All $25 128bit video cards with DDR2 memory beats any 64bit video card in gaming?

[JEDI]

I've been out of the video card market for years. (I have an old Radeon 2600Pro).

A couple of days ago i saw a $20 128bit video card on sale after rebate at Newegg (free ship). dont remember any specs except it was 128bits and DDR2.

THen i saw the slew of 64bit video cards with all types of fancy memory like Gddr2.

Just wondering if video cards w/128bit DDR2 is always better than any 64bit?

 

[Hyperlite]

DDR2/GDDR2 are interchangeable. And no, 128bit is not always better than 64 bit. If memory speeds are equal (DDR2 vs DDR2) than generally, yes, the higher bandwidth bus will win out. In the low end bracket, DDR2 vs DD3 can make a huge difference in performance. For example, in 3dmark06, all else being equal, a 1Gb DDR2 4670 scores about 5000. a 1GB DDR3 4670 lands between 7500 and 9000 pts. We see here: http://www.guru3d.com/article/vga-charts-december-2009/ that the HD5770 and the HD4850 score very similarly, but the 5770 uses a 128-bit bus, while the 4850 uses a 256-bit bus. Some of this is due to architectural advances, but largely it's due to being equipped with DDR5 vs DDR3.

That was way more than you wanted to know.

yes, AFAIK, 128bit DDR2 > 64bit DDR2, always.