Difference between 256Mb and 128Mb on Video Cards

[Bpowa]

I was just wondering what the difference was between a 256 and 128 on the Evga nvidia GeForce 6800 128mb
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-130-202&depa=1
and the same chip 256mb
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-130-203&depa=1
Is the boost in memory worth paying $132 extra?

Thanks

 

[Trifid]

one is a 6800 and the other is a 6800gt. There is not alot of point at the moment for getting 256, but it does give you a couple more fps.

 

[C.Ingram]

If you are a gamer and want the nicest possible textures, and don't want to have to buy a new card in a year, consider a 256MB card. There are more important numbers to look at, though.

But no, the extra memory isn't worth that much extra money. There may be other differences that make the card worth it, thoughj.

 

[ShoobieRat]

If you run any games in OpenGL, it makes a huge difference. It also makes a huge difference if you do any detailed rendering or heavy graphics work.

 

[beedubaya]

The 128MB 6800 is only 12 pipes while the 6800 GT is 16 pipes. You really need those extra 4 pipes when playing graphics intensive games such as Doom 3.

 

[Mr. Switch]

not only do those 4 extra pipelines matter, but you also want to figure out what has higher clock speeds and a larger memory bandwidth. if you started this thread in hopes of buying one of these cards, than the choice would be the 256MB 6800GT

 

[aj2003]

more memory is helpful but not the most important thing ie concider a 6600gt with 128 vs a radeon 9600 pro with 256? the 6600gt would thrash it at anything u throw at them. if uve got the money to spend get a 6800gt, or alittle bit less the x800xl or alitttle bit less again the 6600gt. in their respective price leagues theses are the best cards

 

[gaara]

Memory is one of the less important specifications on a video card, VRAM is basically just memory that's dedicated to the video card for storing textures and such without clogging up the system RAM.

On most video cards, 256MB is pretty well useless and I don't know why companies bother, however on a 6800GT which actually deals with the intense graphics processing where 256MB plays a factor, it will benefit from the memory.

To summarize, avoid 256MB unless you are buying a high range card (such as a 6800GT) which will actually utilize the memory size effectively.

 

[HAVOC]

Duh, 128MB... Simple questions deserve simple answers...

 

[Nubius]

As has been said the memory itself isn't a huge factor, but when it's between a 6800 and a 6800GT, thats a difference in itself. The 6800GT has a more 'capable' architecture if you will not to even mention the extra pipelines of course.

The memory isn't so much a factor between those cards but simply the core that are used themself. The 6800GT could be 128mb and it'd still beat that 6800 because of it's architecture, extra pipelines, and GDDR3 memory which I believe the 6800 doesn't have.

So yes the $132 is very worth the price between those cards because it's not simply a matter of more memory