Video Card RAM - Any Difference?

[frugal69]

Suppose your Graphics chip is the same. Will you notice any Speed or Graphics Quality difference with 256Mb or 512Mb of Video card RAM ?

I recall Doom3 using all the 512Mb of Video RAM to get the best graphics, but in todays gaming, is 512Mb Needed or preferred? Say Games like COD2, BF2142, Neverwinter nights 2, the new starcraft coming out...

I see all the nvidia 8500/8600 mostly in 256MB configs, the GTS in 320Mb and the 8800 having 768Mb... so I would assume the old 512Mb Video cards were kind of hype just to say you have it?

I'm considering getting a Video Card for basic gaming, so any help to steer me in the right direction would help.

Thanks!

[MtX]

Suppose your Graphics chip is the same. Will you notice any Speed or Graphics Quality difference with 256Mb or 512Mb of Video card RAM ?

No real huge difference in graphics quality but definitely faster performance at high resolutions (i.e. 1600x1200 and above). If you play on 1280x1024, 256-320MB is sufficient.


I recall Doom3 using all the 512Mb of Video RAM to get the best graphics, but in todays gaming, is 512Mb Needed or preferred? Say Games like COD2, BF2142, Neverwinter nights 2, the new starcraft coming out...

For games with huge maps, yes. Doom3 worked fine on my 7900GT 256MB @ 1024x768 w/ maximum detail. Most FPS games don't require 512MB of VRAM, but open-world RPG/FPS games like Oblivion or STALKER run much better with more VRAM.


I see all the nvidia 8500/8600 mostly in 256MB configs, the GTS in 320Mb and the 8800 having 768Mb... so I would assume the old 512Mb Video cards were kind of hype just to say you have it?


At the time, there weren't many games that needed 512MB VRAM and large LCD monitors were still expensive so yes, you could say it was a bit over-hyped. I would say that you'd probably need it more now than before, especially with Crysis, Two Worlds and Bio-shock coming out. And if you run 1600x1200 res or above, you should definitely get 512MB+ VRAM.


I'm considering getting a Video Card for basic gaming, so any help to steer me in the right direction would help.

Thanks!

8800GTS 320
X1950XT
7900GT
X1950Pro
7900GS
8500/8600 (try to avoid at all costs)

That's the order I'd get them in.

[x86asm]

^ I have the X1950XT 256MB and it is a nice card. I am very happy with it. Yes, it is a bit more costly than the X1950 Pro, but from benchmarks it seems quite a bit faster.

[tkyoshi]

Also consider some manufactuers put on 512MB on a slower card for marketing. It might have a lot of memory but it doesnt have the power to take advantage of it all.

Also sometimes cards with more memory have slower memory speed as well. This would be the same card in the 256MB variant would be faster as it has faster memory (assuming the same GPU).

[da1daonlyone]

Also consider some manufactuers put on 512MB on a slower card for marketing. It might have a lot of memory but it doesnt have the power to take advantage of it all.

Also sometimes cards with more memory have slower memory speed as well. This would be the same card in the 256MB variant would be faster as it has faster memory (assuming the same GPU).


ahh yes. i would say it works well because i probably would have bought one with more ram if it wasn't for rfd and id say alot more less teck savvy fall for it.

[frugal69]

Thanks so much for all your replies. I am now much more educated in selecting a video card based on my needs. I'll probably try to get the 7900GS since that's the one I can afford.

Cheers,

[xaueious]

These days you do not want anything less than 256 MB. That is pretty much the sweet spot for most of us.

[Amourek]

I like to think of it this way. If you play a game that can take advantage of 512MB or higher of video memory, it's going to be a very graphic intensive game that will require a fast GPU to render it smoothly.

So a slow GPU with lots of memory is basically a waste of money.