GPU.. MSI Twin Frozr GTX580 1.5GB vs EVGA Geforce GTX 580 3GB

[cosmicLB]

Looking into graphics cards, am confused at if i should go for a 1.5GB card or a 3GB card.

here are the two models im looking at -

MSI GeForce N580GTX Twin Frozr II/OC 1536MB ($768NZD)
or
EVGA 03G-P3-1584-KR GeForce GTX 580 (Fermi) 3072MB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card ($798NZD)

I am looking for the bets all round package, ie cooling, noise and power. I am intending to put one of these with the following build

CPU - i7 2600k intel quad 3.4ghz (overclocked to 3.6ghz)
RAM - 16GB DDR3 Corsair vengeance
MOBO - Asus P8Z68-V/GEN3
SSD - intel 320 series 120GB
HDD - 2TB seagate barracuda
PSU - Enermax 920w

Would this be able to give ULTRA settings on a 24" 1920x1080 monitor?
-ULTRA meaning running at LEAST 45-50 FPS-
Is it worth going for 3GB graphics or sticking with the twin frozr and have 1.5GB?

Thanks in advance.

 

[RoY_26]

If you manage bigger resolutions the more ram you have the better since all the textures will be loaded in to the Vram. If you have more than 1 monitor you will notice more the difference.

 

[zander1983]

Stick with the 1.5GB if you are not planning on running more than 1 monitor.

Look at the AMD 7970 (which is already 3GB) or wait for the new nvidia cards to come out very soon that will drive current prices down.

What CPU cooler are you looking at? Stock cooler is ok, but not if you plan to overclock or if the room temp is high. My 2600K is running at 4.6GHz with Noctua D14 and temps are very reasonable.

 

[cosmicLB]

im going to be using the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo as my CPU cooler. At first i will have 1 monitor but eventually i will get a second.

 

[ihatehismap]

it depends on what you want to do with the card. if you want more than one monitor or will be overclocking you should go with evga. If you wont be doing ether then save some money and go with MSI + the MSI will have better cooling and run quieter. Another option you might want to consider is to wait for nvidia's Kepler gpu's to come out.

 

[FlintIronStagg]

The 580 is piss poor value atm. I would wait till the end of the.month to see what kind of price point kepler will have in comparison to fps per dollar. Id be willing to bet 580 performance for much less