256 GDDR3 vs. 512 GDDR2

hey guys,
I'm going to buy a new GPU soon and was wondering between the Geforce 6800XT (256 RAM GDDR3) and the 7600 GS (512 RAM GDDR2)

The 7600 is about 30 bucks more than the 6800. Is the 6800 in fact plain faster because of the GDDR3 or does the extra 256 mb of ram outweigh the GDDR? I've been trying to reserach this without much sucess. Would love some experienced users' opinions.

To summarize:

256 GDDR3 OR 512 GDDR2?

-thanks a lot in advance! zip

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814143046

 

that card was 289 dollars, was hoping to stay within reasonable limits (under 200) also im not as worried about the chipset series as more the ram speed and GDDR
thanks for the reply though!

 

I doubt that the 7600GS would even be able to use all of that RAM; manufacturers know that uninformed buyers think "more is better" so they add more RAM to cards that wont even be able to take advantage of it, just so they can get more money out of the ignorant buyer. So, in this case, dont go buy amounts of RAM; that comes more into play with the higher end cards.

As for these 2 cards, it really depends on the card manufacturer on the 6800XT's part. The XFX version is super overclocked compared to the other versions (325/700 vs 350/100, core and memory speeds, respectively) If you do get the XFX one, make sure it has a 256-bit interface. Im not up to speed really with the performance of the 7600GS but it should be about the same as the XFX 6800XT. After comparing benchmarks with another person, my 6800XTreme is not much worst than a 7600GT (which is one step above the GS) so they should be close in performance.

Im guessings its AGP?

 

yeah, its an AGP card. A lot of other people have told me the same thing (hiking up the RAM to fool people in to thinking its a better card). It sounds like the XFX 6800XT is a good way to go. Thanks a lot for your help!!

 

make sure u get this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814150157

 

Thats a freaking nice card for a good price.
Kinda makes my 6800Gt sound old

 

yeah viper boy, thats the one im getting (newegg). few more Qs this chip does or doesnt support HDR (High dynamic rendering) and will it be ok with windows vista? My 128 radeon is really dragging with windows vista and im not even allowed to see 3D flip or windows aero. Thanks a lot!

 

yea it will run all that stuff just fine, and yes it des HDR just fine. What games were u planning on playing with it?

 

half life 2, CS:S, half life 2 episode 1,2,3, aaaand anything else that comes out in the next two years that catches my eye but im definately not a hardcore gamer. (buying a new computer in 2 yrs)

 

In the next year all 6800 series cards will not be able to play games over low settings.

 

ummm no? just because directx10 is coming out doesnt mean old cards become obsolete. The 6800 series is still alive and kicking Mine has kept up with new games just fine at high settings Yes, they will continue to shrink in comparison to DX10 cards and the new still powerful (and for while to come) DX9 GPUs. Game makers have specifically stated that they will code DX9 into their future games, even after DX10 and for a while after that as well. No way can u say that a 6800 Ultra is going to become obsolete within the next 12 months.

 

Just sayin it since all the recent games that came out me and my buddies cannot exceed over medium settings or we get some major lagg.

Try playing Call of Jaurez on high

Dark messiah on high

Then again I guess it could be my lame 1gig of ram instead of 2gigs=)

 

I've been reading that once vista is released that DX10 cards will make DX9 completely obsolete because all of the DX10 features will be disabled. Should I hold off entirely on buying this card because I won't be able to play DX10 games in the next 2 years?

 

by all means no. It just means that they wont look AS good as DX10, it doesnt mean they wont still look beautiful. This card is cheap (relatively) and DX10 really is no reason not to get it. You'd have to buy Vista to get DX10 anyways; its not available any other way. Just get Vista when u build your new computer.

 

I'm running Vista RC1 right now, and I love the fact that it runs much better than XP otehr than my windows drag on my 128. Im not only itching to see windows aero and 3d flip but I'm also looking to play Counterstrike source with better fps. In about 2 years I'll be buying a laptop and I honestly don't care how my desktop performs after that. I've got a P4 3.0Ghz, 1GB ram, ati Radeon sapphire 9200 SE. I dont want to shell out much money for buying a new rig until getting that laptop so I am trying to stay with this one. I can definately see upgrading to 2gb ram and a larger hard drive. All I am wondering is if i upgrade my gpu NOW and I'm planning to run windows vista with some games (dx10 or no) in the next two years, will i end up regretting buying this card because in a year (before two years is up) my gpu will sucks so hard that I won't be able to use the machine or play ANY games with out having to upgrade with anothre 200 bucks for a gpu

 

so you're saying that you're gonna buy vista as soon as it comes out? even then, i dont think that they will make DX10 AGP cards so you couldnt use a new card anyways without building a new system. I say go for it but if you want your AGP system to live longer, you'll have to spend more money for something like a 7800GS. Even a 6800GS would be better: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814143045 Actually, i think this should be your first choice ahead of the 6800XT

 

the 6800 GS looks great except it requires a 350W psu. My Psu says max output is 350 (ive got P4 3.0ghz, 1gb ram, 2 hard drives) Will i run into issues??

 

it should be ok...mine says its recommended 450W but i only got a 430W and it runs great even when its overclocked. You shouldnt have any problems.

 

awesome, im looking forward to testing this baby...cant wait (btw looks like its cheaper on tiger direct), you agree?

 

haha u sound like me when i got my card. i downloaded every demo for every game i knew i could play now lol, just to see how well it would run games i couldnt touch with a 10 foot pole before lol

and if this is what u mean, then yes its the same thing: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1779348&CatId=318

this one only ends up being $5 cheaper since they both have the rebate