256MB Radeon a big waste of money?

[Apos]

So says Tom's Hardware:
http://www.tomshardware.com/graphic/20030604/radeon_9800-06.html

Basically, the extra memory offers nothing at all in the way of advantages except perhaps the ability to play in resolutions that almost no monitor even supports with AA features turned on. Not even D3 shows any advantage for having the extra memory around. And by the time that games come out that would need the extra memory (can't see any evidence that even HL2 would have need of it), ATI will no doubt have already released a whole new chipset with higher clock speeds and more throughput AND that much memory: making the 256 memory a waste even as a long-term investment. I'd much rather either save the 100$ and get a Radeon 9800 with 128megs or wait to buy something like a Radeon 10000 256 than spend 100$ on an extra 128megs of memory that basically does nothing for me.

Anyone know if they are ever going to release a non-Pro version of the Radeon 9800? I need gaming power, not video recording.

 

[Mr. Redundant]

yeah they are/have released a non pro 9800
Im pretty sure I have seen it around.
I HIGHLY recommend the 9800's (I got the pro)

 

[Apos]

What's the lower version called? I haven't seen it for sale anywhere.

 

[Mr. Redundant]

just the radeon 9800 128mb, I think...
check www.ati.com
wheneve I update my drivers I see the 9800 listed as well as the pro, so thats why I assumed it existed.

 

[Ridic]

ati prices will drop soon anyways.

 

[Apos]

Sure, but I'm still not spending extra money for features I don't need.

Does anyone know if there has been ANY confirmed info on what ATI's next new chipset will be, and when it will be coming out?

 

[EVIL]

there will be a new chipset before the previously codenamed r400 (is now called r500). this chipset will go onder the codename r420 (I think). anyway.. the r420 will be released in the fall I think and the r500 will be released summer next year

anyway.. to get back on the actual topic..

I myself are going to buy a radeon 9800 pro 256mb version from sapphire. I heard halflife2 will utilize the 256 megs (not entierly sure) so it will archive a better performance then the 128 mb versions

 

[SidewinderX]

"i myself are..."

i love that EVIL grammer....


anyway, if you have money to do htta, lend me some change.....

 

[Vertigo]

Originally posted by SidewinderX143
if you have money to do htta, lend me some change.....

Nice spelling, Sidewinder
Anyway, I think the 256MB Radeon is a waste of money. No mean to reiterate something I've said a thousand times on these boards, but ths FX 5900 is a good card. Not only that, but, at least from the retailer that I'm buying it from, it's also $8 cheaper. In any case, very few games have need for that much memory. Anyway, your choice.

-Vert

 

[KiNG]

5900 ultra cheaper than the radeon 256? i wanna look, where are u gettin it from? anywho i read from tomshardware that its basiclly a waste of money...it might be obso by the time the 256 mem is actully fully utilized in games.

 

[Vertigo]

Yeah...it makes absolutely no sense to me whatsoever. Alienware (yeah, I'm mentioning them again, but that's where I see the price) lists it as $8 less. I don't understand it myself...perhaps the PREORDER state isn't the full price but instead a certain amount of money down (but wouldn't they state that? Rather, wouldn't they have to state that?)

-Vert

 

[Apos]

i think the 5900 is to pricey as well. The 128 Radeon 9800 is more than fast enough to play at everything for the distant future, is cheaper, and it's only really appreciably outmatched at resolutions I would never run (or be able to run, not having a monitor like that) anyway.

 

[TrueWeltall]

If you do lots of heavy video editing go for it.

 

[Vertigo]

See, the thing that worries me is that, according to PCGamer:

Any current hardware won't be able to run Doom 3 at the max detail, anyway.

But...but...I want to run it at max! I've never had a top-of-the-line comp! Wahhhh...don't want to wait until September....wahhh.....

-Vert

 

[Apos]

I dunno what PCGamer really means. Do they mean highest detail period, or highest detail at 1600x1200 with full AA?

I'm not sure onboard card memory really helps for video editing. System memory seems more important for that.

 

[Hammer]

For a $100 premium, which is the list price difference between the 128- and 256MB versions of the 9800 Pro, I wouldn't buy it. However, 256MB of memory is not useless. It's just not used now. Wait until a few newer games come out in, say, three months or so... I bet they will benefit from having more memory. If I could find a good deal on a 256MB card - say, maybe a 9800 non-pro with 256MB - I think that would be worth buying.

 

[Shockwave]

256 will not be fully used for at least another 1yr..most likley 2yrs.

Texture resolution and running at high res's is the only reason to even consider a 256 meg card. The only game at the moment that uses even goes over 128 is UT2k3...and thats only when you modify it to use Super high quality textures.

Not many games at the moment even use 90 of the 128RAM on these cards.

 

[Apos]

People have been benchmarking the card using Doom3 and programs like 3dmark that DO test superintensive textures. The card still shows little to no improvement. By the times games come out that make any use at all of that amount memory, ATI will have long since put out a superior chipset anyway.

 

[Wild_Ragnar]

my friend bought a geforce4 ti4200 with 64mb and sofar he has been abel to run ut2k3 at full detail with AA and AF aktivated at 1600x1024.:cheese: so i dont think that will be nessesary...

 

[skogum!]

Thats me! :bounce:

 

[A.A]

Tomshardware..:flame:

And yes, a big waste of money.

God day to you, I'm the new guy in town :afro:

 

[A.A]

Originally posted by Wild_Ragnar
my friend bought a geforce4 ti4200 with 64mb and sofar he has been abel to run ut2k3 at full detail with AA and AF aktivated at 1600x1024.:cheese: so i dont think that will be nessesary...

That can't be true?

 

[Zerox]

Originally posted by A.A
That can't be true?

Impossible unless he use a very powerful processor!

 

[A.A]

Originally posted by Zerox
Impossible unless he use a very powerful processor!

Or uses watercooling and has seriusly overklocked his ti4200. But I doubt that.

 

[EVIL]

Promethia cooled and heavely overcloaked CPU and GPU