r8500 128 or 64

[teepo]

i'm thinking about ordering a radeon 8500 from newegg.com but i'm still decided whether i should go with the retail 128mb or retail 64mb. is it worth the 90 extra bux to go with the 128mb?

 

[The_Neon_Cowboy]

well yea it's a bit more performance ... but if youlike to set your games to high visual quality you'll see big differance ... you won't lose as much frame rate... but I would go for a 4400 GForce 4 128mb they going for about 260 + ... and they really kick a** Iam running a radeon now and switching To Gforce 4 soon ...

<font color=blue>The Hardware Junkie</font color=blue>

 

[chuck232]

Well I think the main reason for ever going for a high memory card is so that you can put a lot of AA filtering on. Makes the picture quality much better (I think?). Well at least it smooths the jaggies. Without that extra 64MB of RAM, you will most likely get a much larger performance hit when you put your games on high or max quality. So the $90 (sounds a little high???? I dunno) if you have it is well worth the cost and it will keep your card going a lot longer. You could oc later to get the most out of it.

Also on the note of overclocking, I've seen R8500LE with BGA RAM? They are much better for overclocking cause they generate less heat, correct? Especially since the LEs are clocked low anyways. I'm sure you could easily get it to run like a normal 8500. (Someone correct me if I'm wrong) And oh yeah get a retail version not OEM, I hear the OEM ones have some funky chip and memory speeds

 

[pr497]

if you're doing normal gaming and such...the 64mb version is fine...but if you want max resolution w/ AA on...then you might wanna get the 128 mb version...
in my opinion...i dont think the 128mb version is worth the extra $100 over the regular 64 mb version...

<b><font color=red>ATI</font color=red>'s drivers are like a broken faucet, they both keep on leaking...</b>

 

[teepo]

alrighty thanks for the response. about what chuck said for LE oc'ing. would it be wise to get a 128mb LE card and oc to the normal r8500 core/mem settings?

 

[eden]

I see no harm in it, but you do void the warranty, that's one!
However 128MB is not a bad thing, it will help in higher resolutions and AA, and personally I would buy that, the price wouldn't be high at all, hey, it's ATI!

--
For the first time, Hookers are hooked on Phonics!!

 

[pr497]

there's an idea...but why not get a retail and o/c it past retail speeds?

<b><font color=red>ATI</font color=red>'s drivers are like a broken faucet, they both keep on leaking...</b>

 

[eden]

Get a retail and oc past retail speeds?
Oh now I get it! But I think IMO, retail oc isn't as effective as the OEM, and may generate too much heat and instability. The OEM can be safely OCed to Retail speeds, saving money.

--
For the first time, Hookers are hooked on Phonics!!

 

[AMD_Man]

The 128MB R8500s and R8500LEs use BGA RAM which generates less heat and allows for better overclocking.

AMD technology + Intel technology = Intel/AMD Pentathlon IV; the <b>ULTIMATE</b> PC processor

 

[aspenhusker]

If you are buying at Newegg I would seriously consider this one. http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduct.asp?submit=manufactory&catalog=48&manufactory=1314&DEPA=1

 

[Crashman]

You'd be better off with the 64MB Retail than the 128MB LE, because:
1. There are no games that can use the extra 64MB of the 128MB card effectively
2. There has been no evidence of higher framerates using 128MB
3. The Retail card is clocked higher, so it performs better stock
4. There is no garuntee than the LE will overclock to Retail specs, or even that it has the same speed memory.
5. The Retail card carries a warantee by ATI
6. The Retail card includes about $30 in cables and adapters that the LE doesn't have, including a DVI to VGA adapter that you'll need if you ever want to run two CRT monitors on that card.
7. The Retail is a bargain at around $150.

What's the frequency, Kenneth?