TheRetroArcade
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Posts: 1,989
Joined: Feb 2026
Joined: Feb 2026
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I've recently performed some in-depth testing of VRAM usage in several modern games, to see if 8 GB budget graphics cards are still good enough for gaming in 2026. And it turns out they are—with some caveats.
While the 8 GB variants of the RTX 5060 Ti and RX 9060 XT performed fairly well overall, it was surprising to see just how big the frame rate gap was compared to their 16 GB equivalents. Traditionally, 8 GB and 16 GB budget GPUs have often performed roughly the same, but in this generation of games, that's not so much the case.
In this VRAM-constrained, memory crisis-stricken world, that might be bad news for budget gamers. Should this supply shambles cause graphics card manufacturers to cut all our "low-priced" cards down to 8 GB, though, there is one major beacon of hope—and it comes in the form of Arc Raiders.
I was genuinely astonished to see how well this particular game ran on all of our tested GPUs. It's a great counterpoint to the popular idea that all Unreal Engine 5 games perform like trash, and a testament to the ability of the developers to keep VRAM usage low and frame rates high, even on affordable graphics hardware at maximum settings.
Take a look at the chart below to see what I mean. While the 16 GB cards are still faster overall, even the RX 9060 XT 8 GB (which struggled a little in some of my tests) manages to post a 127 fps average with the sliders cranked at 1440p, albeit with a small dose of Quality upscaling.
In-game testing, Epic settings
I spent many hours running around in Arc Raiders trying to force it into all sorts of frame rate-destroying scenarios. I experienced hurricanes, bot invasions, and more than one bullet to the back of the head. This is the life of a Raider.
But while the frame rate is variable (my recorded averages are based on much combined testing), I couldn't get it to range anywhere near its VRAM limit on any of my tested cards. Nor could I get it to deliver anything other than excellent performance—on properly affordable GPUs, no less.
It's also worth noting just how bite-the-back-of-your-hand beautiful this game looks. Jumping into Arc Raiders after testing Cyberpunk 2077, Resident Evil Requiem, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, and others is a real eye-opener.
All of those games look great, but Arc Raiders has such a distinct, gorgeously-rendered art style, it's difficult no...Read more: Full article on www.pcgamer.com
What do you think about this?
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
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Every Friday
GamesRadar+
Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them.
Every Thursday
GTA 6 O'clock
Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.
Every Friday
Knowledge
From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.
Every Thursday
The Setup
Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.
Every Wednesday
Switch 2 Spotlight
Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.
Every Saturday
The Watchlist
Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.
Once a month
SFX
Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!
I've recently performed some in-depth testing of VRAM usage in several modern games, to see if 8 GB budget graphics cards are still good enough for gaming in 2026. And it turns out they are—with some caveats.
While the 8 GB variants of the RTX 5060 Ti and RX 9060 XT performed fairly well overall, it was surprising to see just how big the frame rate gap was compared to their 16 GB equivalents. Traditionally, 8 GB and 16 GB budget GPUs have often performed roughly the same, but in this generation of games, that's not so much the case.
In this VRAM-constrained, memory crisis-stricken world, that might be bad news for budget gamers. Should this supply shambles cause graphics card manufacturers to cut all our "low-priced" cards down to 8 GB, though, there is one major beacon of hope—and it comes in the form of Arc Raiders.
I was genuinely astonished to see how well this particular game ran on all of our tested GPUs. It's a great counterpoint to the popular idea that all Unreal Engine 5 games perform like trash, and a testament to the ability of the developers to keep VRAM usage low and frame rates high, even on affordable graphics hardware at maximum settings.
Take a look at the chart below to see what I mean. While the 16 GB cards are still faster overall, even the RX 9060 XT 8 GB (which struggled a little in some of my tests) manages to post a 127 fps average with the sliders cranked at 1440p, albeit with a small dose of Quality upscaling.
In-game testing, Epic settings
I spent many hours running around in Arc Raiders trying to force it into all sorts of frame rate-destroying scenarios. I experienced hurricanes, bot invasions, and more than one bullet to the back of the head. This is the life of a Raider.
But while the frame rate is variable (my recorded averages are based on much combined testing), I couldn't get it to range anywhere near its VRAM limit on any of my tested cards. Nor could I get it to deliver anything other than excellent performance—on properly affordable GPUs, no less.
It's also worth noting just how bite-the-back-of-your-hand beautiful this game looks. Jumping into Arc Raiders after testing Cyberpunk 2077, Resident Evil Requiem, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, and others is a real eye-opener.
All of those games look great, but Arc Raiders has such a distinct, gorgeously-rendered art style, it's difficult no...Read more: Full article on www.pcgamer.com
What do you think about this?