AMD Says Most PC Gamers Only Need 8 GB of VRAM, Supporting New RX 9060 XT

According to AMD, which just released the Radeon RX 9060 XT GPU, most PC gamers don’t need more than 8 GB of VRAM. This was said by Frank Azor, the chief architect of gaming solutions at AMD and former co-founder of Alienware. The RX 9060 XT comes in versions with either 8 GB or 16 GB of VRAM, while Nvidia’s entry-level card, the GeForce RTX 5060, only has 8 GB of VRAM.

Different Needs for Different Gamers

AMD’s main goal is to support the more affordable version of its new GPU. However, recent games have shown that 8 GB of VRAM is not enough to play beyond medium graphics settings at 1080p resolution without losing performance.

Azor’s statement makes sense when looking at the entire market, not just the small group of hardcore gamers, which he also mentioned in a post on X (formerly Twitter). He responded to Michael Quesada, a YouTuber who talks about PC hardware, and his question about why a new graphics card in 2025 would have only 8 GB of VRAM.

Azor explained, “Majority of gamers are still playing at 1080p and have no use for more than 8GB of memory. Most played games WW are mostly esports games. We wouldn’t build it if there wasn’t a market for it. If 8GB isn’t right for you then there’s 16GB. Same GPU, no compromise, just memory options.”

Why 8 GB VRAM Still Matters

GPU makers keep using 8 GB of VRAM because there is a market for it. This is also shown by hardware surveys done regularly by Steam. It’s important to remember that the most popular PC games usually don’t require heavy hardware power. Examples of such games include Counter-Strike 2, Dota 2, PUBG: Battlegrounds, Apex Legends, and Marvel Rivals — all widely played and mostly free-to-play.