Asus 8800GT 512MB vs Asus 8800GT 1GB?

[iKo]

is there a big different in performance for Asus 8800GT 1GB over the 512MB version?? coz both have same memory bus and core clock.. My roomate want to buy new graphic card and he want to buy nvidia 8800GT. he saw the 2 card i mention earlier and he ask me for suggestion since the cost for the 1GB version only $80 above the 8800GT 512MB. i said im not sure myself... so im hoping people in tomhardware can help me out on this..

 

[cnumartyr]

If the 1GB version is $80 more I would suggest the G92 8800 GTS.

Otherwise the 512MB Version. The 8800 GT isn't powerful enough to use all 1 GB properly anyway.

 

[iKo]

ok thank you... i tell him that

 

[mactronix]

Its a marketing ploy people see big numbers and think its a special card but it wont perform any differant than the 512 one.
Mactronix

 

[Vokofpolisiekar]

I agree... 1gig on a wider memory bus will help on higher resolutions.

 

[rosu9801]

Well accordibg to:
http://en.expreview.com/?p=159
The gain between 512 to 1gig of memory isn't worth it it seems, it's nowhere near the gain from 256 to 512mb.
To me it seems like most games are made with 512mb cards in mind.

 

[Lorsus]

Benchmarking has shown that the 1gig cards only yield a 1 - 2 FPS gain, so spend the coin on faster GPU etc.

 

[iKo]

thanks for the reply.. my roomate already bought the asus 8800gt TOP 512MB after see u guys comment

 

[spoonboy]

If you absolutely oc'd the ram (especially the ram) and the gpu of the 1gb 8800gt to within an inch of their lives on some heavy aftermarket cooling then it might have the power to make SOME use of the extra ram and in say a year or so when games make proper use of more than 512mb video ram you would have a fair advantage over a 512mb 8800gt or even gts.

To sum it up, a 1gb gt would only be signifigantly better if it was made (by you) to be alot faster and would still be used for gaming in about 18months time. In short: an overclocking project.

 

[Musky]

From a game dev: more you have video memory better it was for games. Install 2 of that in sli and you get 2 GB of video memory. No more swap on the disk or slow memory, very high poly scene without any problem. Almost all games can be set to use more video memory on PC and with the new rendering system, you got in Unreal 3 engine games for example, the memory is more important than ever.

Most benchmarks are done without any modification to use more memory during the tests so that doesnt give you the truth about the use of that kind of card.

another thing very important these days is openning more than one application using video rendering. Once again more you have video memory, more you can run video applications at the same time.

 

[mactronix]

From a game dev: more you have video memory better it was for games. Install 2 of that in sli and you get 2 GB of video memory. No more swap on the disk or slow memory, very high poly scene without any problem. Almost all games can be set to use more video memory on PC and with the new rendering system, you got in Unreal 3 engine games for example, the memory is more important than ever.

Most benchmarks are done without any modification to use more memory during the tests so that doesnt give you the truth about the use of that kind of card.

another thing very important these days is openning more than one application using video rendering. Once again more you have video memory, more you can run video applications at the same time.

This so called game dev dosent know what he/she is talking about. If you install 2 1gig cards in SLI you still only get 1 gig available memory. Yes to some extent more is better but the games of today just dont need 1gig yet. Sure if you plan to buy a card and keep it for 2-3 years then it would go some way to the imposable dream that is future proofing your hardware, But today it isnt needed.

Mactronix

 

[samuraiblade]

so why do you only get 1 gig in sli?? , if you do the same with ati cards you'll get all the memory avialiable afaik , so why does the sli config drop an entire gig of memory. given the gpu's are routed through the memory bus is the drivers telling the one in slave mode to ignore the memory. gotta say im confused by that comment and would love a detailed explanation why. thanks

and there is a slight difference between a 1gig 8800gt and a 512 8800gt , my m8 has the gainward 1gig and i did have the 512 until i upgraded , his definately had a bit better performance on certian games like crysis etc , but i agree not enough to warrant the extra cash , hence after much thought i went for the 512mb 4870 rather than the 1gb one due out this month. the money i saved means i can get another 4870 next month.

 

[mactronix]

No you dont get double the memory with Crossfire either.
I will post a detailed explanation later (If i dont get beaten to it.

Mactronix

 

[mactronix]

This link pretty much explains it its not complicated i just wanted a link to show you guys.
http://www.slizone.com/object/slizone_ask_mmm013.html

Mactronix