8GB VRAM Is Not Enough for SteamOS
New performance tests conducted on SteamOS reveal that 8GB of VRAM is a significant limitation in modern games. While Valve maintains that this isn’t a problem, the results raise new questions for gamers, as SteamOS lags significantly on the same hardware, especially when the graphics load increases.
Why Does SteamOS Struggle with 8GB of VRAM?
Ars Technica’s benchmarks on Returnal reveal that while the RX 7600 with 8GB of VRAM delivers playable performance at high settings at 1440p on Windows 11, these values drop dramatically on SteamOS. This drop in performance by up to a third indicates that SteamOS still suffers from critical optimizations in its VRAM management.
The situation is no different in Cyberpunk 2077. SteamOS’s lag even with ray tracing disabled, and the gap widening when RT is enabled, points to an inefficiency stemming not only from the demanding graphics features but also from overall system behavior. This could create serious long-term limitations on systems with low VRAM.
The fact that Windows delivers approximately 15% higher performance even in relatively older games like Assassin’s Creed Valhalla suggests that this issue isn’t unique to new-generation game engines. SteamOS’s rapid lag when the VRAM occupancy rate increases demonstrates that the Linux-based platform still needs software-level enhancements.
Valve claims that its Steam Machine APU designs can reduce this gap, but test results confirm that 8GB of VRAM is at the limit for modern games, and that SteamOS can’t manage this limit as flexibly as Windows. Given that the new platform will potentially sell for prices approaching $1,000, it’s now clear that Valve needs to take much more swift and comprehensive steps in optimization.
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