gramirez2004
Technical User
Okay, what's the advantage of having a 256mb video card. No game uses that much. Not even a game like far cry. And if agp video cards need more memory don't they just use the main system memory.
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128mb video card vs. 256mb video card
- Thread starter gramirez2004
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GrowingHaze
Programmer
I have taken note while reading PC World that the high end computers sometimes carry 256 and sometimes 128. Twice the video memory doesn't seem to make or break the computer. Right now I don't believe there are many programs designed to take advantage of such a great amount of video memory, in the near future this may change. I would buy a 128M because I'm frugal. Whichever you decide on will satisfy your gameing needs, for now....
-Growing Haze
Gates giveth, Gates taketh away.
-Growing Haze
Gates giveth, Gates taketh away.
It's like the AGP 4x vs 8x debate. Games in the near future (Doom 3 and Half-Life 2 for example) will eventually make more use of the extra bandwidth much like others will the amount of memory. Right now, there just aren't many that will, if any.
It's up to you, but I wouldn't pay a huge premium to have the extra 128MB. But if you can get it at a reasonable price and have a pretty modern PC (> 2.6GHz), then it could be worth it in the long run.
~cdogg
[tab]"All paid jobs absorb and degrade the mind"
[tab][tab]- Aristotle
![[stpatrick2]](/data/assets/smilies/stpatrick2.gif "[stpatrick2] [stpatrick2]")
[navy]For general rules and guidelines to get better answers, click here:[/navy] faq219-2884
It's up to you, but I wouldn't pay a huge premium to have the extra 128MB. But if you can get it at a reasonable price and have a pretty modern PC (> 2.6GHz), then it could be worth it in the long run.
~cdogg
[tab]"All paid jobs absorb and degrade the mind"
[tab][tab]- Aristotle
[navy]For general rules and guidelines to get better answers, click here:[/navy] faq219-2884Advantages!!
Well the BIG advantage is that there isn't a big advantage!
Oh yes! bragging rights, thats a good one and on a slightly more serious note, a very small advantage when run at the highest possible resolutions with large displays but only detectable in a benchmark.
By the time the 256mb will make a differance you'll be wanting another new card.
Much, much more important is the graphics chipset and memory speed, better to get a 128 card with a more powerful GPU than slower graphics chip supported by a massive 256 chunk of memory.
Example of two similarly priced cards:
256mb DDR ATI Radeon 9600XT and
128mb DDR Nvidia Geforce 4 FX 5900XT
The 128mb card, by vertue of it's more powerful graphics processor, performs as much as 50% faster in benchmarks tests when compared to the 256mb card.
Martin
Replying helps further our knowledge, without comment leaves us wondering.
Well the BIG advantage is that there isn't a big advantage!
Oh yes! bragging rights, thats a good one and on a slightly more serious note, a very small advantage when run at the highest possible resolutions with large displays but only detectable in a benchmark.
By the time the 256mb will make a differance you'll be wanting another new card.
Much, much more important is the graphics chipset and memory speed, better to get a 128 card with a more powerful GPU than slower graphics chip supported by a massive 256 chunk of memory.
Example of two similarly priced cards:
256mb DDR ATI Radeon 9600XT and
128mb DDR Nvidia Geforce 4 FX 5900XT
The 128mb card, by vertue of it's more powerful graphics processor, performs as much as 50% faster in benchmarks tests when compared to the 256mb card.
Martin
Replying helps further our knowledge, without comment leaves us wondering.
micker377,
Perhaps that's true. But then again, Longhorn isn't slated for release until 2006 (assuming that's it's not delayed which is likely). By then, any 128MB or 256MB card you buy today will be close to obsolete.
Even with the near future in mind, you should not base your decision on a card's 256MB memory capacity. Instead you should focus on some of the points paparazi makes.
~cdogg
[tab]"All paid jobs absorb and degrade the mind"
[tab][tab]- Aristotle
[navy]For general rules and guidelines to get better answers, click here:[/navy] faq219-2884
Perhaps that's true. But then again, Longhorn isn't slated for release until 2006 (assuming that's it's not delayed which is likely). By then, any 128MB or 256MB card you buy today will be close to obsolete.
Even with the near future in mind, you should not base your decision on a card's 256MB memory capacity. Instead you should focus on some of the points paparazi makes.
~cdogg
[tab]"All paid jobs absorb and degrade the mind"
[tab][tab]- Aristotle
[navy]For general rules and guidelines to get better answers, click here:[/navy] faq219-2884- Status
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