A hardware modification to a GALAX RTX 2080 SUPER HOF has doubled its video memory from 8GB to 16GB, offering a tangible solution for gamers hitting capacity limits in modern titles. This upgrade matters because it demonstrates that physical component swapping can bypass the severe performance penalties associated with VRAM exhaustion. Users running VRAM-heavy games like Resident Evil Requiem can now maintain higher frame rates by keeping data on the faster GPU memory rather than falling back to slower system RAM.
Brazilian modder replaces memory chips to bypass capacity limits
The project was executed by Brazilian modder Paulo Gomes, who worked on the specific GALAX RTX 2080 SUPER HOF model. The process required desoldering all eight original 1GB Samsung GDDR6 memory modules and replacing them with larger 2GB chips. This physical change demands precise soldering skills and specific replacement parts, making the procedure risky and unsuitable for average consumers.
- VRAM Upgrade: 8GB to 16GB
- Memory Chips: 2GB chips replacing 1GB Samsung GDDR6
- Performance Gain: 25 FPS to 32-34 FPS
- VRAM Usage in Game: Approx 11GB
After installing the new chips, the team adjusted the memory strap configuration to correctly report the 16GB capacity to the system. In Resident Evil Requiem, the modified card allocated approximately 11GB of memory during heavy scenes, effectively preventing the game from spilling over into system memory. This allocation strategy ensures that the GPU retains access to its full high-speed buffer during demanding graphical loads.
The performance impact was measurable in VRAM-bound scenarios, with frame rates increasing from around 25 FPS to between 32 and 34 FPS. This represents a roughly 28% improvement in performance when the memory limit was previously constraining the hardware. The modding team states they could not find a previous example of this exact modification being performed on an RTX 2080 SUPER, marking it as a unique instance in the community.
Source: TweakTown
