128 bit DDR or 256 bit DDR?

[watdahel]

What's the difference between a video card memory that's 128 bit and 256 bit? Is there a performance advantage?

 

[TheRyuu]

Think of it this way, 4 lane highway vs 8 lane highway. 128 bit memory at 1000mhz is the same as 256bit memory at 500mhz (right?)

 

[Ulfhednar]

There is a huge advantage to having memory with a higher speed interface. 128-bit memory is seriously not recommended these days.

 

[secretanchitman]

Originally posted by: Ulfhednar
There is a huge advantage to having memory with a higher speed interface. 128-bit memory is seriously not recommended these days.

unless you have a high clocked 6600GT...aka mine. hehe...

but i'd definitely take 256bit DDR over 128bit DDR...though i dont know if i'd take 256bit over 128bit GDDR3...

 

[Ulfhednar]

Originally posted by: secretanchitman

Originally posted by: Ulfhednar
There is a huge advantage to having memory with a higher speed interface. 128-bit memory is seriously not recommended these days.

unless you have a high clocked 6600GT...aka mine. hehe...

but i'd definitely take 256bit DDR over 128bit DDR...though i dont know if i'd take 256bit over 128bit GDDR3...

It's almost 2007, I got rid of my clocked Chaintech 6600GT one and a half years or so ago because it was suffering, and I am just so glad I never had to try playing anything like Oblivion on it. I replaced it with an X800 GTO² with 256MB of 256bit GDDR3 and it made a world of difference, but even that suffers now which is why I recently bought an X1800XT with 256bit GDDR3 and the 512bit ring bus.

Not trying to rain on your parade, but 128MB of 128bit GDDR3 is ultra-budget territory now, and suffers in modern games no matter how much you overclock it. They even have Geforce 7300GTs with 1.2ns 256MB GDDR3 now, and they're for your non-gamers no less.

 

[watdahel]

I saw a 9900GT with considerably lower cpu and memory clocks but had more pixel pipelines than a 9600GT. Would the 9600GT perform better in games that don't use pixel shaders?

 

[cmrmrc]

Originally posted by: erwin1978
I saw a 9900GT with considerably lower cpu and memory clocks but had more pixel pipelines than a 9600GT. Would the 9600GT perform better in games that don't use pixel shaders?

WHAT?...9900GT?9600GT?...lol are you 2 years in the future?

I think you meant 7900GT and 7600GT?...

 

[coldpower27]

Well 128Bit is better then 256Bit, if all other factors are held constant.

For instance a 7600 GT with it's 128Bit Interface is more powerful then the 6800 Ultra with 256Bit Interface.