Video card?

[saw4846]

Okay I am in no way a computer genius and I have researched the forums here trying to find the answer to this question before asking.

My monitor is a 19" lcd, I have no room for anything bigger than a 19 or 20" lcd at most. Am I correct in thinking that for this size monitor the 320mb 8800 GTS will work every bit as well in gaming as the 640mb 8800 GTS? I will be using 2 video cards in SLI and would like to use most of the bells and whistles while playing.

If I am off base and in need of a clue, I would be grateful if you more knowledgable folks here would explain were I am wrong.

Thank you for any and all help.

 

[billystringer]

The main thing to be aware of is your lcd's native resolution, which for most 19" models is 1280x1024. And as mpilchfamily said, there's no way that an 8800gts will be stressed on it. You will more likely be seeing a cpu limitation, as it's been shown that even an x6800 can cap these beasts.

-The String

 

[saw4846]

So the 320MB version will perform just as well at 1280x1024?

What I hope to do is move some of the money around to other areas that will get me more bang. Though I am not sure where that will be either :lol: .

Again I apologize if I am being incredibly dense. This is my first time actually building a PC, so want to limit my mistakes as much as possible.

Thank you both for your help.

 

[Primitivus]

There would be no noticeable improvement with the 640MB version over the 320MB @ 1280x1024. If you are planning on getting a 20" screen though, it's another matter.
A wide screen 20" has a resolution of 1680x1050 which would stress the GPU more but not overly so. The 640MB version would be better if playing with ultra settings & huge textures, and of course SLI or a single GTX would also be improvements over a single GTS with 320MB but would still be overkill.
A 4:3 20" screen, with a resolution of 1600x1200 I think would be even more taxing on the graphics card than a wide screen monitor. Even so, SLI'ing 2 of these cards, or even a GTX is more than you'd need at the moment with current games.
To sum up, with a 19" LCD monitor a single GTS with 320MB is more than enough. A single GTS with 640MB is unnecessarily more expensive. SLI or a single GTX is overkill unless you plan on upgrading your monitor to sth bigger or you want to be more future-proof with upcoming games.

 

[meljor]

i thought that if you plan to use ultra high quality settings and 4x or higher AA you would be better off with an gts 640mb?

correct me if i`m wrong but AA and AF are memory hungry at high settings. (and you want to use that ofcourse when you buy such a card)

 

[Primitivus]

That's what I said. Read it again:

The 640MB version would be better if playing with ultra settings & huge textures

 

[saw4846]

Thank you for all of the replies.

Going to go with the pair of 320 GTS 8800's in SLI. That should keep me set for a few years and allow me to get a faster processor as well.

 

[meljor]

That's what I said. Read it again:
The 640MB version would be better if playing with ultra settings & huge textures

isn`t that the point when you buy such a card? you WANT ultra settings.
for lesser settings there are lesser cards for lesser money.

and personally i think that 320mb will not be enough for future games and dx10.

 

[Primitivus]

I don't understand why you insist. YES! THAT'S WHAT I'M SAYING. IF you want to play with Ultra Settings the 640MB version is better. IF NOT then the 320MB version is more than adequate.
Is my comment so difficult to comprehend?

 

[saw4846]

...and personally i think that 320mb will not be enough for future games and dx10.

Well the same can be said for any DX10 compatible card that comes out in the next year or 2. Games will continue to push the limits and current video cards will continue to be inadiquate for future needs. It's a never ending cycle.



I think I am nuts to even get 2 cards, but hope that by doing so I will be fine for gaming for the next 3 years.

Certainly better than the 128MB card I have now at least, and it made it 4 years :lol: .

 

[uwisuwerme7]

As far as the older video cards go having the higher model would be better than just SLI'ing two lower models.
SLI is mostly used for high resolutions, which your small monitor will not give you so putting an extra card in the computer for your monitor will give you zero benefit.

 

[rook]

I'd recomend just getting one card and in the future if needed then pick up another one for at a lower price. Or by then newer and better cards maybe cheap enough to just replace the 8800.

 

[Heyyou27]

A 320MB 8800GTS should be perfect for 1280x1024.

 

[uwisuwerme7]

At the higher resolutions.
Look at the VGA charts.
he's playing at a pretty low resolution compared to today's standards.

 

[saw4846]

Again I thank all of you folks that have contributed. I am much wiser in the way of the video card than once I was.

Results are: save money and buy one card. Can always drop in a second card later at a reduced price (providing I even need one and prices drop).

 

[Primitivus]

Wise decision. A single GTS will be really satisfying and chances are you won't need a second card with your current config