Difference between a 2GB and 3GB Graphics Card?

[xxdanxs]

I am thinking about buying this graphics card:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130810&cm_mmc=SNC-YouTube-_-NETV-_-uQUhfhVw-L4-_-14-130-810

My only concern is that it is only 2 GB. Other video cards such as the Radeon 7950 and 7970 come in 3GB. What is the difference? Do the 3GB ones perform much better than the 2Gb one? Will this make a major difference when playing games like Battlefield 3 and Skyrim? Also, will the 2GB model still be powerful enough to run games coming out later this year like Grand Theft Auto 5 and Battlefield 4?

 

[wanderer11]

Depends on the situation. If you are playing at 5760x1080 with 16x AA then you will most likely need the extra vram. Playing at 1920x1080 you almost certainly won't see a difference.

 

[ksham]

What is the difference?

1GB.

Do the 3GB ones perform much better than the 2Gb one?

No.

Will this make a major difference when playing games like Battlefield 3 and Skyrim?

Depends on resolution. The higher it is, the differences between 3GB VRAM and 2GB VRAM will become more apparent. The difference is minor.

Also, will the 2GB model still be powerful enough to run games coming out later this year like Grand Theft Auto 5 and Battlefield 4?

Yes; I think so. Don't quote me. They're not out yet so I can only make an educated guess.

 

[booyaah]

If you are going with a surround setup (3x monitors) or have a 2560x1440 monitor I would consider stepping up to the 3 GB model. For 1080p, the 2 GB will be fine.

It's not like a huge price difference anways (<$50). For example, due to rebate tiers I found a same model 660 (non TI) with 3 GB for only $5 more than the 2 GB on Newegg.

Also do note, I suspect we will see a price break in the current 660/670 series very soon (2-3 weeks, total guess) due to the release of the 7xx series. It's funny because currently some 670 FTW are priced higher than 770s.

 

[michael112]

The 660ti can't use the 3gb of memory properly, it actually performs worse. You are better off with the 2gb.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-660-ti-memory-bandwidth-anti-aliasing,3283.html