I'm building a PC for a friend who's switching from console gaming to PC. He primarily plays esports titles like Rainbow Six Siege and Overwatch. Although I know some folks on Reddit aren't fans of the 8GB GPU approach, I've found that VRAM usage rarely exceeds 8GB at 1080p for these games. Should we go for an 8GB GPU with an X3D chip, or would a 16GB GPU without it be the better choice?
4 Answers
I'm all for the X3D chip too, but honestly, 8GB of VRAM is becoming less ideal as games evolve. In my opinion, we need to push for 10GB-12GB at minimum now. It really hinges on what games he plays; if he's only into lighter esports titles, 8GB can last, but for heavier ones, more VRAM might be necessary.
For competitive gaming, I've found that an X3D chip delivers smoother performance. It helps with consistent frame rates, especially for esports like Overwatch. Also, Nvidia GPUs are great due to features like Reflex that minimize input lag.
I’d definitely recommend the X3D chip. It’ll work just fine with 8GB for esports titles. But just a heads-up, the 9060 XT has known performance issues with CS2 that AMD hasn’t fixed yet, so if he plays that, you might want to stick with Nvidia instead.
Yeah, I heard about those issues! Switching to Nvidia really seems safer right now.
If your friend might experiment with other games in the future, I’d suggest going for the 16GB GPU. It's a safer bet for longevity, especially since some newer titles already demand more than 8GB.
Right, that makes sense! Future-proofing could save us headaches down the line.
He mainly plays R6 and Overwatch, so I think 8GB should hold up for now.