Common knowledge regarding video ram usually says a 2 GB card is totally sufficient for single monitor users. But XP seems different. People on here talk about 3 GB being all used up. Are you guys on single monitors? I'm not understanding how XP can really use tons of VRAM.... Can someone help me out with a link or explanation?

No explanation...but I run a 4GB card on a single monitor and gpu-z tells me that 3-4 GB are used with extrem texture setting.

 

Flo

I think 3GB should be the minimum for these modern simulators. 2GB is just too close to getting out of enough memory for these 4096 HD Textures. My 780Ti has 3GB, but I think a top card like this should have come with 4GB. I would really like the next generation to come with 6GB, but I think it's probably gonna be 4GB

Just made a couple of tests with x-plane frame rate and VRAM usage and it seems it only get really affected when x-plane rendering options report says it is almost full. I also used tools like afterburner nvidia on a 780TI and altough it always shows a lot more VRAM usage than x-plan says, lowering texture and using even less VRAM does not improve fps at all.

So, I only watch that  x-plane VRAM usage info does not goes up more than 90% total card VRAM. 

Common knowledge regarding video ram usually says a 2 GB card is totally sufficient for single monitor users. But XP seems different. People on here talk about 3 GB being all used up. Are you guys on single monitors? I'm not understanding how XP can really use tons of VRAM.... Can someone help me out with a link or explanation?

Well, I use 2 monitors but X-Plöane itself only uses one of them.

The background for the bigger RAM usage is quite simple. With DirectX you can take total control of the GPU, with OpenGL you tell the computer what to do and the driver decides who will do what and how to handle the job, including textures. The GPU will try to remember as many details as possible and will only flush older objects, when it runs out of available memory, while X-Plane itself only shows objects that it handles at this time.

The truth will be somewhere between. I think 3-4 GB RAM should be sufficient at this moment. This will probably also be the case in 10.30. But unofficial reports about the internal beta currently indicate that 8 GB RAM will no longer be sufficient to handle HD 2 textures and the increased number of DSF files.

I have a 770 with 4GB of VRAM, and have seen the figure go to around 3400 - 3500.  This was not at the highest settings and FRs were in the low 20s.

 

I would suggest buying all the VRAM you can afford.

 

John

Eeek - yes I've looked at the GTX 770 4GB as my main card - it's not cheap though.  I also considered the GTX 760 4GB but wondered if it was too low powered?  If I did get the 760 I could add another 8GB RAM to my system for 16 total.

Eeek - yes I've looked at the GTX 770 4GB as my main card - it's not cheap though.  I also considered the GTX 760 4GB but wondered if it was too low powered?  If I did get the 760 I could add another 8GB RAM to my system for 16 total.

There is a EVGA 780 with 6GB of ram on the way, so maybe the 770 will drop in price.

As an owner of a GTX770 2GB I can tell you you need 4GB for sure. It's not like FSX/P3D, both of which do not seem to use much VRAM at all.