256MB 8600GTS Vs. 512MB 8600GTS

[godbrother]

Hi,

I'm building a PC for a client, and was wondering if the 512MB was worth the extra $10 bucks I was going to pay for it.

Can the 8600GTS push 512MB's of VRam? The specifications for the 8600GTS are as follows:

Manufacturer...nVidia
Series..............GeForce 8
GPU:................G84
Core Clock.......675 MHz
Shader Clock...1450 MHz
Memory Clock..1000 MHz (2000 DDR)
Bandwidth.......32 GB/sec
FLOPS..............139.2 GFLOPS
Pixel Fill Rate....5400 MPixels/sec
Texture Filll......10800 MTexels/sec

It will be used at 1280x1024 resolutions.

Regards.

 

[nforce4max]

Is the 512mb version DDR2? What is the asking price for both cards?

 

[godbrother]

Is the 512mb version DDR2? What is the asking price for both cards?

No, both are DDR3. They are also both factory OC'd. (Hench "GTS")

I live in the U.K so please do not be suprised at the prices and reccommend somthing from Newegg. I don't mind paying extra, but is it worth it, I heard that the 8800GT couldn't push a full 512MB, thats why I asked if it will be a waste of money.

 

[invisik]

If your client is 'gaming" go for it, but if its just a basic use computer then the 256mb should suffice.

 

[HibyPrime]

Even simple modern games (sims 3 type stuff) would most likely fill up 256 mb at high resolutions. So the question here is, does this person game at all, and if so is it on a large monitor(22" +)?

There are a lot of people here that ask for recommendations from stores in the UK. The 8600GTS is a fairly old card, so if there is any possibility of you changing your mind on the 8600 you might want to give us a link to where you're buying it from and you're budget. Again this is only if your client does any gaming at all.

 

[ubernoobie]

he said 1280x1024

 

[HibyPrime]

he said 1280x1024

Right you are, my bad.

The 256 MB will likely not be a problem then, the bottleneck will no doubt be on the GPU and bus width not it's memory size.

 

[godbrother]

Right you are, my bad.

The 256 MB will likely not be a problem then, the bottleneck will no doubt be on the GPU and bus width not it's memory size.

Well yes, pretty basic gaming. His not a gaming fan, but he loves CSS, Sims3, CoD4 on the PC. The question is, will he REALLY see a improvment from the extra 256MB? I got him addicted to CoD4 (MP) So his most likely will buy CoDMW2. His max monitor resolution is 1280x1024 on a 19" sony TFT. He may hook it up to his T.V to watch movies.

But the question still remains unawenserd. Can a 8600GTS push a full 512MB? I mean, I heard things like the 8800GT couldn't even push 512MB and thats almost double the 8600GTS. Will the extra 256MB become usefull down the road in the future?

Regards.

 

[nforce4max]

8800/9800gt for gaming and multimedia. For just basic 2d stuff for a large display I would suggest a 4650 or better (cheaper no need for power connector). If the user wants lots of high res displays a 5770 with it's Eyefinity (three display support.

 

[godbrother]

Sorry but, I did mention not to reccommend anything else, there is a reason why. Thanks.

 

[HibyPrime]

Well, for instance in crysis, you have to have the resolution and setting up pretty high before a 4870 512mb will show signs of slowing down in comparison to a 4870 1GB. Read this article for a bit more help: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/graphics-ram-4870,2428.html

The 8600gt should NEVER be bottlenecked by it's memory size at 1280x1024. Even if it was at 1920x1200 it would still be hard to say that the memory would make any real difference.

 

[godbrother]

Well, for instance in crysis, you have to have the resolution and setting up pretty high before a 4870 512mb will show signs of slowing down in comparison to a 4870 1GB. Read this article for a bit more help: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/graphics-ram-4870,2428.html

The 8600gt should NEVER be bottlenecked by it's memory size at 1280x1024. Even if it was at 1920x1200 it would still be hard to say that the memory would make any real difference.

Hi, Yeah I went with the 256 version as they where out of the 512. So I guess I didn't make that much of a bad buy for the needs I need it for. I own a 256GTS myself, and it does pretty well, but just wondered what the difference would have been opposed to a 512 version.

Thanks for all the feedback.