Charting VRAM Usage in Games

Paradigm Shifter · Sep 11, 2012

Calling for contributions for VRAM usage in games. 
In order to give those thinking about Multi-Monitor gaming an idea of what they can expect (or what hardware they might need to get the experience they desire when gaming) I am attempting to compile a spreadsheet containing what sort of FPS and VRAM usage you can expect to see in games across a variety of resolutions. 
While you can get much information from reviews, this does not always reflect the wide variety of hardware, tweaks, programs and other miscellaneous goings-on within a normal gamers system. Furthermore, review sites that test in triplewide resolutions are still relatively few and far between - HardOCP has been doing so for some time, while some others finally seem to have realised that with both AMD and nVidia pushing "EyeFinity" or "Surround" as technologies, that they cannot ignore it any longer. The resolution world no longer ends for gamers at 2560x1600 - there are people out there gaming daily on 5x1 Portrait EyeFinity setups with over 10.3 million pixels, and triplescreeners gaming at 7680x1600 with nearly 12.3 million. 
The objective of this project is to collate user experiences of Surround in term of FPS and VRAM usage with multi-monitor gaming, however, VRAM usage in single screen scenarios is still just as useful as most games do not scale linearly between VRAM usage and resolution. (i.e.: triple the pixels doesn't mean triple the VRAM usage). 
To facilitate this, the following information is desired: 
*Game 
Patch Level 
*Hardware GPU 
Driver Version 
*Hardware CPU @ clockspeed 
*Resolution 
*Anti-Aliasing Level 
*Settings (synopsis if custom) 
*FPS 
*VRAM usage (measured with MSI Afterburner/EVGA Precision or similar) 
*Indicates essential information. 
It'll make my life easier if data is submitted as comma seperated values, so, for example: 
Game, Patch Level, GPU, GPU driver, CPU, Resolution, Anti-Aliasing, Settings, FPS, VRAM Usage 
Saints Row: The Third, 1.0.0.1, GTX680, 304.79, Core i7 920 @ 3.8GHz, 5760x1200, 2xAA, Ultra (AA turned down from 8xAA), ~40fps, 1710MB 
I look forward to data submissions, thanks in advance. <img alt="smile.gif" class="bbcode_smiley" src="http://files.overclock.net/images/smilies/smile.gif"> I will get the first spreadsheet uploaded ASAP. As we get more submissions, I hope to be able to graph them up for easier visualisation. 
. 
If you wish to place a link to this thread in your signature so that others may see and contribute or gain from it, please feel free to create your own, or use the one below: <div class="bbcode_code">
<div class="bbcode_code_head">Code:</div>
<pre>
<code>Charting VRAM Usage in Games</code>
</pre></div>

Agoriaz · Sep 11, 2012

This is a great initiative and a great idea, I'll support with a signature link since I don't have any data to contribute with <img alt="thumb.gif" class="bbcode_smiley" src="http://files.overclock.net/images/smilies/thumb.gif">

Paradigm Shifter · Sep 11, 2012

Thanks! <img alt="biggrin.gif" class="bbcode_smiley" src="http://files.overclock.net/images/smilies/biggrin.gif"> You can still contribute; if you run MSI Afterburner or similar, turn on logging or the OSD and manually jot down VRAM usage - doesn't matter what resolution - the more data we have, the better! <img alt="biggrin.gif" class="bbcode_smiley" src="http://files.overclock.net/images/smilies/biggrin.gif">

Agoriaz · Sep 11, 2012

I was more referring to only running a single monitor setup <img alt="biggrin.gif" class="bbcode_smiley" src="http://files.overclock.net/images/smilies/biggrin.gif"> if data on that is desired as well I'll gladly put it down!

Paradigm Shifter · Sep 11, 2012

Yes, single monitor data is needed too, or we can't work out scaling efficiently. <img alt="smile.gif" class="bbcode_smiley" src="http://files.overclock.net/images/smilies/smile.gif">

Agoriaz · Sep 11, 2012

I just found the paragraph where you posted that. D'oh! Sorry for not fully reading your post <img alt="redface.gif" class="bbcode_smiley" src="http://files.overclock.net/images/smilies/redface.gif"> when I get back later I'll have some numbers for you <img alt="smile.gif" class="bbcode_smiley" src="http://files.overclock.net/images/smilies/smile.gif">

Sugi · Sep 11, 2012

<div class="quote-container">Quote:
<div class="quote-block">Originally Posted by Paradigm Shifter <a href="/t/1304693/charting-vram-usage-in-games#post_18133203"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/img/forum/go_quote.gif"></a> 
Calling for contributions for VRAM usage in games. 
In order to give those thinking about Multi-Monitor gaming an idea of what they can expect (or what hardware they might need to get the experience they desire when gaming) I am attempting to compile a spreadsheet containing what sort of FPS and VRAM usage you can expect to see in games across a variety of resolutions. 
While you can get much information from reviews, this does not always reflect the wide variety of hardware, tweaks, programs and other miscellaneous goings-on within a normal gamers system. Furthermore, review sites that test in triplewide resolutions are still relatively few and far between - HardOCP has been doing so for some time, while some others finally seem to have realised that with both AMD and nVidia pushing "EyeFinity" or "Surround" as technologies, that they cannot ignore it any longer. The resolution world no longer ends for gamers at 2560x1600 - there are people out there gaming daily on 5x1 Portrait EyeFinity setups with over 10.3 million pixels, and triplescreeners gaming at 7680x1600 with nearly 12.3 million. 
The objective of this project is to collate user experiences of Surround in term of FPS and VRAM usage with multi-monitor gaming, however, VRAM usage in single screen scenarios is still just as useful as most games do not scale linearly between VRAM usage and resolution. (i.e.: triple the pixels doesn't mean triple the VRAM usage). 
To facilitate this, the following information is desired: 
*Game 
Patch Level 
*Hardware GPU 
Driver Version 
*Hardware CPU @ clockspeed 
*Resolution 
*Anti-Aliasing Level 
*Settings (synopsis if custom) 
*FPS 
*VRAM usage (measured with MSI Afterburner/EVGA Precision or similar) 
*Indicates essential information. 
It'll make my life easier if data is submitted as comma seperated values, so, for example: 
Game, Patch Level, GPU, GPU driver, CPU, Resolution, Anti-Aliasing, Settings, FPS, VRAM Usage 
Saints Row: The Third, 1.0.0.1, GTX680, 304.79, Core i7 920 @ 3.8GHz, 5760x1200, 2xAA, Ultra (AA turned down from 8xAA), ~40fps, 1710MB 
I look forward to data submissions, thanks in advance. <img alt="smile.gif" class="bbcode_smiley" src="http://files.overclock.net/images/smilies/smile.gif"> I will get the first spreadsheet uploaded ASAP. As we get more submissions, I hope to be able to graph them up for easier visualisation. 
. 
If you wish to place a link to this thread in your signature so that others may see and contribute or gain from it, please feel free to create your own, or use the one below:
<div class="bbcode_code">
<div class="bbcode_code_head">Code:</div>
<pre>
<code>Charting VRAM Usage in Games</code>
</pre></div>
</div>
</div>
 
Can we bring in the data from the other forum? We had a nice little list going already. <img alt="smile.gif" class="bbcode_smiley" src="http://files.overclock.net/images/smilies/smile.gif">

Paradigm Shifter · Sep 11, 2012

<div class="quote-container">Quote:
<div class="quote-block">Originally Posted by Sugi <a href="/t/1304693/charting-vram-usage-in-games/0_100#post_18133883"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/img/forum/go_quote.gif"></a> 
Can we bring in the data from the other forum? We had a nice little list going already. <img alt="smile.gif" class="bbcode_smiley" src="http://files.overclock.net/images/smilies/smile.gif"></div>
</div>
Yes, I've already grabbed that data. <img alt="biggrin.gif" class="bbcode_smiley" src="http://files.overclock.net/images/smilies/biggrin.gif">

B!0HaZard · Sep 11, 2012

Is this what you need? 
Crysis, Latest Steam, GTX680, 304.79, Core i5 2500K @ 4.6GHz, 1920x1080, 8xQAA (8x MSAA), Very High, ~50 FPS, 1400 MB 
Dirt 3, Latest Steam, GTX680, 304.79, Core i5 2500K @ 4.6GHz, 1920x1080, 8xQCSAA, Ultra, ~88 FPS, 1387 MB 
Dirt 3, Latest Steam, GTX680, 304.79, Core i5 2500K @ 4.6GHz, 1920x1080, 8xCSAA, Ultra, ~90 FPS, 1460 MB CPU limited like a noob in Dirt 3, VRAM seems to go up a bit with repeated runs. 
Metro 2033, Latest Steam, GTX680, 304.79, Core i5 2500K @ 4.6GHz, 1920x1080, 4xMSAA, Very High + Tess. + PhysX, ~40 FPS, 1680 MB 
Battlefield 3, Latest Origin, GTX680, 304.79, Core i5 2500K @ 4.6GHz, 1920x1080, 4xMSAA, Ultra, ~70 FPS, 2000 MB Tried the new Armored Kill maps, kinda big, but only played a 32-man server. Maxed out VRAM. Averaged 1920 MB or so.

Paradigm Shifter · Sep 11, 2012

That's perfect, B!0HaZard, thank you. <img alt="biggrin.gif" class="bbcode_smiley" src="http://files.overclock.net/images/smilies/biggrin.gif">

B!0HaZard · Sep 11, 2012

<div class="quote-container" data-huddler-embed="/t/1304693/charting-vram-usage-in-games/0_20#post_18135305">Quote:
<div class="quote-block">Originally Posted by Paradigm Shifter <a href="/t/1304693/charting-vram-usage-in-games/0_20#post_18135305"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/img/forum/go_quote.gif"></a> 
That's perfect, B!0HaZard, thank you. <img alt="biggrin.gif" class="bbcode_smiley" src="http://files.overclock.net/images/smilies/biggrin.gif"></div>
</div>
 
Kinda weird Dirt 3 results, so I'll do some more testing when I have time to set up my wheel. Also, clock my CPU to 4.7 where it should be.

Agoriaz · Sep 12, 2012

Crysis, 1.1.1.6156, GTX570 @ 900MHz, 301.42, Core i5 2500K @ 4.6GHz, 1680x1050, 16xQAA (Texture mods), High, ~50 FPS, 1200 MB 
Crysis 2, 1.9.0.0 , GTX570 @ 900MHz, 301.42, Core i5 2500K @ 4.6GHz, 1680x1050, 16xAA, Ultra, ~60 FPS, 1240 MB 
The Witcher 2, Latest Steam Version , GTX570 @ 900MHz, 301.42, Core i5 2500K @ 4.6GHz, 1980x1200, 16xAA, Ultra, ~60FPS, 696 MB 
Skyrim, 1.7.7.0, GTX570 @ 900 MHz, 301.42, Core i5 2500K @ 4.6GHz, 1680x1050, 16xQCSAA, Ultra (Texture mods,ENB Lighting), ~45 FPS, 1187 MB 
Battlefield 3, 1.4.0.0, GTX570 @ 900MHz, 301.42, Core i5 2500K @ 4.6GHz, 1680x1050, 4xMSAA, Ultra, 60 FPS, 1200 MB 
Edit: 
Filled in the version of the games

Paradigm Shifter · Sep 12, 2012

<div class="quote-container" data-huddler-embed="/t/1304693/charting-vram-usage-in-games/0_100#post_18135367" data-huddler-embed-placeholder="false">Quote:
<div class="quote-block">Originally Posted by B!0HaZard <a href="/t/1304693/charting-vram-usage-in-games/0_100#post_18135367"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/img/forum/go_quote.gif"></a> 
Kinda weird Dirt 3 results, so I'll do some more testing when I have time to set up my wheel. Also, clock my CPU to 4.7 where it should be.</div>
</div>
DiRT3 does weird stuff anyway. So does DiRT 2. I think the Ego engine, or whatever tweaked version Codemasters are still using is getting a bit long in the tooth. <div class="quote-container" data-huddler-embed="/t/1304693/charting-vram-usage-in-games/0_100#post_18138576" data-huddler-embed-placeholder="false">Quote:
<div class="quote-block">Originally Posted by Agoriaz <a href="/t/1304693/charting-vram-usage-in-games/0_100#post_18138576"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/img/forum/go_quote.gif"></a> 
Crysis, GTX570 @ 900MHz, 301.42, Core i5 2500K @ 4.6GHz, 1680x1050, 16xQAA (Texture mods), High, ~50 FPS, 1200 MB 
Crysis 2, GTX570 @ 900MHz, 301.42, Core i5 2500K @ 4.6GHz, 1680x1050, 16xAA, Ultra, ~60 FPS, 1240 MB 
The Witcher 2, GTX570 @ 900MHz, 301.42, Core i5 2500K @ 4.6GHz, 1980x1200, 16xAA, Ultra, ~60FPS, 696 MB 
Skyrim, GTX570 @ 900 MHz, 301.42, Core i5 2500K @ 4.6GHz, 1680x1050, 16xQCSAA, Ultra (Texture mods,ENB Lighting), ~45 FPS, 1187 MB 
Battlefield 3, GTX570 @ 900MHz, 301.42, Core i5 2500K @ 4.6GHz, 1680x1050, 4xMSAA, Ultra, 60 FPS, 1200 MB</div>
</div>
Thanks. <img alt="smile.gif" class="bbcode_smiley" src="http://files.overclock.net/images/smilies/smile.gif"> 
Please don't forget the patch level of the game! <img alt="smile.gif" class="bbcode_smiley" src="http://files.overclock.net/images/smilies/smile.gif"> If it's an auto-updating game (via a DD service) then if you don't know the actual version, just put "Latest Steam" or whatever. And if you genuinely have no idea at all, leave the second entry as double question marks, comma'd in. That's the only issue with the DD auto-update services - for example with Total War: Shogun 2 - if a patch breaks performance like the last one did for nVidia, you're sunk as you can't go back.

Agoriaz · Sep 12, 2012

Added <img alt="smile.gif" class="bbcode_smiley" src="http://files.overclock.net/images/smilies/smile.gif"> I'll edit the post with more games soon.

Paradigm Shifter · Sep 12, 2012

Just do a new post, if you will. That way I know there's more stuff to be added, rather than having to go hunting. <img alt="wink.gif" class="bbcode_smiley" src="http://files.overclock.net/images/smilies/wink.gif"> 
Will attach the first spreadsheet version tomorrow if I get time. <img alt="smile.gif" class="bbcode_smiley" src="http://files.overclock.net/images/smilies/smile.gif">

Agoriaz · Sep 12, 2012

Will do

Sugi · Sep 23, 2012

*Game Torchlight 2 
Patch Level 1.9.5.1 
*Hardware GPU GTX 690 
Driver Version 306.02 
*Hardware CPU stock 
*Resolution 6010x1080 [Fullscreen 
*Anti-Aliasing Level Max 
*Settings Max + Vsync 
*FPS 60FPS with dips of 40FPS 
*VRAM usage 922mb [about] 
[Vsync is a must, fullscreen windows breaks the game, always 20fps] 
[It seems this game down not run well with SLI/Multiple Monitors] 
Would you please upload the list of vram within games, I would like to see the spreadsheet.

Jimbags · Sep 23, 2012

gonna post my results for crysis 2 soon it chews up the vram on my gtx 460! <img alt="smile.gif" class="bbcode_smiley" src="http://files.overclock.net/images/smilies/smile.gif"> this is why i dont understand when people say vram isnt that important on single moniotrs... YES IT IS! i get near 1800 on my 460 will post results soon <img alt="smile.gif" class="bbcode_smiley" src="http://files.overclock.net/images/smilies/smile.gif"><img alt="thumb.gif" class="bbcode_smiley" src="http://files.overclock.net/images/smilies/thumb.gif">

Sugi · Sep 23, 2012

I have been waiting to check out crysis 2! Is the online play worth it / still alive?

Jimbags · Sep 23, 2012

havent really played the online to much im not fast enough and just kepted getting cramed before i could learn how to play, thats just me tho you might do better... 
regardless of what ive seen people say i really enjoyed single player mode, the ai isnt to bad and on higher difficulty settings its a real challenge <img alt="smile.gif" class="bbcode_smiley" src="http://files.overclock.net/images/smilies/smile.gif"> give it a go, <img alt="smile.gif" class="bbcode_smiley" src="http://files.overclock.net/images/smilies/smile.gif"> ive never actually played crysis 1 tho so i cant compare it to that, which imho is a good thing <img alt="smile.gif" class="bbcode_smiley" src="http://files.overclock.net/images/smilies/smile.gif"> you decide ill prob benchmark tonight.. 
PS if you do get it be sure to download high res texture packs and also DX11 pack makes it look much better and your hardware should easily smash it <img alt="smile.gif" class="bbcode_smiley" src="http://files.overclock.net/images/smilies/smile.gif">

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