8800gts 320 vs 640 and future proofing

[spwango]

So, when the question of "should I get a 320MB or a 640MB 8800GTS" comes up, the resolution of the display device seems to be discussed more than anything. Clearly, the extra memory benefits those running at higher resolutions. For me, I'm on a 1280x1040 currently, so the decision is pretty cut and dry. However, for folks that don't upgrade very often, is the 640 a better deal due to future proofing? As Crysis and more directx 10 stuff rolling out, wouldn't the extra ram benefit you even at lower resolutions?

 

[JustaGeek]

Yes.

Some games will not let you use the Ultra Quality settings with less than 512 MB of VRAM, regardless of resolution. It's all in using the uncompressed textures.

Quake 4 and Doom 3 are the prime examples.

 

[Pain999]

Sure hope you don't play this game at 1280x1024
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articl...0gts-640_13.html#sect0

If your the type that sticks to one or two games and plays those same games for years then you can find some benchmarks for those games to see if the 320 is enough for you. If you like to play the latest games then it would be pretty stupid to get only 320 when there are already games out that get hit hard by having less than 512MB, and you can expect that list to only get longer.

I really think that the only reason they even released the 320 is because the 8600's are too crappy for high-midrange and they did not have a decient card for around $250.

 

[Laminator]

At 1280x960 with maximum settings, S.T.A.L.K.E.R., Quake 4, and Doom 3 use 500MB+ of video memory. I guess Serious Sam 2 does, too, although I haven't tested it myself. Quake 4 and Doom 3 are not demanding games and as such a 256MB card will only suffer a, say, 10%-20% performance drop at Ultra Quality compared to a 512MB+ card. On the other hand, as you can see with Serious Sam 2, when other games run out of video memory the results can be disastrous.

Take a look at this: http://www.amdzone.com/modules...eq=printpage&artid=182

In Call of Duty 2, the X800 XL 512MB beats the X850 XT PE 256MB when AA/AF is enabled. At 1280x960 with AA/AF, Call of Duty 2 uses over 300MB of video memory. Of course, an 8800GTS 320MB will have no trouble with Call of Duty 2, but this can be applied to newer games.

If you are concerned about future-proofing, get a 640MB card. You can get one for $306 off of Dell's web site, anyway (after rebates and PayPal discount).