128mb or 256mb card?

[chriso20]

Ok im gonna be upgrading before HL2.

(my current pc is;

1.4ghz amd athlon
512mb ram
64mb kyro 2 prophet)

i want to upgrade to a ;

3ghz pentium 4
1gb ram
*GRAPHICS CARD*


I've heard from reviews and forum that ATI cards are best for HL2 (correct if wrong) and im wondering ;

Should i get a 128mb card (and later be dissapointed and wish i went higher) or get a 256mb card (and later think it was over-kill and waste of money) ?

PLLLLLLLLLLLLEASE help

 

[[Matt]]

a nice cheap radeon 9800 pro 128mb will be more than enough for hl2. Just make sure you buy the variety with a 256bit memory bus as a few card producers have started to make pro cards based on 9800 se architechture.

edit - this should be in the techy forums...

 

[Deadline]

I would go with 256 I read articles that say that the next gen games will use the ram on your video card extensivly.

 

[[Matt]]

I would go with 256 I read articles that say that the next gen games will use the ram on your video card extensivly.

woohooo 5 FPS more for $100 more :E

 

[Dalamari]

Uhhh, its alot more than 5fps, check benchmarks.

 

[Bad^Hat]

I'm getting a 9600 pro 128, how will I know if it's the old architecture or... whatever?

Moved to Tech forums.

 

[ACLeroK212]

Go with the 128mb. The 256mb are just not worth the price for the minimal extra performance in games right now. By the time you start getting games where you wish you would have bought the 256mb it'll be about time to get a new gfx card anyways and with the nature of the industry I'm sure by then there will be better deals and better cards for you to choose from. But for right now, you'll definitely get your money's worth with a 128mb card.

 

[NYHoustonman]

More memory does NOT make one video card better than another. Make sure you realize this. The minimum video card I would pair with that setup is a Radeon 9800 Pro 128MB (256bit). These can be had for as little as $200 online (and Best Buy is having a sale, you can get one for $179.99 with mail-in-rebate). Don't get a 9800 Pro 256MB or 9800 XT; for around the same price, you can get a GeForce 6800, which is faster. If you can swing it, I would recommend the GeForce 6800 GT (256MB). I've seen them online for as low as ~$350. If not, I'd probably go with the 9800 Pro 128.

 

[ACLeroK212]

Yes, and you shouldn't be concerned with whether the 128mb or 256mb version is more worth your money as much as you should try and decide whether going with the 9800pro or saving a little extra cash and getting a 6800 or x800 is more worth your money.

I can see more disappointment coming from you wishing you would have saved and spent your money on the new generation of cards rather than wishing you would have spent the extra cash on a 256mb over a 128mb version.

Also since you seem to be buying a card specifically for HL2, I would highly recommend looking into the x800 series.