8GB graphics cards aren’t the problem, your operating system is

Many modern AAA games cannot be played at their maximum graphics settings on GPUs with 8 GB of VRAM. Thanks to a Valve developer, there is now a way to improve the performance of GPUs limited by their VRAM.

8GB GPUs have a bad reputation

This reputation is deserved, but for the wrong reasons

GPUs with 8GB of VRAM are capable of running modern titles at ultra settings, but typically end up at 1080p. When you increase this resolution to 1440p or higher, the game, at maximum graphics settings, usually starts demanding more GPU memory than an 8GB graphics card can provide. This can lead to FPS drops and stuttering in the game.

However, there are also cases where the game requires affordable memory to run smoothly, but this memory is not accessible to the game on Windows and other operating systems. This is due to poor VRAM management of these operating systems, as they reserve part of the VRAM for system operations.

This patch helps 8GB GPUs do more with less

Surprise! Optimization makes everything work better

Natalie Vock, a developer at Valve, showed on her blog that up to a quarter of their 8GB of VRAM was being consumed by other applications. When they ran Cyberpunk 2077 on top of open applications, the GPU had to pull RAM from the system to keep the game running. However, this is where the FPS drops and performance issues come from.

To fix this issue, the developer created a kernel patch for Linux that effectively improves performance by prioritizing the game and allocating more VRAM to it, instead of other applications running in the background.

This is overall a positive step on Valve’s part, as this optimization of OS and gaming memory usage under Linux is extremely beneficial for 8GB GPUs. Since Valve’s upcoming Steam Machine runs a Linux-based OS with a custom AMD 8GB GPU, this puts the Steam Machine in a better position to deliver smooth gaming performance.

This kernel patch works for AMD and Intel Xe graphics cards, but unfortunately not for Nvidia GPUs. The patch is available as an AUR for Arch Linux users, and you will also need a CachyOS kernel to run this patch.

Graphics RAM size

12 GB

Increase clock speed

2600MHz

Nvidia’s RTX 5070 graphics card is one of the more balanced options in the RTX 50 lineup. It gives you 12GB of VRAM, which is much more scalable than the lower-tier 8GB VRAM cards on offer, while also offering more cores and higher bandwidth than the RTX 5060 Ti.