12 GB vs 16 GB GPUs: Which is best for gaming in 2024?

Choosing the right amount of VRAM has never been harder — 8 GB, 12 GB, and 16 GB GPUs flood the market today. At the high end, you also get options with 20 and 24 GB video memory. These GPUs will cost you an arm and a leg, and the more sanely priced options come with either 12 or 16 GB VRAM. Those with 8 GB memory are already falling out of fashion, with such GPUs facing massive bottlenecks at 1440p resolutions and above.

However, among 12 and 16 GB GPUs, which is the best? Nvidia's options, in particular, have this dilemma where a 16 GB card is cheaper than a 12 GB option. Choosing the right amount of VRAM is crucial, given how demanding video games are getting by the day.

In this article, I will dissect some of the most important metrics for a graphics card and try to answer this question.

Note: Some aspects of this article are subjective and solely reflect the opinions of the writer

---

12 GB GPUs are enough for 1440p gaming in 2024

The AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT and 7800 XT are fantastic GPUs with extra VRAM (Image via AMD)

12 GB graphics cards started popping up in the last generation. The entire RTX 3080 family packs this amount of video memory.

The RTX 3070 and 3070 Ti are based on 8 GB VRAM, and that's a severe bottleneck at 1440p resolutions. Some modders packed the last-gen 70-class video cards and unlocked way more performance out of the GPUs a while back, which goes to show how much of an impact the amount of VRAM can have.

12 GB has become the new norm for high-resolution gaming these days. While 10 GB does most of the trick, opting for 12 GB gives the GPUs some breathing room as well as future-proofing them. Not to mention, graphics cards with 12 GB VRAM are more popular. The only 10 GB GPUs ever released are the AMD RX 6700 and the RTX 3080, both of which have been discontinued.

Here's the performance check for the RTX 4070 Super and the RTX 3080 Ti, both of which are 12 GB GPUs, at 1440p. Do note both cards can easily handle the latest video games at well over 60 FPS with the highest settings. We sourced these numbers from the YouTube channel Testing Games.

	Nvidia RTX 4070 Super	Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti
Starfield	76 FPS	71 FPS (-6.5%)
Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty	77 FPS	78 FPS (+1.2%)
Microsoft Flight Simulator	96 FPS	92 FPS (-4.17%)
Alan Wake 2	71 FPS	66 FPS (-7.04%)
Red Dead Redemption 2	79 FPS	78 FPS (-1.2%)
Forza Horizon 5	126 FPS	102 FPS (-19%)
Hogwarts Legacy	65 FPS	67 FPS (+3.07%)
The Last of Us Part I	78 FPS	72 FPS (-7.69%)

---

16 GB GPUs will future-proof your rig

The RTX 4070 TI Super is a capable 16 GB GPU for gaming (Image via Nvidia)

16 GB GPUs can be a bit of an overkill in 2024. While you don't need such cards, opting for a GPU with extra VRAM can help future-proof your system. Given the rate at which video games are becoming more demanding, I won't be surprised if 16 GB quickly becomes the norm within the next couple of years.

Below is a performance comparison of the RTX 4070 Ti Super and RX 7900 XT at 1440p and 4K. Both GPUs target the premium $800-900 segment. Nvidia has paired their GPU with 16 GB of VRAM, while AMD, being AMD, has gone for 20 GB memory on their card. However, this can be justified, given the cards are $100 apart.

The numbers are particularly interesting at 4K, where the 4070 Ti Super loses a massive chunk of performance. We sourced these benchmarks from MarkPC.

Games	AMD RX 7900 XT at 1440P	Nvidia RTX 4070 Ti Super at 1440p	AMD RX 7900 XT at 4K	Nvidia RTX 4070 Ti Super 4K
A Plague Tale Requiem	113 FPS	89 FPS	75 FPS	50 FPS
Baldur's Gate 3	153 FPS	145 FPS	89 FPS	88 FPS
COD: Modern Warfare II	182 FPS	141 FPS	110 FPS	89 FPS
Cyberpunk 2077	111 FPS	98 FPS	49 FPS	41 FPS
Far Cry 6	218 FPS	189 FPS	130 FPS	111 FPS
Hogwarts Legacy	121 FPS	102 FPS	62 FPS	54 FPS
Spider-Man Remastered	193 FPS	197 FPS	116 FPS	119 FPS
Rachet and Clank:: Rift Apart	146 FPS	141 FPS	85 FPS	84 FPS
Starfield	108 FPS	104 FPS	70 FPS	67 FPS

16 GB GPUs are recommended for 4K. While some 12 GB cards can handle a few games comfortably at this resolution, we recommend spending some extra cash to get your hands on at least an RX 7800 XT or RTX 4070 Ti Super if you are looking for no compromised gameplay at the resolution.

However, the RTX 4060 Ti 16 GB GPU is an interesting outlier in this section. The card works well at up to 1440p resolutions. The extra VRAM only serves to future-proof the rig for the next four to five years at 1080p.