VRAM

VRAM stands for Video Random Access Memory.

It’s the memory used primarily by your GPU (graphics card).

RAM vs VRAM

CPU
 ↓
RAM
 ↓
General application data
 
GPU
 ↓
VRAM
 ↓
Graphics / GPU data

For example, if you have a GPU with 8 GB VRAM, that 8 GB is dedicated high-speed memory available to the GPU.

What uses VRAM?

Things like:

• Game textures

• 3D models

• Frame buffers

• Shaders

• High-resolution graphics

• AI/ML models

• Video processing

For a game:

Game
 ↓
GPU
 ↓
VRAM
 ├── Textures
 ├── Models
 ├── Shaders
 └── Frame data

Why does VRAM matter?

Suppose a game needs:

10 GB VRAM

but your GPU only has:

8 GB VRAM

The GPU may need to move some data between VRAM and system RAM, which can significantly hurt performance.

That’s why you might see games saying:

VRAM usage: 7.5 / 8 GB

VRAM vs RAM

A simple analogy:

RAM is the workspace for your CPU.
VRAM is the workspace for your GPU.

And VRAM is not the same thing as RAM—an “8 GB GPU” doesn’t mean your computer has 8 GB of total memory. Your computer might have:

System RAM: 32 GB
GPU VRAM:    8 GB

for a total of 40 GB of physical memory, but they serve different purposes.

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