Genocidicbunny
Bug squasher
Whenever you uninstall a driver, make sure you use a program like Driver Cleaner to get rid of any traces of the driver.
Upgrading my computer.
- Thread starter Chukchi Husky
- Start date
Whenever you uninstall a driver, make sure you use a program like Driver Cleaner to get rid of any traces of the driver.
Chukchi Husky
Lone Wolf
I now have the money to get the upgrades. What difference is there between a card that is 512 MB and one that is 1 GB?
512 MB.
Chukchi Husky
Lone Wolf
Most cards I seen are either 512 MB or 1 GB. One of the cheapest ones has 256 MB, and a couple have some other amounts.
Steve2000
Mighty Pirate
Obviously 1 GB is more and more is better (and more expensive), but that isn't the whole story.
The other thing to look at is the type of memory and the memory interface.
For memory type, GDDR3 memory runs cooler than GDDR2. Most cards use GDDR3 now, but always a good idea to check.
With memory interface, more is better. If you had a 1 GB card with 64 bit or 128 bit interface, and a 512 MB card with 256 bit interface, I would buy the 512MB card every time. That small memory interface will act like a bottleneck and prevent the 1 GB card from performing as well.
For the GTS 250, you won't need to worry about those considerations, because as far as I know all of them use GDDR3 and 256bit interface.
The other thing to look at is the type of memory and the memory interface.
For memory type, GDDR3 memory runs cooler than GDDR2. Most cards use GDDR3 now, but always a good idea to check.
With memory interface, more is better. If you had a 1 GB card with 64 bit or 128 bit interface, and a 512 MB card with 256 bit interface, I would buy the 512MB card every time. That small memory interface will act like a bottleneck and prevent the 1 GB card from performing as well.
For the GTS 250, you won't need to worry about those considerations, because as far as I know all of them use GDDR3 and 256bit interface.
Chukchi Husky
Lone Wolf
Both the 512 MB and 1 GB versions of the GTS 250 are the same price.
My computer already has 4 GB of main memory and I read that a computer cannot exceed 4 GB for everything, including graphics card.
My computer already has 4 GB of main memory and I read that a computer cannot exceed 4 GB for everything, including graphics card.
aimeeandbeatles
watermelon
- Joined
- Apr 5, 2007
- Messages
- 20,112
I think that's for 32-bit OS only.
Steve2000
Mighty Pirate
You are correct that the GPU RAM counts toward the 4 GB limit - and aimeeandbeatles is also correct that that only applies if you have a 32 bit OS.
As far as I understand it, basically with either card you will be limiting how much of your RAM you will be able to use at one time. However, programs that depend on higher amounts of video RAM would still get a benefit from the higher amount. To be honest though, you are dealing with a pretty nice GPU either way, so I doubt you would be able to notice the difference. If you can find the 512 MB one for a few bucks cheaper, get it. If you are trying to future-proof and plan on upgrading your PC again soon, or upgrading to a 64 bit OS soon, go with the 1 GB one, especially if the prices are about the same.
As far as I understand it, basically with either card you will be limiting how much of your RAM you will be able to use at one time. However, programs that depend on higher amounts of video RAM would still get a benefit from the higher amount. To be honest though, you are dealing with a pretty nice GPU either way, so I doubt you would be able to notice the difference. If you can find the 512 MB one for a few bucks cheaper, get it. If you are trying to future-proof and plan on upgrading your PC again soon, or upgrading to a 64 bit OS soon, go with the 1 GB one, especially if the prices are about the same.
Chukchi Husky
Lone Wolf
The prices for the two different GTS 250 are exactly the same, both are £100. The 9800 GT is £90 and the 9600 GT is £83. I don't really plan on upgrading the hard ware again for a long time, but I don't know if I should get one of the cheaper cards because they take up less power.
Maniacal
the green Napoleon
The GTS 250 is much better than the 9800GT and should last you long enough and longer than the 9800GT. For only £10 more it is worth it. Since they are the same price, go for the 1 gig, as it will be better than the 512 on the GTS250.
So get the GTS 250 with 1gig of ram.
So get the GTS 250 with 1gig of ram.
Chukchi Husky
Lone Wolf
Chukchi Husky
Lone Wolf
I'm going to have to wait another two weeks if I get a GTS 250. The price has gone up by £5 and if I get that I won't have any money left for the next two weeks. Maybe by December the prices might go down a bit.
The 9800 GT has gone down to £80, though. I suppose I could get that one and save £25.
The 9800 GT has gone down to £80, though. I suppose I could get that one and save £25.
Genocidicbunny
Bug squasher
Either one is more than adequate for your gaming. I know someone who's still using a 640mb 8800GTS which is comparable in power ( maybe a bit more powerful) and can run pretty much any game on high settings in a 1280x1024 window.
Okay, just clearing up a couple things in regards to comparable cards:
The 512MB GTS 250 is identical to the 9800 GTX+, the 1GB GTS 250 is slightly faster, but is also smaller and consumes less power.
The 512MB 8800GTS was faster than the 640MB 8800GTS in all circumstances (the 512MB 8800 GT was nearly as fast as the 640MB GTS), and the 9800 GT is slightly faster than the 512MB 8800 GTS, so should be decently faster than the 640MB 8800GTS.
Genocidicbunny
Bug squasher
Yeah the midrange naming scheme from nVidia bewilders me. I normally just look up benchmarks for a specific card that Im considering.
If the midrange card names confuse people, they might go out and buy highend cards instead!
Genocidicbunny
Bug squasher
I should have rephrased that. All of nVidia's naming conventions bewilder me.
Chukchi Husky
Lone Wolf
And I thought the number scheme for ATI cards was confusing. I guess that explains why the 8800 cards I found are more expensive than the GTS 250.
Genocidicbunny
Bug squasher
What? How is AMD's confusing? HDx8xx are top range, x7xx are high midrange, x6xx are midrange, and everything below is low-end. xx70 is faster in the series, xx50 is the slower. X2 means a dual-gpu card (well, not anymore.) With the 4xxx series they also had the 4970 which is essentially an overclocked 4870. They dropped the XT, XTX, Pro and etc on the 3xxx series which is by now several years old. In recent history, AMD's been pretty danged straightforward, and seems its going to continue to be that way, at least with the 5xxx series.
Chukchi Husky
Lone Wolf
I guess I'm just an idiot. If x8xx is top range, does that mean a 3800 is better than a 4700, and with the third digit, a 3870 better than a 4850?
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