RADEON 9600 XT 128 MB VersuS RADEON 9600 XT 256 MB

[joule]

I was browsing the web looking for a video card that will be able to take full advantage of Half-Life 2, but also one that doesn't burn a hole in my pocket. I came across this site, a very good site for all your PC part needs. I then browsed within the site and the RADEON 9600 XT 128 MB caught my eye. It is $141 and has DirectX 9 OpenGL 2.0 capabilites, almost perfect for HL-2. And then, right above that, there was a RADEON 9600 XT 256 MB video card, for just $158.75! I thought, why not go with the 256 MB instead of the 128 MB, it's only $17.75 more.
So, what is the biggest difference between the two video cards besides the capacity of RAM? Should I go with the 256 MB over the 128 MB?

 

[Foxtrot]

Spend $200 and get the 9800 pro 128.

 

[joule]

Spend $200 and get the 9800 pro 128.

Did you even read my post?

 

[Asus]

I think he did but he jumped thoughts and went right for this part.

I was browsing the web looking for a video card that will be able to take full advantage of Half-Life 2, but also one that doesn't burn a hole in my pocket.

I agree, a 9800Pro for $164 plus 5.75 shipping or $172 (Free Shipping) would be the best buy.

Now to answer your question of 128mb vs 256mb.
Currently, 256mb will give you almost no performance increase in most cases.
For 17$ more (for the 256mb card) you would gain no FPS when current games at standard resolutions (1024x768, 1280x1024) but possibly gain ~1-5 FPS in higher resolution AA/AF

 

[Foxtrot]

I read the whole post I just didn't think $50 was that much more, with such an increase in performance. Also be careful when buying from pricewatch, you aren't always gettings what you think you might be and be careful where you buy from, some companies are terrible.

 

[RTFMish]

Gabe Newell has said that Half-Life 2 will take advantage of 256mb cards..

Radeon 9800 Pro for 164.00$? No way!!
Is that 128bit or 256bit.. because saphire released a 128bit and it blows.. but costs alot less then the 256bit..

 

[Foxtrot]

It is probably an SE card, which means it is special...like the kids on the short bus.

 

[Asus]

Radeon 9800 Pro for 164.00$? No way!!
Is that 128bit or 256bit.. because saphire released a 128bit and it blows.. but costs alot less then the 256bit..

It would most likely be 128bit as the Newegg version @ $172 is 128bit as well.
It isn't an SE. It is a 'Pro'.

The 256bit version on newegg is 206$.
But a 128bit version would still beat a 9600XT. I should double check to see if I can grab any reviews/benchmarks done on the 128bit version.

 

[B_MAN]

spend a little more and get the 9800 pro
worth every penny

 

[joule]

spend a little more and get the 9800 pro
worth every penny

Is that better than the RADEON 9600 XT 256 MB? It's cheaper and has twice the RAM.

 

[Asus]

RAM helps prevent the card from running out of memory for textures etc.
8 Pipelines, a 256bit memory bus and faster memory speeds help FPS.

Link

 

[RTFMish]

RAM helps prevent the card from running out of memory for textures etc.
8 Pipelines, a 256bit memory bus and faster memory speeds help FPS.

Link

Link has spyware..