GTX 770 4GB vs 2GB Showdown

by · August 25, 2013

Performance summary charts & graphs

Here are the summary charts of 30 modern PC games and 4 synthetic benches. The highest settings are generally chosen and it is DX11 when there is a choice; DX10 is picked above DX9, and the settings are generally ultra or maxed unless specified on the chart. Specific settings are listed on the charts. The benches are run at 1920×1080, 2560×1600 and 5760×1080. ”Wins” are in Bold.  If the scores are identical both results are in bold.MainChartThere isn’t a lot of difference between the cards at 1920×1080 or at 2560×1600.  We only start to see minimal differences at 5760×1080, and even so, there is rarely a frame or two difference.  If we start to add even more AA, in most cases, the frame rates will drop to unplayable on both cards.

Let’s only look at the games where there is more than a single FPS difference between the two GTX 770s.SubChartMetro: 2033 is completely unplayable on either card at our highest resolution, and even GTX 770 4GB SLI wouldn’t be playable either.  Sleeping Dogs has a problem actually displaying on the outer LCDs although the performance is cut, so this benchmark has to be discounted.  This leaves five games out of 30 where a 4GB GTX 770 gives more than a 1 frame per second difference over the 2GB-equipped GTX 770.  And one of them, Metro: Last Light still isn’t even quite a single frame difference.

Of those five games, two of them are unplayable at 5760×1080 although in these cases, 4GB GTX 770 SLI would finally make some sense over 2GB GTX 770 SLI.  That only leaves Lost Planet 2 and two racing games that gain some advantage by choosing a single GTX 770 4GB card over the single GTX 770 2GB.  And in Lost Planet 2, we were able to add even higher anti-aliasing – from 8xAA to CSAA8XQ and to CSAA32X – but the performance difference was greatest with 8xAA.

There is one last thing to note with Max Payne 3:  It would not normally allow one to set 4xAA at 5760×1080 with any 2GB card as it claims to require 2750MB.  However, when we replaced the 4GB GTX 770 with the 2GB version, the game allowed the setting.  And there were no slowdowns, stuttering, nor any performance differences that we could find between the two GTX 770s.

Let’s head for our conclusion.

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apoppin

Founder and Senior Editor of ABT.

  • OSC

    I wonder if the 4gb might have a more pronounced advantage when it comes to the Oculus Rift?

  • Bob

    Oculus Rift is 1080p (half that resolution per eye) on the current HD version…sooo doubt it? Maybe when they make a higher res version

  • Brushrop03

    This was great. Almost time for BF4 and I was wondering if it would be a big difference. Looks like at 1920/2560 these two guys are on par.

  • Jevgenius

    I realy hope it’s no deference more than one fps in BF4, because I just buy today new 770 with 2GB video memory. :

  • Travis Pendell

    So you dont need more than 2 gb… except on those games that having 4 gb’s in sli will make unplayable games, playable…You kinda skim over that pretty quick.

    I know that on Crysis 3 I have seen it idle at over 2000 mb’s at 1080p. I doubt Its going to be long before it will go over 2048 mb’s, even at 1080p…

  • Travis Pendell

    I should say that I have the 4 gb evga ftw 760′s. I went with 4 gb versions because I am going to be picking up a couple more monitors and game at 5760 x 1080 at some point.

  • Brushrop03

    1 FPS wouldn’t be noticeable anyway.

  • Igor

    Indeed for only one monitor, and btw, most of them are 1920×1080, there’s no need in hell to choose the 4gb version. Unless you’re an enthusiast… but them you’d go for a better vga, like 790 when it comes out.

  • 1BassJohn .

    I’ve been gaming with guys on the BF4 beta who have the 770.. and it eats it for breakfast :) I wouldn’t worry about a thing!

  • Sam

    I don’t think it was at 1080 2 months ago. Just a goal. Pretty sure it was only 480 720

  • The J Shep

    I got the 4gb version only because I was able to get it for $6 more than the 2gb. $6 is worth bragging rights alone.

  • nashathedog

    What about people who mod there games with high res textures and do pass 2gb’s of ram at 1080p? I do and I no longer get the issues it caused since upping my vram, this review doesn’t cover all the bases and for that reason it isn’t a very good review in my opinion. Sorry, I realise it’s a few months old now but i was passing 2gb’s when modded a year ago, And now if Battlefield 4 does in fact hit 2gb’s as claimed (I haven’t tested that myself) then this is already outdated and inaccurate and giving bad advice. I know you say how you don’t take possible future changes into account in the review but it’s not a possible change it’s something that is guaranteed and the industry knows and accepts that, Thumbs down. :(

  • Antares16M26

    it also uses stereoscopic 3D which means it will render the frame twice. i went with 770 4gb and in some games it does go over 2gb and still at a playable frame rate.

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  • Shahriyar

    Please check GTAIV too. It’s the most memory consumer game that i know.

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  • dave

    How are you going to do this comparison without posting minimum frame rates…that is where you will see the difference. Check out anandtech or toms hardware for people that actually know what they are talking about.

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  • herathrig

    You should revisit vram in the future with newer games like watch dogs, bf4, star citizen and maybe gta5, if ever it comes out on the pc. I think it would be also nice to test it with the future direct x 12 once its out.

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