Hardware Unboxed's worst GPUs of 2025 list consists of RTX 5050, RX 9060 XT 8 GB, and more

[Redaktion]

Hardware Unboxed has revealed the worst GPUs of 2025. The cards listed by the outlet are primarily those with 8 GB of VRAM. Interestingly, the RTX 5080 has also made the list due to its value proposition and performance.

https://www.notebookcheck.net/Hardware-Unboxed-s-worst-GPUs-of-2025-list-consists-of-RTX-5050-RX-9060-XT-8-GB-and-more.1193400.0.html

[indeed]

HU has been on a crusade against 8 GB VRAM GPUs in 2025.

Ever thought why Hardware Unboxed were on if not the first to point it out? Australia has a huge personal computer culture, supposeldy every family has one PC I didn't know it either.

HU has demonstrated this time and again in different games.

And other big reviewers/YouTubers followed.

Thankfully, there is a silver lining to all of this: Consumers seem to have finally started moving away from 8 GB VRAM GPUs.

Indeed, among others, like videocardz, reported on this.

For instance, there is not a single desktop GPU with 8 GB of VRAM in Newegg's top-20 best-selling desktop GPU list

Wow, kinda unexpected, but people seem to be informed.
But why are 8 GB VRAM such an interesting limit?
Big AAA games are often developed for consoles first and the PS5 has 16 GB VRAM. Yes, unlike in a PC, some of it is used by the OS, but not 8 GB, more like 4 GB, and so it becomes 8 GB VRAM dGPU vs 12 GB VRAM. I would not even blame the game developers for not optimizing, because time is money and I don't think it's easy to optimize and fit 12 GB of content into 8 GB.

(For the ones who don't know: The rumor is that e.g. the 5070 SUPER is gonna use 3 GB per chip, this will increase its VRAM by 50%: 12 GB -> 18 GB, and same for the 5070 Ti SUPER:

This is great news, as it is a 50% increase over the 12 GB of VRAM, which was one of the biggest complaints when it comes to the RTX 5070. The bus width, however, allegedly remains the same at a 192-bit.

Indeed it is the biggest complaint.
"allegedly remains the same" Of course it will remain the same (already is case for the 5090 Laptop 24 GB VRAM (256-bit chip, the same one is used in a e.g. RTX 5080 16 GB VRAM desktop GPU)), just 3 GB per GDDR7 chip will be used, instead of the current 2 GB. A single GDDR7 memory chip uses 32-bit wide lanes, 192-bit / 32-bit per chip = 6 GDDR7 chips. 6 chips * 3 GB per chip = 18 GB.)

The only question is: Do GPU makers see it being worth using GDDR7 3 GB densities on this kind of low GPU performance (like this 5050 Laptop) / 128-bit GPUs. The RTX 4050 Laptop has 6 GB VRAM and the RTX 5050 Laptop has 8 GB VRAM, so it's already an improvement and maybe, at some tome, a 128-bit GPU gonna have 12 GB VRAM (using 3 GB GDDR7 chips).

[indeed]

(missed a dot: "Australia has a huge personal computer culture, supposeldy every family has one PC. I didn't know it either.")