What Is The Minimum Amount of Memory a GPU Should Have?

[sebastian869]

That’s pretty much it, is there anything else one wants to look for to make sure their purchase is a good one. For example when I do a search for a GTX 770 theres almost 10 models available one is a bit more mem or processing power etc..

Thanks,
Sebastian

 

[64K]

What resolution will you be gaming at? PSU and CPU info could help also? Since your specs say "OLD POS" it makes me wonder. Do you like every game maxed out?

 

[Vario]

770 you want 2GB. If you want more than 2GB than get a 780. 770 4GB doesn't have any performance advantage over 770 2GB.

 

[GhostRyder]

That’s pretty much it, is there anything else one wants to look for to make sure their purchase is a good one. For example when I do a search for a GTX 770 theres almost 10 models available one is a bit more mem or processing power etc..

Thanks,
Sebastian

It all depends on many different factors, but in general you can say it depends on the resolution your gaming at.

For instance, if 1920x1080p is what you intend to game at a minimum of 2gb would be optimal to have all settings turned up (MSAA and things like that) on a high end GPU. If your gaming on 2560x1440p its normally assume that 3gb is the best area to have to get the optimal max settings and a great frame rate in game.

Lots of things also play factors and it can even come down to the game and the game engine. But if your talking about the minimum that a GPU should have, well I would say at least 2gb to do normal gaming in this day and age.

 

[fusionblu]

Generally minimal specifications for memory should be 2GB at the very least on a graphics card; however, 3GB or 4GB are becoming more popular and cheaper so it is better to go for those kind of specs when buying a new graphics card.

When I brought my dad a GTX 770 I did get him the 4GB model instead of the 2GB model as it wasn't much more in cost by that much more in cost at the time, but in relation to the other post it is not certain as to whether the performance benefit is significant. However the extra 2GB on a 4GB GTX 770 is more for future proofing a little or having more options available (can handle larger monitors or even more than one more monitor with better stability than 2GB model) should there be an interest to change your current PC setup.

As for the benefit for a 6GB graphics card like mine the benefit is I can play a game like Watch Dogs on maximum settings on single graphics card just about with some instabilities, but not many instabilities overall. Applying the mod for Watch Dogs actually got rid of a significant number of the instabilities for me.

 

[64K]

Since the OP mentioned the GTX 770 as a GPU he was interested in it made me wonder if his PSU could handle it or if his CPU might be a bottleneck.

 

[Frag_Maniac]

As mentioned it's dependent on the res you play at, but you also need to factor in some titles not being too efficient in how much VRAM they use if you want to cover all bases.

As has been said with 1080p you want 2GB minimum, but if you're not sure whether you'll want to upgrade to a higher res display and want to cover ALL games vs risking maxing VRAM capacity, I feel 3GB should be the minimum, and it finally HAS become Nvidia's new minimum on their current high end GPUs.

1440p is becoming very popular and there are more and more displays using it and prices are coming down. What's nice about it is you can go very wide without the vertical view being cramped.

My main concern, as someone else touched on, is what level of GPU your system will support. You really should write in more details than "Old POS" when filling out your spec chart, and it can be very confusing when asking about fairly high end GPUs, which the 770 is.

I'm doubting whether the PSU or CPU you're using even justifies such a purchase.

 

[sebastian869]

Thanks for the ideas guys,
Id guess the resolution will be 1920x1080
my real dilemma is the card to buy either 770 or r9 290 or 290x the only problem my budget is 350 i just cant spend more than watch in 6 moths the card will be worth 200 ,,,, 280s are too cheap 280x seems reasonable is the 290 better than the 770?
p.s. my main games are first person shooters.

 

[Tatty_Two]

Thanks for the ideas guys,
Id guess the resolution will be 1920x1080
my real dilemma is the card to buy either 770 or r9 290 or 290x the only problem my budget is 350 i just cant spend more than watch in 6 moths the card will be worth 200 ,,,, 280s are too cheap 280x seems reasonable is the 290 better than the 770?
p.s. my main games are first person shooters.

So buy a R9 280X, 3GB memory, matches a 770 in performance, loses in some, beats it in some and where I am much cheaper.

 

[Frag_Maniac]

For the love of GOD man fill out your spec chart properly or at least tell us what CPU and PSU you have.

You need to understand a couple basic things about trying to upgrade an old system.

1. If your CPU is too weak for it, you will not likely be able to utilize the full power of the GPU you're talking about. It's called bottlenecking.

2. If you're PSU hasn't enough wattage and amperage for a 770 or 290/290x, you will have to upgrade it. That is easier than upgrading an old platform CPU though because that usually involves a new MB, and sometimes new RAM as well.

I'll give you PSU scenarios for the GPUs you mentioned. This is recommended total system power.

"GeForce GTX 770 - 42A and a 600W PSU minimum

Radeon R9-290 - 31A and a 550W psu minimum

Radeon R9-290X - 33A and a 600W psu minimum"

Source: http://forum-en.msi.com/faq/article/power-requirements-for-graphics-cards

These are conservative recommendations to allow for a range of PSU brands/models, but since amperage is given, it tends to rule out ultra cheap models because they typically have very low amperage. These recs are right in line with what EVGA recommends. Forget Nvidia recs, because they don't even mention amperage, which is the most important spec really. They also tend to list most any brand that supports SLI.

If you're not sure, the sticker on the side of your PSU should have the specs, if it's multi rail (more than one +12v spec listed), just list the model number. The single rail (only one +12v spec) PSUs are easy to get total +12v output from, but the multi rail ones require a chart that lists it, such as this http://forums.guru3d.com/showthread.php?t=205763.

 

[64K]

Frag Maniac is trying to help you make an informed choice. What I'm saying is that there are requirements that have to be looked at before making a buy decision.

 

[GhostRyder]

Thanks for the ideas guys,
Id guess the resolution will be 1920x1080
my real dilemma is the card to buy either 770 or r9 290 or 290x the only problem my budget is 350 i just cant spend more than watch in 6 moths the card will be worth 200 ,,,, 280s are too cheap 280x seems reasonable is the 290 better than the 770?
p.s. my main games are first person shooters.

Well just like stated above, you need to fill out your spec sheet so we can make an informed suggestion for you.

That being said:
1: A GTX 770 is equivalent to a R9 280X in performance, overclocking, etc. In my book at clock for clock the 280X is a bit faster but it comes down to games.
2: A R9 290 is more of the equivalent of a GTX 780, the GTX 780 comes out ahead in the end when compared because of how high the overclocks go, but again its game dependent

If your budget is 350 and you have a decent enough PSU and system (Minimum 550Watt I would say), try and get an R9 290 as that will offer you the best bang to buck performance for a long time.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125505&cm_re=R9_290-_-14-125-505-_-Product

 

[sebastian869]

For the love of GOD man fill out your spec chart properly or at least tell us what CPU and PSU you have.

You need to understand a couple basic things about trying to upgrade an old system.

1. If your CPU is too weak for it, you will not likely be able to utilize the full power of the GPU you're talking about. It's called bottlenecking.

2. If you're PSU hasn't enough wattage and amperage for a 770 or 290/290x, you will have to upgrade it. That is easier than upgrading an old platform CPU though because that usually involves a new MB, and sometimes new RAM as well.

I'll give you PSU scenarios for the GPUs you mentioned. This is recommended total system power.

"GeForce GTX 770 - 42A and a 600W PSU minimum

Radeon R9-290 - 31A and a 550W psu minimum

Radeon R9-290X - 33A and a 600W psu minimum"

Source: http://forum-en.msi.com/faq/article/power-requirements-for-graphics-cards

These are conservative recommendations to allow for a range of PSU brands/models, but since amperage is given, it tends to rule out ultra cheap models because they typically have very low amperage. These recs are right in line with what EVGA recommends. Forget Nvidia recs, because they don't even mention amperage, which is the most important spec really. They also tend to list most any brand that supports SLI.

If you're not sure, the sticker on the side of your PSU should have the specs, if it's multi rail (more than one +12v spec listed), just list the model number. The single rail (only one +12v spec) PSUs are easy to get total +12v output from, but the multi rail ones require a chart that lists it, such as this http://forums.guru3d.com/showthread.php?t=205763.

i have an i7-920 and 1000 wat PSU because im runnin 2 GTX 285 and 12 gig on mem and i gotta say when i went from 8 to 12 it was not worth it at all not improvement. Im looking to spend around 300 on GPU id suffer but could go 350 i just hate to spend that much then see the same hardare 1/2 off and i plan to get the same model later when prices drop.

 

[Lopez0101]

then see the same hardare 1/2 off

Welcome to technology. Enjoy your stay.

Also, you could always pick up a 290 or 290X off ebay for cheap.

 

[MikeMurphy]

Between 1gb and 2gb. I run GPU-Z in the background and find that I've never used more than 1gb on my 3gb 280x at 1920x1200.

 

[eidairaman1]

770 you want 2GB. If you want more than 2GB than get a 780. 770 4GB doesn't have any performance advantage over 770 2GB.

Might aswell go with a R9 280 As minimum then

 

[Lopez0101]

I've never used more than 1gb on my 3gb 280x at 1920x1200.

Turn the graphics settings up? Depends on the game. I've seen 3GB at 2560x1440, granted that's almost twice the pixels, but still. Minimum a 2GB card if you intend on keeping it for a few years.

 

[sebastian869]

What resolution will you be gaming at? PSU and CPU info could help also? Since your specs say "OLD POS" it makes me wonder. Do you like every game maxed out?

the avg 1920x1080 id have to get new monitor and im doing a new comp so wasting 1g on the hardware doesn't make sense to me. The update form "reg" to HD really was a large improvement but going to 4k and now sony was showing off 8k, u get to the point where your eye will not tell the difference plus for a first person shoot u obviously need good frame rate not worth it, maybe in 5yrs or more when the 50" will be selling for 1k i'll get interested.