TweakGearPro

VRAM Usage Estimator

See how much video memory your game settings actually need, and whether your card will start streaming textures.

No signupNo paywallInstant resultsRuns in your browser
Base textures @ 2K ultra4.2 GB
Ray tracing overhead+0.0 GB
Mods / HD pack+0.0 GB
Background apps+0.0 GB
Total VRAM4.2 GB
Recommended card VRAM
6 GBComfortable on entry cards

Estimates assume a modern AAA title with uncompressed textures. Engines with smart streaming (e.g. Unreal Nanite) may use less; badly-optimized ports may use more.

How this calculator works

We start from a baseline uncompressed-texture footprint at each resolution (1080P ≈ 2.5 GB, 1440P ≈ 4.2 GB, 4K ≈ 7.5 GB at Ultra), scale it by your quality preset, then add a fixed overhead for ray tracing (light RT ~1.2 GB, full path tracing ~3 GB). HD texture packs and background apps add their own footprint on top. The result is compared against common card VRAM sizes (4/6/8/12/16/24 GB) to flag whether you'll hit the streaming wall.

When to use it

Stutter that gets worse the longer you play is almost always VRAM thrashing — the card is paging textures out to system RAM over PCIe. Use this before cranking HD texture packs on an 8 GB card, or before enabling 4K path tracing. Pair it with the GPU FPS Estimator to see whether VRAM or raw compute is your limiter.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my 8 GB card struggle at 1440P Ultra when the estimator says 7 GB?▾
Real usage creeps above baseline with texture compression overhead, shader caches and OS compositing. If you're within ~1 GB of your card's limit, expect occasional streaming stutter.
Does DLSS / FSR reduce VRAM usage?▾
Yes — upscaling renders at a lower internal resolution, which trims the frame buffer and some intermediate buffers by 20–40%. The estimator doesn't model DLSS automatically; assume an upscaling saving on top of the shown number.
Is ray tracing really +3 GB?▾
Full path tracing (e.g. Cyberpunk RT Overdrive) can add 2–4 GB of BVH and accumulation buffers. Light RT (reflections only) is much lighter.
Why does closing browser tabs help FPS?▾
On cards near the VRAM limit, freeing system RAM reduces GPU driver paging pressure. It's a smaller effect than textures but real on 4–6 GB cards.

Other calculators

GPU FPS Estimator→Power Supply Calculator→RAM Requirement Calculator→Monitor Parameter Converter→