256mb vs 512 mb

[Gam'ster]

Hello tpu'ers, im trying to decide on which 8800gt to get but im wondering would a 512mb be a waste of money considering the 256 variants are cheaper.
I currently run my 19" @ 1440 x 900 resolution i dont play FPS's all that much, i do play wow and eve-online a bit, plus Supcom and c&c other than that its mostly dvds i use it for and browsing, any advice and which variant to get would be brilliant.

Cheers
Gam

[choppy]

games are using 300+ mb of vram nowadays and will continue to use up more. 512mb is the best choice imo

[Gam'ster]

Thanks choppy, i knew supcom would be taxing the vram ill keep it in mind

[candle_86]

deff 512mb of ram unless 10x7 is your thing

[JC316]

512 FTW! No way would I buy anything with less than 512 these days.

[Gam'ster]

Sweet ill just have to digg a bit deeper into my pockets lol, thanks for the replys gents

[Jelle Mees]

Crysis Memory usage on XP - High Settings - 1280x1024:
* NoAA 315MB
* 2xAA 375MB
* 4xAA 440MB
* 8xAA 470MB

Same can be sad for Far Cry 2 and Assasin's Creed...

[Gam'ster]

Thats very intresting info, is there a app that can tell me how much vram i use, ive searched for a while and with no avail

[Jelle Mees]

Originally Posted by Gam'ster

Thats very intresting info, is there a app that can tell me how much vram i use, ive searched for a while and with no avail

I don't think that there is an application for that. Some games just have commands that show it.

I remember that World in Conflict also uses more then 256MB once you enable AA, the game displays "Video Memory overload" or something like that.

Just know that 256MB just isn't enough these days, not eaven for 1280x1024 unless you start reducing texture quality.

[Gam'ster]

Cool, i thought a 256 would have been a long shot but was worth asking, yeah i didnt even think about AA or HDR ( EVE - ONLINE ) for that matter. Thanks for your help .

[candle_86]

yea your need 512mb or your video card starts using system ram, I know it can do this over PCIe also.

[philbrown23]

dude I have an 8800gt 256mb version and can play crysis with 4x aa and high resolution and settings on high and get 60-70fps so I don't know what you are talking about

[keakar]

Originally Posted by Gam'ster

Hello tpu'ers, im trying to decide on which 8800gt to get but im wondering would a 512mb be a waste of money considering the 256 variants are cheaper.
I currently run my 19" @ 1440 x 900 resolution i dont play FPS's all that much, i do play wow and eve-online a bit, plus Supcom and c&c other than that its mostly dvds i use it for and browsing, any advice and which variant to get would be brilliant.

Cheers
Gam

you've got it bass ackwards, 256 would be a waste of money IMHO because you NEED 512mb for game to be "happy" but they will work ok with 256mb by "borrowing ram from your computer.

[Jelle Mees]

Originally Posted by philbrown23

dude I have an 8800gt 256mb version and can play crysis with 4x aa and high resolution and settings on high and get 60-70fps so I don't know what you are talking about

Please don't beleave this ***head...there is not a system in the world that can get 70fps on Crysis. I play Crysis on 1280x1024 on XP with DirectX 10 tweaks, without AA or AF and my framerate is 30+ at all times. Maxium is about 40 I think

Don't beleave for a second what this guy is saying.

Evidence:

http://en.expreview.com/?p=214&page=11

I can confirm that these results are 100% correct because I have tested the 8800GT, the ATI 3850 and the ATI 3870 myself.
He uses the Intel Q9650 @ 3.3Ghz ( = Q6xxx @ 3.25Ghz ).

Originally Posted by Gam'ster

Cool, i thought a 256 would have been a long shot but was worth asking, yeah i didnt even think about AA or HDR ( EVE - ONLINE ) for that matter. Thanks for your help .

Some people don't know this, but the 8800GS 768MB exists.



8800GS 768MB’s enemy is HD 3850 512MB. Based on result 8800GS 768MB leads HD 3850 512MB about 20%. After omitting the lower 30FPS score the 8800GS 768MB still outperforms HD 3850 512MB about 15%.

Knowing that the ATI 3870 is only 15-20% faster ( avarage ), the 8800GS is the best-buy for someone with a low budget like yours. To bad it can not be bought, impossible to find for acceptable price.

[Gam'ster]

Originally Posted by Jelle Mees

Some people don't know this, but the 8800GS 768MB exists.


8800GS 768MB’s enemy is HD 3850 512MB. Based on result 8800GS 768MB leads HD 3850 512MB about 20%. After omitting the lower 30FPS score the 8800GS 768MB still outperforms HD 3850 512MB about 15%.

Knowing that the ATI 3870 is only 15-20% faster ( avarage ), the 8800GS is the best-buy for someone with a low budget like yours. To bad it can not be bought, impossible to find for acceptable price.

I did look for one in the uk but as u say impossible to find i did find a few 384mb versions but no 768mb's, yeah it does all boil down to budget in the end , thanks for the info ill read my way through it now.

[Jelle Mees]

Originally Posted by Gam'ster

I did look for one in the uk but as u say impossible to find i did find a few 384mb versions but no 768mb's, yeah it does all boil down to budget in the end , thanks for the info ill read my way through it now.

If you can waith 2 more months, then do so, because the 9600GT is a killer card an can be overclocked to 8800GTX performance easely...

The 9600GT is equal to the 8800GS 768MB.

[Gam'ster]

Originally Posted by Jelle Mees

If you can waith 2 more months, then do so, because the 9600GT is a killer card an can be overclocked to 8800GTX performance easely...

The 9600GT is equal to the 8800GS 768MB.

Its definatly an option i dont mind a wait, ill have to look up 9600GT for indications on price etc....

[Jelle Mees]

Originally Posted by Gam'ster

Its definatly an option i dont mind a wait, ill have to look up 9600GT for indications on price etc....

9600GT will cost about 175$ soon after release but once all shops have it in stock it will drop to 150$ pretty fast.

Nvidia wants to compete against the ATI 3850 and 3870 cards with the 9600GT. Only thing ATI can do is lower prices, so that's a goodt thing for you

[Gam'ster]

Sweet so all in all not a bad time to start hunting around for a new gpu , just got to sit on my hands for a bit . jus seen review of the card im sure it was posted here a few days ago looks quite promissing, plus if the price is right i should be a happy man

[Graogrim]

Originally Posted by Jelle Mees

9600GT will cost about 175$ soon after release but once all shops have it in stock it will drop to 150$ pretty fast.

Be careful making pricing predictions like that. Remember that the 8800GT was originally touted as a $199 part.

[Jelle Mees]

Originally Posted by Graogrim

Be careful making pricing predictions like that. Remember that the 8800GT was originally touted as a $199 part.

You just have to know where to shop:
http://www.nowdirect.com/exec/partIn...FXPV-T88P-UDF4

[ArmoredCavalry]

I have a 256 mb HD3850, I got it before the 512's were out. I can run COD4 on max settings @ 1440x900 and get around 40-50 fps on average (this varies depending on the map of course, but I never go below 30 fps).

Personally, I think if your running at anything above 1440x900, which includes 1280x1024, you should be getting 512. But for 1440x900 and below, 256 should be alright if you are on a budget.

Of course according to this review, it makes barely any noticeable difference adding 256 mb of vram to the 3850:
http://www.legionhardware.com/document.php?id=721&p=0

[tigger]

I play all my games mostly maxxed out fine on a 256mb card at 1440x900,including cod4 and the club.They all run fine.

[Solaris17]

Originally Posted by philbrown23

dude I have an 8800gt 256mb version and can play crysis with 4x aa and high resolution and settings on high and get 60-70fps so I don't know what you are talking about

um dude...i just did a bunch of benches with my 9600GT with 512mb of ram and highely overclocked...and i get like 45/50 max.........


but ya 512 all the way these days..i play at the same rez as you 1440x900 and i wont go back to 256...my 8600GT was awsome...but this ram thing omg difference!!

[ghost101]

Originally Posted by philbrown23

dude I have an 8800gt 256mb version and can play crysis with 4x aa and high resolution and settings on high and get 60-70fps so I don't know what you are talking about

No offence but thats bullshit.

Please run the assault timedemo in the crysis benchmark suite to prove it.

As for the OP, the very fact the 9600gt, a midrange card, is now coming out with 512mb should tell you something.