Are we ever going to know if the 128mb - 256mb was worth it?

[high]

Seen some discussion about 128mb vs 256mb and I know none of the "last gen" ( i hate thinking my 9800 is outdated 🙁 ) utilized 256mb...I am wondering if there is any way to know if the new ones even need it??? I guess it doesn't matter at all, just wondering.

 

[ForceCalibur]

Yes, they do. Isn't it obvious?

The only case where 256 megabyes of RAM becomes useful is when running on high AA/AF on high Resolution and high game settings. NONE of the previous generation of cards was able to do this at acceptable framerates, regardless of the amount of RAM anyway, due to pipeline and processing power limitations.

The next gen WILL be able to do this, and obviously benefits from the 256 RAM (and frankly would have a serious drop in performance if it only had 128, especially at those 1600x1200 full AA/AF settings).

Oh, that certainly doesn't mean your card is outdated. Fact is, most people are comfortable with 1024x768, with no AA/AF and high settings, most games still look great. The marginal value of Anti Aliasing and higer resolution is horrendously low, and really only applicable for graphic nuts, rich people, and the equivelent of audiophiles (video philes?). You'll be fine for the next 2 to 3 years, no problem.

 

[high]

sweet...excellent answer 🙂

 

[BFG10K]

It was already relevant in the past generation (COD, UT2003/2004, EF2, JA etc) and it'll become even more relevant this generation.

 

[stardust]

This shift from 128mb to 256mb is evolutionary. Video card companies hyped 256mb cards so much with current mainstream video cards (FX5600 256mb for example) that they can't hype it anymore with their nextgen cards soon to arrive. Game developers will naturally utilize the increase of memory to the benefit of their games.

This happened with the 32 to 64mb transition.

 

[VIAN]

256MB will be utilized when 4xAA is in use with a resolution of 1280x1024 or higher depending on the game. COD has large textures and when you pair the above settings with those EXTRA textures, you will see a slight performance drop compared to 256MB cards. But games that use 256MB are RARE, but it should be coming on the horizon.

 

[Dman877]

Originally posted by: ForceCalibur
Yes, they do. Isn't it obvious?

The only case where 256 megabyes of RAM becomes useful is when running on high AA/AF on high Resolution and high game settings. NONE of the previous generation of cards was able to do this at acceptable framerates, regardless of the amount of RAM anyway, due to pipeline and processing power limitations.

The next gen WILL be able to do this, and obviously benefits from the 256 RAM (and frankly would have a serious drop in performance if it only had 128, especially at those 1600x1200 full AA/AF settings).

Oh, that certainly doesn't mean your card is outdated. Fact is, most people are comfortable with 1024x768, with no AA/AF and high settings, most games still look great. The marginal value of Anti Aliasing and higer resolution is horrendously low, and really only applicable for graphic nuts, rich people, and the equivelent of audiophiles (video philes?). You'll be fine for the next 2 to 3 years, no problem.

I'll believe the new cards can run HL2/Doom3 at high res with high aa/af when I see it.

 

[Steg55]

I seem to remember Epic saying that, when they released UT2003, the highest graphics mode was disabled and not avaliable simply because the high detail textues/models/maps required well over the 128meg avaliable on cards at the time. If you add AA/AF to that it sounds like the job for a 256meg card to me.

Just my $0.02

Steg

 

[biostud]

I think that it will help quite alot with the large textures and the "3D effect textures" (Can't remember their name). And the AA/AF.

I have still to see a benchmark showing significantly difference between 128 and 256. BTW wasn't ATi going to release a 512Mb version around X-mas.