16GB GPUs and 8-core CPUs officially become the most popular configs on Steam — Latest hardware survey shows modern gaming's growing hunger for more resources
Wirth's law dictates that software becomes slower more rapidly than hardware gets faster. That logic can explain why games today look mostly the same as they did a decade ago, yet require a lot more resources to run comfortably. That sentiment is now reflected in Steam's latest hardware survey as well, where 8-core CPUs have overtaken 6-core CPUs for the first time ever, and GPUs with 16GB of VRAM have become the most common on the platform. The results for July 2026 show that 16GB GPUs now represent 25.9% of all Steam users, just edging out 8GB GPUs that sit at 25.32% adoption. In June, 16GB GPUs were at 24.50%, so they gained 1.4 points in a month, while 8GB GPUs lost 0.32 points in the same time. This is the first month in the storefront's history where 8GB of VRAM is no longer considered enough, closing the book on this debate in a rather definitive way. Keep in mind that these numbers combine all Steam instances across Windows, Linux, and Mac. When it comes to processors, the need to move away from 6-core chips hasn't really been of concern since they're still enough for gaming. It was not long ago that Intel was refreshing the same quad-core CPUs year after year until AMD's resurgence pushed the industry out of stagnation. This is evident by the fact that 4-core CPUs still enjoy a 13.2% share of the pie. But today, it's clear that the shift has begun as Steam's most recent data shows 27.85% of the userbase is rocking 8-core CPUs, while 27.52% have 6-core CPUs. Once again, it's the first time this precedent has shifted as 8-core chips became 0.32% more popular this month compared to last, the most of any config, while 6-core chips lost 0.12% of their adoption. The extreme popularity of X3D chips for gaming is partly responsible, since the 5800X3D, then the 7800X3D, and now, the 9800X3D, all feature 8 cores and 16 threads. Intel's hybrid architecture makes it so that pretty much none of its midrange or high-end chips have exactly 8 cores (though many have 8 P-cores). The obsolescence of 6-core CPUs and 8GB GPUs is not a sudden event; we've been witnessing this decline since at least last year, when their numbers first started to dwindle. Sales figures from across the world, multiple times, have shown how customers heavily prefer to buy 16GB versions of the same GPUs that also have an 8GB model. Such a small memory pool is simply not enough for modern games, especially since they've begun relying on ray tracing as a requirement now. "What Andy gives, Bill takes away" is a niche adage in the tech space that referred to Microsoft's bloatware outpacing hardware advancements made by Intel back in the 90s. It still holds true today, but it's better combined with May's Law — the idea that the abundance of silicon will make developers lazy, such that they'll stop optimizing their code to its fullest potential. Of course, this is a bit ironic considering we're in a component crisis at the moment, where soaring memory and storage prices are now coming to bite back said developers. The consumers are not stuck with the debt of years of inefficiency. If you still have an 8GB GPU today, like the 5060 Ti, there's a high chance you won't be able to play upcoming modern games smoothly, even if the core itself remains perfectly capable. Anyhow, the Steam Hardware Survey doesn't represent the entire market, obviously, but it's a good indication of mainstream trends. They show that the RTX 3060 is still the most popular current-gen card in the world, while the RTX 5070 is climbing the charts fast. AMD and Intel are basically honorable mentions on this list. Get Tom's Hardware's best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox. Hassam Nasir is a die-hard hardware enthusiast with years of experience as a tech editor and writer, focusing on detailed CPU comparisons and general hardware news. When he’s not working, you’ll find him bending tubes for his ever-evolving custom water-loop gaming rig or benchmarking the latest CPUs and GPUs just for fun. - Reply ...by such a small margin that it's statistical noise.Admin said:For the first time in Steam history, 8-core CPUs have overtaken 6-core CPUs and GPUs with 16GB of VRAM have overtaken 8GB GPUs... Go figure, the two most available configs in vram are the two most chosen options. And the only available low end choices in desktop cpus are the most common...what a wonder. Both ultra core and zen 5 only start at 6 cores. - Reply Maybe 8 GB and 12 GB will swap places within a couple of generations if 3 GB GDDR7 on 128-bit becomes the common starting point... not to mention the reintroduction of the RTX 3060 12GB.TerryLaze said:...by such a small margin that it's statistical noise. Go figure, the two most available configs in vram are the two most chosen options. - Replyusertests said:Maybe 8 GB and 12 GB will swap places within a couple of generations if 3 GB GDDR7 on 128-bit becomes the common starting point... not to mention the reintroduction of the RTX 3060 12GB. Samsung being late to market with it's 24Gb GDDR chips is why the budget 128-bit segment got stuck with 8GB. Then the rampocalypse happened so who knows when supply will clear up. Hopefully in three or four years we'll be at 12GB for budget / 18GB for midrange and 24GB for high end GPUs. The article is misleading a bit because under 16GB is still a larger percentage then 16 and above. The real story is the steady growth indicating people are still switching out older systems / components for newer ones and the market is slowly shifting towards 12GB and beyond.