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Gaming GPUs with 8 GB VRAM far from sufficient for modern gaming, reveals Radeon RX 7600 vs RX 7600 XT deep-dive

The 16 GB RX 7600 XT thrashed the 8 GB RX 7600 in multiple modern titles. (Image source: AMD, Steam, edited)
The 16 GB RX 7600 XT thrashed the 8 GB RX 7600 in multiple modern titles. (Image source: AMD, Steam, edited)
While 8 GB of VRAM may be enough for 1080p in older titles, it is simply not sufficient for modern titles, especially with ray tracing or high-resolution gaming. This was confirmed by a deep-dive by PC Games Hardware, who pit the Radeon RX 7600 against the RX 7600 XT - two borderline identical GPUs, but with vastly different amounts of VRAM.

It is an open secret that both AMD and Nvidia are planning to introduce new GPUs with only 8 GB of VRAM this year. Of course, that would have been enough - had it been 2019. In 2025, however, with games becoming ever so demanding, 8 GB is not only not ideal, but borderline insufficient in certain scenarios, as PCGH discovered in their testing.

Spotted by VideoCardz, PC Games Hardware's testing setup included the AMD Radeon RX 7600 and the RX 7600 XT (Currently $315 on Amazon) GPUs. The reasoning behind the choice was clear - both the cards utilize the Navi 33 die, with almost the same specifications. The only notable difference between the two is in terms of VRAM, with the 7600 and the 7600 XT packing 8 and 16 GB of GDDR6 memory respectively, along with a 25-watt higher TDP for the latter.

8 GB vs 16 GB VRAM: The results are clear as day

As PCGH's testing reveals, in most modern titles, the performance delta between the two nearly identical cards is undeniably massive, almost solely due to the Radeon RX 7600 XT variant having twice the VRAM. In certain titles such as Stalker 2 (sans ray tracing) and Indiana Jones: Great Circle (ray tracing), the 8 GB Radeon RX 7600 was only able to manage a measly 22-25% of the 16 GB RX 7600 XT's performance. In other titles, such as F1 24, Forza Horizon 5, and Enshrouded, the performance gap was not as huge, but undoubtedly substantial enough to make the 8 GB RX 7600 a deal-breaker for a sizeable chunk of gamers who want to enjoy modern titles.

Of course, there were plenty of titles without ray tracing where the performance gap was perfectly acceptable, such as W40K, Assasin's Creed: Mirage, Ghost of Tsushima, Cities: Skylines 2, etc. Moreover, the performance gap between the two GPUs was far, far higher when ray tracing was brought to the scene, making the Radeon RX 7600 XT almost four times faster than the RX 7600 in some games. In simpler terms, the conclusion of PCGH's deep dive is simple enough: those who wish to enjoy modern titles, especially with ray tracing and/or at high resolutions, are strongly advised to steer clear of GPUs with 8 GB of VRAM.

8 GB vs 16 GB VRAM in games with ray tracing enabled. (Image source: PCGH
8 GB vs 16 GB VRAM in games with ray tracing enabled. (Image source: PCGH
8 GB vs 16 GB VRAM in games without ray tracing. (Image source: PCGH)
8 GB vs 16 GB VRAM in games without ray tracing. (Image source: PCGH)

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > News > News Archive > Newsarchive 2025 01 > Gaming GPUs with 8 GB VRAM far from sufficient for modern gaming, reveals Radeon RX 7600 vs RX 7600 XT deep-dive
Sambit Saha, 2025-01-14 (Update: 2025-01-14)