512MB vidcard enough for these days?

By Cosmin
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Grand Master

Denis W. Veteran

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Yeah, 512 MB is definitely enough.

If you have more GPU RAM your games can get away with storing ridiculously large texture sizes... but at the moment 512 MB is far from inadequate.

Grand Master

RAID 0

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Memory has a lot to do with video card performance, but it's not the biggest factor. Memory bandwidth/type and the amount of processors in the card are more important than just looking at the amount of memory. My 260 has less RAM than some 9600s, but the 260 is WAY more powerful.

Of the two cards, I'd get the Sapphire.

Grand Master

Yusuf M. Veteran

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Performance largely depends on the GPU and type of RAM used. A lot of people assume that more RAM makes the video card faster. In the real world, it doesn't. To answer your question: 512MB is adequate for today's demanding games. You'll only require more as you increase the resolution.

Grand Master

Yusuf M. Veteran

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my monitor native res is 1680x1050 .. I hope 4770 can keep GTA4 or so playable..

It'll be playable, but don't expect high framerates. I have an HD 4870 and I get ~35 FPS in the built-in benchmark at 1680x1050 (high settings).

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Spartan Erik

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Video RAM is insignificant compared to all the other numbers.. shader processor, stream processors, clock speed, memory speed, and the physical architecture of the GPU itself. The GTX 260 does an extremely awesome job at 1920x1080. For good gaming, try to aim for at least an nVidia 9800GT

If you plan on playing GTA4, also make sure that your CPU won't bottleneck a good card.. use systemrequirementslab's website to make sure your machine is capable

Grand Master

Andre S. Veteran

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Video cards have very complex architectures these days. The only reliable way to get a good idea of a card's performance is to check out benchmarks. For instance : http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/hardw...dr5-review.html

The card looks like it's slightly behind the HD 4850 512MB, which itself is slightly behind the HD 4850 1GB.

Note that right now you can usually find better deals for the HD 4850 than the 4770 due to better availability of the former.

Grand Master

Cosmin

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Note that right now you can usually find better deals for the HD 4850 than the 4770 due to better availability of the former.

Realized that.. but I'll hurt my PSU with any 4850 :|, any news about 4770 availability/redesigned cooler ?

Grand Master

Andre S. Veteran

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Realized that.. but I'll hurt my PSU with any 4850 :|, any news about 4770 availability/redesigned cooler ?
The requirements are the same for the 4770 and 4850 : "450 Watt or greater power supply with one 75W 6-pin PCI Express? power connectors recommended. "

http://www.amd.com/us/products/desktop/gra...quirements.aspx

http://ati.amd.com/products/radeonhd4700/requirements.html

Grand Master

Subject Delta

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Realized that.. but I'll hurt my PSU with any 4850 :|, any news about 4770 availability/redesigned cooler ?

I run a 4850 on a 570 Watt PSU, so it shouldn't be a problem as long as your PSU can provide the correct amperage on the PCI-E rail. Also, 512m should be fine unless you game at really high resolution, graphics memory only impacts on how much texture information the card can hold, it has very little effect on rendering performance

Grand Master

Andre S. Veteran

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Antec 350W SmartPower2.0 ATX12V v2.0 :ermm:
Then I'm sorry but it's insufficient for either the HD 4770 or the HD 4850. You risk instability, random malfunctioning and, potentially, physical damage to your components.

You'll have to go as low as the HD 4550 to fit your power supply. I suggest you look into upgrading it instead.

Grand Master

Andre S. Veteran

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The PSU calculator means nothing in terms of what rated wattage your PSU should have. The rated wattage should FAR exceed what the PSU calculator reports. "The total PSU Wattage this tool recommends will give a general idea of the range of continuously available power (not peak power) at which you should be looking. "

I run the latest games at 1680x1050 in maximum detail, and 512 MB isn't enough - especially when high quality textures etc. are used in games such as GTA4 and Crysis.
It's more complicated than that. For instance, the HD 4870 512MB usually dominates the HD 4850 1GB. In most benchmarks, the 512MB and 1GB versions of the same card are very close. The extra memory does make a difference, but it's usually not night and day.

See http://www.guru3d.com/article/gigabyte-rad...5oc1gi-review/7

Grand Master

Elliot B.

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It's more complicated than that. For instance, the HD 4870 512MB usually dominates the HD 4850 1GB. In most benchmarks, the 512MB and 1GB versions of the card are very close. The extra memory does make a difference, but it's usually not night and day.

See http://www.guru3d.com/article/gigabyte-rad...5oc1gi-review/7

It's better to have too much than too little, as it would impact other important aspects of the card's specifications.

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