8800GTS 320MB OC vs. 8800GTS 640MB

[sandiegoislandboy]

i just finished reading an article and it is making me more confused.

before i asked the techies of the forum which card i should get for a new system, alot of people said to get the 8800gts 640mb versus the 8800gts 320mb.

i just read an article on tomshardware (nvidia vs ati, directx 10.0) and looking at the benchmarks it seems that the 320MB OC is on par or better than the 640MB.

how is that possible? is it better to have more RAM on the card or higher clock frequencies?

 

[CU]

Depends on if the game needs that ram based on what resolution and settings you are running.

 

[aka1nas]

The lack of RAM on the 320MB model will only make itself felt at higher resolutions and with details like AA cranked up. As long as you are not in a situation where you need more graphics RAM, the 320MB and 640MB models perform identically at the same clockspeeds. The problem is that games are using progressively more video RAM and some current games will already exceed the 320MB mark at middling to high resolutions.

 

[chizow]

Originally posted by: sandiegoislandboy
i just finished reading an article and it is making me more confused.

before i asked the techies of the forum which card i should get for a new system, alot of people said to get the 8800gts 640mb versus the 8800gts 320mb.

i just read an article on tomshardware (nvidia vs ati, directx 10.0) and looking at the benchmarks it seems that the 320MB OC is on par or better than the 640MB.

how is that possible? is it better to have more RAM on the card or higher clock frequencies?

Here ya go for explanation

This is a common misconception due largely to the "stock" speeds of 320/640 GTS and a poor job of clarifying differences by review sites. Most 320MB variants are sold in only an "OC" flavor, whereas the 640MB debuted at 500/513 with later more expensive OC'd variants released about the time of the 320MB version. Problem is most review sites don't get the faster 640MB versions and don't bother to adjust clock speeds for their review.

But as others said, the 320MB and 640MB GTS should perform within a few % of each other at resolutions where memory isn't a factor if run at the same clock speeds. At higher resolutions, the 640MB GTS should always be faster. If you bought an OC'd 320MB vs. a stock 640MB GTS, you would need to OC it in order for it to be as fast as the 320MB GTS at lower resolutions.

 

[math20]

Crysis beta @ 1280x720 with no AA uses 450mb of VRAM at high settings, fyi

 

[kknd1967]

what is the utility tool to get this number?

Originally posted by: math20
Crysis beta @ 1280x720 with no AA uses 450mb of VRAM at high settings, fyi

 

[chizow]

Originally posted by: kknd1967
what is the utility tool to get this number?

Originally posted by: math20
Crysis beta @ 1280x720 with no AA uses 450mb of VRAM at high settings, fyi

RivaTuner's Hardware Monitor can show Vram use along with other vitals and clock speeds.