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    AW 15 R2 GTX 980 4GB enough to play games with 4K LCD option?

    Discussion in '2015+ Alienware 13 / 15 / 17' started by looking4pftnb, Apr 1, 2016.

  1. looking4pftnb

    looking4pftnb Notebook Consultant

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    Is 4GB VRAM good enough for the 4K UHD screen or is 8GB better? I thought VRAM helps with high resolution monitors, but wanted to collect additional thoughts.
     
    looking4pftnb, Apr 1, 2016
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  2. rinneh

    rinneh Notebook Prophet

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    No gpu is fast enough now for a 60fps uhd experience. Not due to memory but because the gpu cannot render the geometry, shaders etc quickly enough for that resolution. 8gb might help a bit in the future but the gpu will be outdated before that.
     
    rinneh, Apr 1, 2016
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  3. Alienware-L_Porras

    Alienware-L_Porras Company Representative

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    You will be able to watch 4K movies on both configs, the extra vRAM will serve to keep the PC updated for longer but to game on 4K you'll need something stronger (Amplifier with Titan X would be ideal).
     
    Alienware-L_Porras, Apr 1, 2016
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  4. looking4pftnb

    looking4pftnb Notebook Consultant

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    Thanks for your replies. So how does 8GB memory in GTX980 add any benefit to AW 15 R2 if the performance is limited by the GPU processing power and not by the VRAM?
     
    looking4pftnb, Apr 1, 2016
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  5. dannycao2412

    dannycao2412 Notebook Enthusiast

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    It benefits the more detailed texture in games, for instance, if you add like a texture mod to skyrim, you will benefit from the 4gb of extra vram
     
    dannycao2412, Apr 1, 2016
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  6. rinneh

    rinneh Notebook Prophet

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    To be honest. I never got even close to 4gb ram usage on mine yet.
     
    rinneh, Apr 1, 2016
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  7. dannycao2412

    dannycao2412 Notebook Enthusiast

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    One time i got about 6gb use of vram in the shadow of modor, other than that all the game stayed well under 4gb. But it's nice to have peace of mind, isn't it? Who knows what will come in the future :)
     
    dannycao2412, Apr 1, 2016
    #7