128 MB vs 256 MB

[gamer004]

Hi, i am buying a computer from www.ibuypower.com and was wondering what graphics card i should get. Is the 256 Mb video cards all that much better than a 128 MB one? And also what card should i get that will not let me upgrade for a few years.
thanks,
matt

[Lejend]

Hi, i am buying a computer from www.ibuypower.com and was wondering what graphics card i should get. Is the 256 Mb video cards all that much better than a 128 MB one? And also what card should i get that will not let me upgrade for a few years.
thanks,
matt

IMHO the price of a 256 mb card just isn't worth performance. Check out Tom's Hardware (http://www6.tomshardware.com/graphic/20031229/vga-charts-03.html) and you'll see that the 256 mb cards aren't noticably faster. Of course if games start using larger textures this will change, but for now I'd buy the 128 mb card.

[Yuriman]

Ok, first off, I see no system there worth your money. 256mb of SYSTEM ram? Come on! Go to www.newegg.com and make your own system. And when they say 64mb, 128mb and 256mb cards, they are probably radeon 9200's or 5200's and such, which are already too slow to play modern games. Grab a 9800pro 128mb, or an X800pro(256mb). Right now the extra ram doesnt help much, but the X800 is much faster anyway.

[termin@tor]

Currently, you wouldn't see a lot if any performance increase with 256MB. Some of the newer games like Far Cry, HL2, Doom 3 will need that much though to really get all the game could offer. If you're planning on keeping the card for a few years (which I really doubt would actually happen ;)) you should go with 256MB RAM.
A good card to buy is x800 pro or 6800gt, or even go for the x800xt or 6800 ultra... what is your budget?

[gamer004]

my budget is probually between 0-250$ i dont want half of my computer budget budget gong into a 500$ video card that i keep for 2 years

[Albuquerque]

I spoke replied too quickly and misunderstood what you were saying... So your video card budget is 0-250? If so, a GeForce FX 5900 128mb or else a Radeon 9800 Pro 128mb is right up your alley. The higher memory only comes into play (in current games) with very high resolutions and high AA/AF. Future games will surely need more ram as time progresses, but that's not to worry about :)

[termin@tor]

You might wanna try this:
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-102-361&depa=1

It's a little over your budget, but not by much.

If you want to use it for 2 years, then yes, I suggest you get 256MB RAM.

[gamer004]

i just want one that will last long enough for the money. So if i have a 256 and only use it for 2 years. Its not worth it. I rather get a 128, use it for one year, upgrade etc...

[MIAG]

I'm in a bit of a similar boat. I've got a nearly two year old 9700 pro, and I'm debating on whether to get the Sapphire 128MB 9800 pro and flash it to an XT, or a 256MB 9800 pro or an X800. The money isn't really an issue for me, as I could get an X800 XT with my graduation money, but I hate to lay down $400 for another graphics board like I did with this 9700. But it would be nice to have the bragging rights that you have an X800 when none of your friends have gone above a GF4 :attn:

[Eshiku]

better to buy a 128 then use it for a while then upgrade to newer cards

[Buhammot]

Buy it when you need it... What i like to go by.

[SpaceRangerJoe]

I'd say for the 128 sapphire now (I am doing the same next week or so), and save the 256 megs cards for the graphics bus can handle it. Like when pci express cards start coming out, and there are mother boards that can use them. That's just my opinion though, since the longest I've had a video card is about 1 year.

[Mr.Radar]

You don't need PCI Express to take advantage of 256-megs of VRAM. Current cards with current games don't even use the full bandwidth provided by the AGP 8x bus anyways.