Ask a creator what slows a project down and the answer is rarely a single dramatic failure. It is the accumulation of small pauses: textures swapping in late, previews dropping to quarter resolution, effects caches rebuilding.
Headroom is a workflow feature
When video memory runs out, applications start swapping to system memory and everything gets slower in ways that are hard to measure but easy to feel. Enough VRAM keeps assets resident, previews honest and sessions fluid.
How much is enough
For 1080p and light 3D work, 8–12 GB covers most needs. 4K editorial, dense scenes and AI-assisted tools are happier with 16–24 GB. If your projects tend to grow mid-flight, buy the headroom early — it is the component you cannot easily add later.
