GTX 570: 1Gig or 2?

[Solitas]

Hi folks,

I'm currently putting together parts for new systems for my wife and I (link). We are going to build this year.

I've recently decided I don't think I need a GTX 580, and will use a 570 instead... now I'm noticing that I can move from a 1G to 2G onboard memory for another $50. (EVGA 012-P3-1571-KR GeForce GTX 570 HD w/Display-Port (Fermi) 1280MB 320-bit GDDR5 PCI Express versus EVGA 025-P3-1579-AR GeForce GTX 570 (Fermi) HD 2560MB 320-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP

I have no idea if this is "worth it" or not.

Resolution: 1920x1080. Double monitor (one for playing, one for web browsing / netflix)
Games: Skyrim, The Witcher 2, Guild Wars 2, Star Wars, WoW, D3, etc.

I do game recording (FRAPS) and some video editing as well.

I know ultimately it's my decision... I just don't know what an extra gig of video memory is going to do (or not do). I have no problem spending money if I get value for it.

 

[sardonicjester]

Really depends on what your priorities are.

If you want sheer gaming performance, then the 1Gig will be better.

If you want the best picture quality possible, then the 2Gig will be better.


http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/graphics-ram-4870,2428-10.html

This is an "older" article, but it at least explains the benefits of ram size for graphics cards. Good read for your question.

I don't know for sure, but I would think that the 2Gig would be better, solely for the purpose of the video editing. IMO.

 

[Rustyy117]

More VRAM won't improve picture quality, more VRAM will simply allow more textures to be stored on the cards memory, rather than swapping between HDD/System RAM

At 1080P you'll be alright for 99% of todays games with 1.28GB, I saw 1200MB+ being used on my old 570's with a few games like BF3 Maxed, DA2 + High Textures and Metro2033 all @ 1080P

 

[wa1]

Your monitor resolution is 1920x1080 and using 2 monitors, right?
bigger memory is good for large/bigger resolution, so if you have HD monitor or using more than 1 monitor then definitely 2GB of VRAM will help you a lot...

 

[Rustyy117]

Your monitor resolution is 1920x1080 and using 2 monitors, right?
bigger memory is good for large/bigger resolution, so if you have HD monitor or using more than 1 monitor then definitely 2GB of VRAM will help you a lot...

I don't thin the OP is actually gaming on 2 monitors.

 

[Memnarchon]

More VRAM won't improve picture quality, more VRAM will simply allow more textures to be stored on the cards memory, rather than swapping between HDD/System RAM

At 1080P you'll be alright for 99% of todays games with 1.28GB, I saw 1200MB+ being used on my old 570's with a few games like BF3 Maxed, DA2 + High Textures and Metro2033 all @ 1080P

+1.

Having more VRAM is worhtless without the proper GPU horsepower to use it. At the moment 1280MB are enough for everything that 570 can handle. 2,5GB is good only if you are going for SLI with higher resolutions of 1080p. When you will see that a GTX570 can't handle a game at proper FPS at 1080p, the problem will be the gpu. Currently you will not see any game being bottlenecked by 570's RAM.

 

[Solitas]

I don't thin the OP is actually gaming on 2 monitors.

This is correct. We use one monitor for whatever game we are playing, and the second monitor is there for web browsing, hulu, netflix, etc.

Based on the responses I am getting... it sounds like 1G is sufficient.

I guess I am curious... if I can run basically any game today at maximum settings on a 1G GTX 570, is the 580 just overkill?

Another question... if I want to use FRAPS to record gameplay, would there be more value in either a 2G 570, or a 580 versus the 1G 570?

Thanks so much for your help - you guys rock!