Adding to this, just in case set graphics at “high”, restart the game and see what happens. I have had some times issues while customizing settings, and from time to time I’ve needed to start from scratch by going to an untouched preset (as in High or Ultra) because of weird issue.
And missed the vram detail but I do agree those jumps in vram usage are kinda weird. I’m never below 7-10GB and normally around 10-14GB (this happens both on my old 206012GB and on my current 6800XT), and pretty stable (fluctuations occur between dep/arr and cruise).