Originally posted by: Chiropteran
Originally posted by: taltamir
why would you buy that much video processing power with only 512MB of ram?
Because 512MB is plenty.
Seriously, I don't get all this obsession with video card RAM.
example
For today's games, even Crysis, more than 512MB is a waste.
Wrong. But also right.
You're making a huge incorrect assumption that everyone runs on little 1680x1050 displays, or even lower perhaps.
I would say that for those running 1920x1200 or lower without too much eye candy (AA), you're good with 512 MB usually.
But come play with us @ 2560x1600, or even at 1920x1200 but with high AA levels, & you'll understand very fast why 512 MB is not adequate.
To put things into a little perspective, let's assume the average 1680x1050 vs. my 2560x1600.
1764000 pixels
4096000 pixels.
By my math, that's 2.322x the pixels.
A HUGE vRAM sucking difference.
Now obviously, there are many many games than will still run extremely well on 512 MB, i agree.
I would go ahead & say basically anyone who runs 1600x1200/1680x1050 should absolutely not worry about things & get themself a 512 MB 4870/4870.
But if you want to run high levels of AA on certain newer games, or run up @ my resolution, buying a 512 MB card is not plenty, or even adequate at all in some cases.