Current generation GPUs from NVIDIA and AMD have been having issues with video memory capacity, especially the latest 8GB models, which has sparked a whole new debate in the industry. While GPUs with 8GB of VRAM were considered a good choice a few years ago, today, they are no longer enough to run modern AAA titles. Have you ever wondered whether a GPU can expand its built-in video memory? This way no player will run out of VRAM and even if they do, they can add additional VRAM so no one will upgrade to a higher end GPU and pay extra to NVIDIA and AMD.
While we can't do this in modern times, there was such an option in the past. Such a solution existed for the ATI 3D Rage Pro GPU back in 1998? Back in the 1990s, ATI was known for selling GPUs that came with the ability to expand onboard VRAM by having dedicated memory slots on the graphics card. The base configuration comes with 4MB of SGRAM soldered on the PCB, and users can add additional 4MB memory modules via slots to increase the VRAM capacity to 8MB.
Imagine playing Mario Kart 64 and if you need more performance, you can just plug in an extra module. It would be great if modern GPUs were equipped with this technology, but it also brings a lot of trouble. Since the earliest and most important GPUs, GPU manufacturers have not designed slotted GDDR memory like DIMMs for PC memory, so the memory cannot be replaced at all.
The reason why there is no socket-based design now is that modern memory modules like GDDR7 need to handle the huge memory bandwidth, and to achieve such speeds requires the creation of complex PCB designs with suitable memory controllers and power supplies. In modern times, pluggable VRAM messes with circuitry, and even if manufacturers manage to solve this problem, modular memory slots often require longer signal paths and extra connectors, which affects performance and doesn't provide optimal speeds.
While GPU performance continues to improve, little has been done to make these devices more accessible to the average consumer. Today's GPUs, such as NVIDIA's RTX Blackwell GPUs, can be quite challenging for the average consumer to purchase. What's more, some models aren't sold at MSRP at all, so getting a GPU is becoming increasingly difficult for the average gamer.