternative for this specific GPU, preventing it from being overshadowed. It’s quite probable that Nvidia is aware that 8GB VRAM isn’t truly sufficient for this GPU either, which might explain why no review samples were provided before its initial embargo.
Ultimately, when given a choice, it’s clear that gamers prefer 16GB over 8GB VRAM. This preference will hopefully influence future generations of Nvidia and AMD graphics cards. After all, even the older RTX 3060 featured 12GB of VRAM (largely due to its bus width), making it quite unreasonable that 8GB RTX 5060 Ti cards are still priced at $349.99 today.
How much VRAM does your current graphics card have, and do you find it sufficient for your gaming needs? We’d love to hear your thoughts in our community Discord server.