128MB vs. 256MB

[Alto101]

I am rethinking my purchase of a 6600GT and am looking at a plain 6800 that has been tested at 900 MHz memory speed and with the 4 extra pipes enabled. This makes the card very similar to a spec 6800GT. However, the 6800GT has 256MB of RAM and the plain 6800 only has 128MB. I know that several years ago, 256MB was overkill but what about today? What kind of benefit would 256MB vs. 128MB give me?

Thanks!

P.S. Is anyone familar with Newegg's return policy for unopened products?

 

[knyghtbyte]

Originally posted by: Alto101
I am rethinking my purchase of a 6600GT and am looking at a plain 6800 that has been tested at 900 MHz memory speed and with the 4 extra pipes enabled. This makes the card very similar to a spec 6800GT. However, the 6800GT has 256MB of RAM and the plain 6800 only has 128MB. I know that several years ago, 256MB was overkill but what about today? What kind of benefit would 256MB vs. 128MB give me?

Thanks!

P.S. Is anyone familar with Newegg's return policy for unopened products?

um, nowadays deffo go for 256mb if u plan on playing new games, also the 128mb is just standard DDR, the 256mb should be (best to check tho) GDDR3 ram.....

difference being, the DDR will hit 900 tops (approx) the GDDR will hit 1100 with no extra cooling, 1200 with good cooling on each chip, 1300 with really good cooling...

however the cooler on the card wont be up to the job as it wont cover the ram if i remember right, u would need to buy a separate cooler and risk fragging your card if you dont fit it right...heh

being honest, hold out a tidge longer and get a 6800GT cheap, come mid August you should be able to get one close to the price of the standard 6800 now....dont know that for certain, but if the ATi card comes out in August then prices will drop due to competition
if u get a 6800GT u can then o/c to pretty much Ultra speeds without changing the cooler, altho it will wear it out a little quicker, but mine has been going for almost a year now, no sign of wear n tear and its running close to 100 on the temp when its at full load (usually at full load for around 6 hours a day)

 

[Alto101]

I should mention that I have an AMD 2700+ processor. With this processor, will I be limited by my CPU so that I won't see much of a benefit to video cards above a 6600GT or will a 6800 still be better?

When I replace my processor I will be getting a card with PCIe so any current card that I get, AGP, will have to be replaced.

 

[Munky]

A 6800gt will be somewhat limited by your cpu, however you should still see big improvement over a 6600gt when you crank up the resolution and eye candy. However, if you plan on getting a new system within the next 6 months or so, then it makes no sence in getting a high end gfx card since you'll switch to pcie. The 6800 vanilla is somewhat better than a 6600gt, and I'd recommend it if you can get it for around $170. If you overclock it, you'll see an even bigger difference.

If you dont find a good deal on a 6800, then just keep the 6600gt, it will play any modern games no problem as long as you dont max out on the resolution and eye candy.

 

[myrcgarage]

I don't think you can find a 6800 for lower than $200. MSI has one and it had a rebate for $204. I think the rebate is over(missed it)!

 

[Jaxidian]

Originally posted by: Alto101
I should mention that I have an AMD 2700+ processor. With this processor, will I be limited by my CPU so that I won't see much of a benefit to video cards above a 6600GT or will a 6800 still be better?

When I replace my processor I will be getting a card with PCIe so any current card that I get, AGP, will have to be replaced.

Basically you will only be CPU-limited at lower resolutions on games were you'd be pulling 150fps (i.e. it doesn't matter). Most recent games are much more system RAM and GPU dependent than they are CPU dependent and I don't think your 2700+ will cause much of a bottle neck for you at all. If you were to get a 7800GTX or are going SLI, then your CPU may begin to be a bottleneck.

 

[BillyBobJoel71]

evga has a new 6800 on the egg for 189.

 

[knyghtbyte]

er, HL2/CS:S is CPU limited, check my system details below, its the CPU that holds me back more than the graphics card....play Chateau with a few nades going off in the basement and fps drops radically due to the physics constraints...lol

with that CPU i wouldnt bother getting more than a 6800nu but try and unlock pipes and o/c it....however the extra memory on the 256mb will help you out if you prefer higher ressies...

 

[blckgrffn]

just get something cheap that will be a step up. A 6800GT would overkill for your box, but a combination of what you have +6800 vanilla will provide some very pleasing results...

Nat

 

[Avalon]

It seems as if he's looking at a used 6800 vanilla that someone is selling, either on eBay, these boards, or somewhere else. If that's the case, he can probably get a really good deal on it. An unlocked 6800NU with memory overclocked to 900mhz and a decent core overclock will be just about as power as a 6800GT. The extra memory shouldn't make a huge difference. Also, when you're comparing memory speeds, you need to take into account the fact that timings and such on DDR are different than that of DDR3. If DDR vs. DDR2 is any indication, then 900mhz DDR may even be a little faster than 1000mhz DDR3.

 

[Alto101]

Originally posted by: Avalon
It seems as if he's looking at a used 6800 vanilla that someone is selling, either on eBay, these boards, or somewhere else. If that's the case, he can probably get a really good deal on it. An unlocked 6800NU with memory overclocked to 900mhz and a decent core overclock will be just about as power as a 6800GT. The extra memory shouldn't make a huge difference. Also, when you're comparing memory speeds, you need to take into account the fact that timings and such on DDR are different than that of DDR3. If DDR vs. DDR2 is any indication, then 900mhz DDR may even be a little faster than 1000mhz DDR3.

I completed the purchase a used 6800NU off of eBay that the seller said he was able to unlock the extra pipes and overclock the memory to 900mhz. The price was slightly cheaper than a new 6800NU but I am guaranteed that I can unlock the extra pipes and OC the memory with this card. He didn't try to OC the core, so we will see how that goes.

Thanks to everybody for all of the input. While I wish I could justify spending $500 for a new 7800GTX, I would have to swap out my motherboard and CPU and I am not ready to do that just yet - maybe in another year or so. I am thinking that when the next version of Windows comes out - I will be justified in building a new computer.

I have been away from the hardware side of things for awhile and am shocked at how much NVIDIA and ATI are charging for their top of the line parts these days. Is there a known reason, or are they simply following supply and demand? Do these new cards cost more to produce than the top of the line cards from 2 or 3 years ago?