How much Ram do cards really use

[JohnBee]

I know you would probably want a higher clocked core, but for the typical current action games of today, how much of the ram is being used in the video card ?

So video card ram doesnt really boost speed but just holds the textures.

I checked my on-board graphics and xp used 11mb, so how much would be used for say Doom3 at various quality settings ?

I ask because on lower end cards the jump from 128mb to 256 is often like $3 or something, is this just wasted as in the extra memory wouldnt be utilized in these cheaper cards ?

Thanks

 

[imported_Kensai]

Low end cards will barely use 128MB, let alone 256MB..

On high end cards, 128MB would choke the card..

 

[JohnBee]

Originally posted by: Kensai
Low end cards will barely use 128MB, let alone 256MB..

On high end cards, 128MB would choke the card..

So on a higher-end card often all 256mb (or at least more than 128mb) of the ram would be used during gaming ?

Is this what you mean by chocked if the card only has 128 ?

Do game manufacturers publish the amount of RAM usually occupied for their games at various setting ?

 

[imported_Kensai]

7800GTX + 128MB = Not so useful.

VRAM is used for video data. (Hopefully), thus higher resolutions with more features use more memory.

 

[kmmatney]

Originally posted by: Kensai
Low end cards will barely use 128MB, let alone 256MB..

On high end cards, 128MB would choke the card..

I generally understand this, but it doesn't make 100% sense. If the video RAM just holds textures, then it shouldn't matter how fast the card is, they should all benefit from more RAM. I guess the assumption is that a low end card would have to run at low resolutions, so a lot of RAM is wasted, as the amount of textures to store is low.

I bet a 7800GTX would run perfectly fine with 128 MB at 1280 x 1024 resolution, which is what a lot of LCDs run at.

 

[imported_Kensai]

Originally posted by: kmmatney

Originally posted by: Kensai
Low end cards will barely use 128MB, let alone 256MB..

On high end cards, 128MB would choke the card..

I generally understand this, but it doesn't make 100% sense. If the video RAM just holds textures, then it shouldn't matter how fast the card is, they should all benefit from more RAM. I guess the assumption is that a low end card would have to run at low resolutions, so a lot of RAM is wasted, as the amount of textures to store is low.

I bet a 7800GTX would run perfectly fine with 128 MB at 1280 x 1024 resolution, which is what a lot of LCDs run at.

Nobody buys a 7800GTX for 1280X1024..

Maybe 16X10 with 4-8X AA and 8+X AF...

 

[kylebisme]

Originally posted by: kmmatney

Originally posted by: Kensai
Low end cards will barely use 128MB, let alone 256MB..

On high end cards, 128MB would choke the card..

I generally understand this, but it doesn't make 100% sense. If the video RAM just holds textures, then it shouldn't matter how fast the card is, they should all benefit from more RAM. I guess the assumption is that a low end card would have to run at low resolutions, so a lot of RAM is wasted, as the amount of textures to store is low.

I bet a 7800GTX would run perfectly fine with 128 MB at 1280 x 1024 resolution, which is what a lot of LCDs run at.

It is a misconception derived from the fact that when shopping for a budget card you are generally better off with a faster card than one with more memory. However, take one of those silly 512mb 6200s and play the FEAR demo with maximum quality textures and shadows and you won't get any vram swapping, were even the 7800gtx with 256mb will get stuttering because there simply isn't enough video ram on the card to hold all the data.

Granted, with 6200 and maximum quality textures and shadows, you'd probably have to turn everything else all the way down and still cross your fingers for playable framerates. So the 6200 will make use of the ram, but you'd likely get a better experience with a faster card with less ram like a 128mb 6600. Hence the reason large amounts of ram on a slow card generally is considered a waste, but that should not be mistaken to mean the cards are incapable of making use of their ram.

As for the question of Doom3 memory vram requirements; 64mb for low, 128mb for medium, 256mb for high and 512mb for ultra. Granted a lot of people will tell you it plays fine on high with a 128mb card or ultra with 256mb, and it does but that is because they don't mind the occasional stutter from texture swapping.