4GB graphics cards are back

The Verge Products

Summary

ASRock announces the Radeon RX 9050 with 4GB VRAM, the first modern GPU in years with such low memory, likely targeting budget builds due to component shortages.

<figure> <img alt="The ASRock AMD Radeon RX 9050 Challenger GPU in front of a white background" data-caption="" data-portal-copyright="Image: ASRock" data-has-syndication-rights="1" src="https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/asrock-amd-radeon-rx-9050-4gb-wide.jpeg?quality=90&#038;strip=all&#038;crop=0,0,100,100" /> <figcaption> </figcaption> </figure> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">The first modern GPU with 4GB of VRAM has appeared, as <a href="https://www.theverge.com/news/839353/pc-ram-shortage-pricing-spike-news">RAM prices and component shortages</a> push tech prices higher. As <a href="https://www.digitalfoundry.net/news/2026/07/leaks-point-to-return-of-4gb-gpus-as-ai-flash-memory-crisis-worsens"><em>Digital Foundry</em></a> reports, a listing for an AMD Radeon RX 9050 with 4GB of RAM was <a href="https://asrock.com/Graphics-Card/AMD/Radeon%20RX%209050%20Challenger%204GB/index.asp">spotted on ASRock's website</a> by a <a href="https://x.com/RubyRapids/status/2082009608454062171?s=20">user on X</a>, the same day ASRock also launched <a href="https://www.asrock.com/news/index.us.asp?iD=5827">an 8GB version</a> of the RX 9050. </p> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">Does it make sense to buy a graphics card with just 4GB of VRAM? According to the specs on ASRock's website, the 4GB version of the RX 9050 is built on AMD's RDNA 4 architecture and has a 64-bit memory interface, 16 compute units, and a boost clock speed of up to 2,600MHz / 18GBps. That should be enough to enable new features like FSR 4, …</p> <p><a href="https://www.theverge.com/games/971868/asrock-amd-4gb-rx-9050-gpu">Read the full story at The Verge.</a></p>
Original Article
View Cached Full Text

Cached at: 07/28/26, 06:27 PM

# 4GB graphics cards are back Source: [https://www.theverge.com/games/971868/asrock-amd-4gb-rx-9050-gpu](https://www.theverge.com/games/971868/asrock-amd-4gb-rx-9050-gpu) [Skip to main content](https://www.theverge.com/games/971868/asrock-amd-4gb-rx-9050-gpu#content) ASRock’s Radeon RX 9050 is the first modern GPU in years to include only 4GB of VRAM\. ASRock’s Radeon RX 9050 is the first modern GPU in years to include only 4GB of VRAM\. by Jul 28, 2026, 3:52 PM UTC ![asrock-amd-radeon-rx-9050-4gb-wide](https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/asrock-amd-radeon-rx-9050-4gb-wide.jpeg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=7.8125%2C0%2C84.375%2C100&w=2400) ![asrock-amd-radeon-rx-9050-4gb-wide](https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/asrock-amd-radeon-rx-9050-4gb-wide.jpeg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=7.8125%2C0%2C84.375%2C100&w=2400) Image: ASRock [![Stevie Bonifield](https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/10/STEVIE_BONIFIELD_BLURPLE.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=96)](https://www.theverge.com/authors/stevie-bonifield) Stevie Bonifield is a news writer covering all things consumer tech\. Stevie started out at Laptop Mag writing news and reviews on hardware, gaming, and AI\. The first modern GPU with 4GB of VRAM has appeared, as[RAM prices and component shortages](https://www.theverge.com/news/839353/pc-ram-shortage-pricing-spike-news)push tech prices higher\. As[*Digital Foundry*](https://www.digitalfoundry.net/news/2026/07/leaks-point-to-return-of-4gb-gpus-as-ai-flash-memory-crisis-worsens)reports, a listing for an AMD Radeon RX 9050 with 4GB of RAM was[spotted on ASRock’s website](https://asrock.com/Graphics-Card/AMD/Radeon%20RX%209050%20Challenger%204GB/index.asp)by a[user on X](https://x.com/RubyRapids/status/2082009608454062171?s=20), the same day ASRock also launched[an 8GB version](https://www.asrock.com/news/index.us.asp?iD=5827)of the RX 9050\. Does it make sense to buy a graphics card with just 4GB of VRAM? According to the specs on ASRock’s website, the 4GB version of the RX 9050 is built on AMD’s RDNA 4 architecture and has a 64\-bit memory interface, 16 compute units, and a boost clock speed of up to 2,600MHz / 18GBps\. That should be enough to enable new features like FSR 4, but is far below the suggested requirements of current AAA titles like[*Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced*](https://ubisoft.pxf.io/c/482924/864200/12050?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ubisoft.com%2Fen-ca%2Fhelp%2Fassassins-creed-black-flag-resynced%2Fconnectivity-and-performance%2Farticle%2Fsystem-requirements-for-assassin-s-creed-black-flag-resynced%2F000116702)and[*Halo: Campaign Evolved*](https://www.theverge.com/entertainment/969563/halo-campaign-evolved-review-xbox-ps5-pc), even if you’re willing to run at 1080p and aren’t worried about future proofing\. While ASRock has not yet announced pricing for the 4GB RX 9050,[*Tom’s Hardware*](https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/gpus/leaked-radeon-rx-9050-hints-at-the-return-of-4gb-vram-gpus-in-2026-new-budget-rdna-4-card-also-spotted-in-8gb-config-with-half-the-power-of-an-rx-9060)spotted it in[a Best Buy listing](https://bestbuy.7tiv.net/c/482924/614286/10014?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bestbuy.com%2Fproduct%2Fcyberpowerpc-gamer-master-gaming-desktop-amd-ryzen-5-5500-amd-radeon-rx-9050-4gb-8gb-ddr4-500gb-pcie-4-0-ssd-black%2FJ3L7GQWW7Z)for an $889 prebuilt gaming PC that also includes 8GB of DDR4 RAM, 500GB of SSD storage, and an AMD Ryzen 5 5500 CPU\. ASRock and AMD did not immediately respond to a request for comment\. **Follow topics and authors**from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates\. - Stevie Bonifield ## The Verge Daily A free daily digest of the news that matters most\.

Similar Articles

Decade-old RAM is making a comeback

The Verge

Due to soaring RAM prices driven by the DDR5 shortage, Intel and AMD are reviving support for decade-old DDR4 memory, with new LGA 1700 and AM4 motherboards expected as DDR4 prices remain far lower than DDR5.