4GB graphics cards are back
Overview & Key Takeaways
The first modern GPU with 4GB of VRAM has appeared, as RAM prices and component shortages push tech prices higher. As Digital Foundry reports, a listing for an AMD Radeon RX 9050 with 4GB of RAM was spotted on ASRock's website by a user on X, the same day ASRock also launched an 8GB version […]
The first modern GPU with 4GB of VRAM has appeared, as RAM prices and component shortages push tech prices higher. As Digital Foundry reports, a listing for an AMD Radeon RX 9050 with 4GB of RAM was spotted on ASRock’s website by a user on X, the same day ASRock also launched an 8GB version of the RX 9050.
Does it make sense to buy a graphics card with just 4GB of VRAM? According to the specs on ASRock’s website, the 4GB version of the RX 9050 is built on AMD’s RDNA 4 architecture and has a 64-bit memory interface, 16 compute units, and a boost clock speed of up to 2,600MHz / 18GBps. That should be enough to enable new features like FSR 4, but is far below the suggested requirements of current AAA titles like Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced and Halo: Campaign Evolved, even if you’re willing to run at 1080p and aren’t worried about future proofing.
While ASRock has not yet announced pricing for the 4GB RX 9050, Tom’s Hardware spotted it in a Best Buy listing for an $889 prebuilt gaming PC that also includes 8GB of DDR4 RAM, 500GB of SSD storage, and an AMD Ryzen 5 5500 CPU.
ASRock and AMD did not immediately respond to a request for on the record comment.
