Better 8800 GTS

[SmurfWithAStick]

Here are two Geforce 8800 GTS cards with radically different prices:
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16814130038
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16814130071

One is 320-bit and the other is 640-bit. The 320-bit has a higher core clock and memory clock. Is this going to make up for the lack of memory and is it even worth the price difference?

Thanks in advance.

[SmurfWithAStick]

I have looked around and people seem to vote for more memory when playing 3D games. Oh well, thought I could save a few bucks there.

[Sirkwa]

People do seem to vote for more memory however in some instances the overclocked 320 from EVGA actually beats the 640.

http://www23.tomshardware.com/graphics.html

[SmurfWithAStick]

Thanks for the link. Though I wonder if that is an out-lier instance.
If that's how it is for most games, I would love to get the 320-bit instead,

[KingBernard]

I think that the extra memory is really only necessary once you get above a certain resolution (something around 1600x1200). If you want to max AA at that kind of resolution, the extra memory would probably be very helpful.

[SmurfWithAStick]

Thanks. I don't know what type of screen I'll eventually end up with, so I guess I'll wait a little bit. Thanks for the feed-back.

[Nuclear Krusader]

Just to clarify, there's no such a thing as a 640-bit nVidia video card. All GTS's are 320-bit, and the GTX's are 384-bit. What you are referring to is the frame buffers, one is 320 MB and the other one's 640 MB.

[SmurfWithAStick]

Whoops.:o Thanks for the correction.

[nocturnx]

Yea it depends on what resolution your monitor will be running. If your gonna be running say 1680 x 1050 widescreen or higher I say get the 640MB card. If your just running a standard 5:4 17" or 19" you would probly get better performance out of the 320MB card.

[Nuclear Krusader]

True. If you're considering two monitors, though, go for the 640 MB one. I'd advise against overclocking it though, you can void the warranty. So, unless nVidia has changed its mind about this, don't do it.

[SmurfWithAStick]

Thanks. I just picked out a monitor and it looks like I'll be going with 1440x900. So, I'll get the 320MB card. Thanks again for all the responses.

[SmurfWithAStick]

I was looking at the charts on Tom's Hardware and the 640MB doesn't seem to do all that much better than the 320MB, even on high resolutions. In the "Overall games fps" chart, the OCed 320MB did much better. Any explanation for this?

[Dswissmiss]

Can you link to the chart featuring the overclocked 8800GTS 320mb? Can't seem to find it.
I'm definately getting the EVGA superclocked card because I currently have a 19" CRT playing games at 1280x1024. I figured I'd upgrade the card once I get a new monitor in 2 or so years, but it would give me some peace of mind to know that perhaps I can even get by with a 320 if I upgrade the monitor sooner.

With regards to your question, it would have something to do with the core clock. The superclocked EVGA 320 is at 576MHz, while the regular 640 is at 500MHz. That will close the gap considerably even though it has less memory.

[SmurfWithAStick]

Here you go:
http://www23.tomshardware.com/graphics_2007.html?modelx=33&model1=707&model2=778&chart=318
The OCed 320MB is right above the 640MB.

[tomster2300]

This one is even crazier: http://www23.tomshardware.com/graphics_2007.html?modelx=33&model1=707&model2=778&chart=298

I was going to say that all of the tests were run at the same resolution to ensure an apples to apples comparison, but after looking more closely I see they divide up tests by resolution as well.

The only thing I can think of is that today's current games aren't utilizing the full 640 mbs of the graphics cards. I'd expect much different results when games like Crysis and Bioshock come out that are designed for the new hardware.

Perhaps nvidia's drivers still aren't up to snuff (which could be the case).

[Dswissmiss]

Sorry, I may be missing something but both of those cards compared still have a 500MHz core clock while the superclocked one has 576Mhz.

[SmurfWithAStick]

The OCed one is only in the "Overall all games fps" chart, right above the 640MB card. It isn't in any of the other lists, so I can't select it and turn it blue.