There was a time when graphics cards allowed users to expand their memory as if they were RAM modules. Today, that possibility is just a distant memory.
In the era of artificial intelligence, ray tracing, and 4K textures, a question reemerges among hardware enthusiasts: why can’t we upgrade the VRAM of a GPU like we do with PC RAM? While modern NVIDIA and AMD graphics cards are stuck with configurations of 8 GB, which are already insufficient for many AAA titles, the industry seems to have abandoned an idea that, interestingly, was a reality back in the 1990s.
ATI and expandable memory cards: a forward-looking experiment
It was 1998 when ATI (now part of AMD) launched the 3D Rage Pro, a graphics card that included 4 MB of soldered SGRAM on the board, along with an additional slot to add another 4 MB. With this expansion, users could double the graphics memory to 8 MB with a simple plug-in module.
This type of solution offered flexibility to consumers and a middle ground for those not wanting to buy a completely new GPU. Can you imagine playing Mario Kart 64 and, if more performance was needed, just inserting an extra module? Back then, it was doable. However, this approach disappeared over the years. Why?
GDDR7, bandwidth, and modern physics limitations
The answer lies in the technical evolution of GPUs. Unlike the DIMM modules used for system RAM, modern graphics memory — such as GDDR6 or GDDR7 — operates at enormous speeds and bandwidths, requiring extremely precise integration with the PCB (printed circuit board) design, the memory controller, and the power supply system.
Allowing interchangeable modules would mean longer signal routes, additional connectors, and increased latency. All of that would compromise signal integrity, reduce speeds, and negate the advantages of current memory designs that are soldered directly onto the card.
In summary: expandable VRAM is an interesting idea but incompatible with the high-frequency, low-latency architecture that modern GPUs demand.
Modularity vs. performance: the ongoing dilemma
The hardware industry has moved away from modularity in favor of efficiency. Modern graphics cards not only don’t support VRAM expansion, but even changing thermal paste or modifying cooling systems can void the warranty. Everything is more closed, more integrated… and more expensive.
And there’s another issue: access. New-generation graphics cards, like NVIDIA’s RTX Blackwell series, are not available at their official MSRP, nor are they easily accessible to the average user. The result: mid-range gamers are caught between market overpricing and the obsolescence of 8 GB configurations.
Open or closed future?
With advances in technologies such as High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) or the vertical integration of chips (like in MCMs), it’s unlikely we’ll see GPUs with expandable VRAM return. However, technological history is full of cycles. Maybe in the future, with more modular designs or GPUs aimed at repairability and customization (as some proposals in laptops or industrial environments suggest), the idea of a GPU with expandable memory will resurface adapted to new times.
For now, we must settle for what the market offers. But it remains revealing that more than 25 years ago, consumers had more control over their graphics cards than they do today. Another example of how technical progress doesn’t always go hand in hand with user freedom.
via: wccftech