VRAM (Video RAM) is dedicated memory attached to a GPU, holding textures, framebuffers, and intermediate compute results. More VRAM enables higher resolution textures and larger scenes in games.
VRAM specifications and use cases: 2–4 GB: 1080p gaming, basic video editing, integrated GPUs. 6–8 GB: 1440p gaming, 4K video editing, professional rendering baseline. 12–16 GB: 4K gaming, heavy 3D work, machine learning model fine-tuning. 24+ GB: 8K video editing, large language model inference, scientific computing.
Difference from system RAM: VRAM is physically close to the GPU (direct connection via PCIe or integrated channel), so data transfers are very fast. VRAM is separate from CPU RAM; data must be explicitly transferred between them.
GPU memory technology: GDDR6X (consumer gaming cards, high bandwidth, higher latency), HBM2e (professional cards, extreme bandwidth, latency less critical), LPDDR5X (integrated mobile GPUs, power-efficient). AMD Radeon and NVIDIA GeForce cards use GDDR; professional (RTX Quadro, AMD Radeon PRO) use higher-bandwidth HBM.
Running out of VRAM causes stutters and crashes — the GPU must swap data to slower system RAM. For gaming or AI work, VRAM is often the limiting factor, not GPU compute itself.