Nvidia GTX 970 mod upgrades to 8GB VRAM, matches GTX 1060 in performance

[DragonSlayer101]

In a nutshell: A modder recently upgraded an 11-year-old Nvidia GTX 970 from 4GB to 8GB VRAM to see if the additional memory could improve its performance. The modified card not only outpaced the original model but also outperformed a stock GTX 1060 with 6GB of VRAM in some benchmarks.

Brazilian hardware modder Paulo Gomes modified an Asus Strix GTX 970 for his experiment. To boost VRAM, he removed the original 512MB, 7 Gbps GDDR5 modules and replaced them with 1GB, 8 Gbps chips. He also added a resistor to ensure the GPU recognized the higher-density memory. The additional memory showed a marked improvement in the Unigine Superposition 8K benchmark. In its original 4GB form, the card scored just 866 points, while the modded unit reached 1,576 – slightly ahead of the 1,575 scored by a GTX 1060.

Once Gomes finished working on the modified card, he handed it over to YouTuber Peperaio Hardware, who tested it against a stock Gigabyte Windforce GTX 970 4GB in several games to see if the additional VRAM offered any real-world benefits. While the upgraded hardware did not show any noticeable improvement in Red Dead Redemption 2, GTA V Enhanced, or Plague Tale Requiem, the results were more encouraging in Cyberpunk 2077, The Last of Us Part II Remastered, and Horizon Forbidden West.

For instance, the modified card was five to fifteen percent faster than the 4GB model running Cyberpunk 2077, depending on the graphics settings. The Last of Us Part II Remastered saw a 24-percent performance uplift. Meanwhile, Horizon Forbidden West delivered the most impressive results, with the 8GB model offering 40 percent higher frame rates than the 4GB unit.

It's worth noting that the GTX 970 mod isn't Gomes's first rodeo. Earlier this year, he soldered 16GB of VRAM onto a stock RTX 3070, which initially shipped with 8GB. The extra memory improved frame rates and reduced micro-stuttering in games like The Last of Us and Resident Evil 4 Remake, resulting in greater stability.

The amount of VRAM in graphics cards has grown significantly over the past decade, with modern flagships like the RTX 5090 featuring 32GB of GDDR7 memory. While AMD recently defended launching the Radeon RX 9060 XT with just 8GB of VRAM, many believe that 12GB should be the bare minimum on mid-range graphics cards in 2025.

Masthead: Peperaio Hardware / YouTube

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Nvidia GTX 970 mod upgrades to 8GB VRAM, matches GTX 1060 in performance

 

[Theinsanegamer]

Curious what a re bench of the 12GB maxwell titan would reveal today.

 

[candle86]

Now I must know what if we give 8gb to FX 5950

 

[Lew Zealand]

While AMD recently defended launching the Radeon RX 9080 XT with just 8GB of VRAM…

Maybe you meant the RX 9060 XT.

 

[SRB]

"While AMD recently defended launching the Radeon RX 9080 XT with just 8GB of VRAM, many believe that 12GB should be the bare minimum on mid-range graphics cards in 2025."

They did, it's called the 9060XT 16gb. If memory is needed, pony up for a 16GB card. A 9060XT 12GB makes no sense when a 16GB is available. And if someone wants the 8GB card, why should AMD not sell it? Earlier cards did now have a 16GB option in this range, for the most part. Now that they do, it will be simple.....if no one buys the 8GB version of the cards, then AMD will quit making them.

 

[opckieran]

Not making a 12GB 9060/XT was a weird call from AMD. Even with a 128-bit bus it was still possible, especially with 3GB modules.

Of course, now that Intel is in the dGPU space, AMD doesn’t want to be seen as the budget option anymore. Then again, the fact that RX90 is using a more advanced N4P node than RTX 50 on N4, and that the die size of the 9060/XT is projected to be 10% larger than GB206, AMD might not have had much of a choice on pricing.

At $299, the 9060 needs to be 20% faster than 5060, period. The 16GB version at $349 should sell well, though this is assuming either card stays at their MSRP, since nVidia is doing much better on MSRP/availability than AMD at this point in time. Even at 10% more cost, the 9060/XT makes little to no sense assuming a 20% perf advantage, since that would be wiped out by the 5060Ti 16GB anyways.

 

[Lew Zealand]

Not making a 12GB 9060/XT was a weird call from AMD. Even with a 128-bit bus it was still possible, especially with 3GB modules.

There are no 3GB GDDR6 modules.

 

[takemaru]

And if someone wants the 8GB card, why should AMD not sell it?

It is anti-consumer practice, 8GB VRAM is tiny for that card's computing power.

Most normies will go into a shop, and the seller will dump on them the 8GB card, or stare at a prebuilt PC's product sheet like a sheep, and will have no idea, what they should be looking out for.