graphic card memory

[zeberdee]

Hi I have an ATI 9800 Pro 128 Mb card on an Asus P4C800 Delux motherboard, I am thinking about getting the ATI X1950 512Mb (AGP) card. My question is in the bios the motherboard only goes up to 256Mb for graphic cards. Is getting the 512Mb card a waste? or will it work as it should? Many thanks in advance, Chris

[ctjoyce]

IF the AGP bus will only see 256MB, then it will only fill 256MB of your VRAM, thus making the more powerful card a waste. A better card would be a 7800GS or a X1800 series card. Or better yet, a PCI-E motherboard (nForce 4 say?) and a midrange PCI-E card.

Cheers
Cameron

[zeberdee]

Hi Cameron. The problem is cost, the rig I use for flight sim only cost me

[Nick N]

IF the AGP bus will only see 256MB, then it will only fill 256MB of your VRAM, thus making the more powerful card a waste. A better card would be a 7800GS or a X1800 series card. Or better yet, a PCI-E motherboard (nForce 4 say?) and a midrange PCI-E card.

Cheers
Cameron

The AGP Aperture of 256 in no way hinders a 512mb card.

That number is the overflow reserved by the system in the event the memory on the video card is overtaxed. It will not in any way slow a system down in games unless it is set too low. With 64-128mb cards an apeture value of 128 is fine. With a 256-512mb cards an apeture value of 256 is fine. Where the 512mb Aperture comes into play is in real world 3D art rendering with professional 3D ATi and Matrox cards, otherwise 256mb is fine.

The tests run that show a higher Aperture has better value were based on benchmark test and were never proven to hold water in real world use. I am here to tell you its bull-chit too. Although I would not run a 512 card on a 128mb aperture, that can be done too.

The issue with his system is the power supply and the memory bus for the x1950pro AGP. The x1950 will most likely draw more power than the PSU can deliver but it is not possible to know that for sure without seeing the rail specifications.

The bandwidth on the card may also exceed the CPU/memoy bus abilities. I have not looked it up so again, I can not be sure of that.

I would say without looking everything up a 7800GS 256 would be a better choice however it also has PSU needs and I would be sure the current PSU can deliver at least 20A on ONE 12v rail not including the rest of the system before buying the card.

The 9800pro is also power hungry but no where near as hungry as the 7800GS

[zeberdee]

Thanks Nick and welcome back, I will look into getting a new psu now I know what I am looking for The graphic card will depend on price :-/

[congo]

I don't think chasing a 512mb card makes sense unless you are using massive resolutions like 1920 x 1440.

A 7600GT will produce slightly better performance than the 7800GS according to many sources if you google around, but their are special versions of the 7800GS that are faster.

The 7600GT has a lower power consumption, is a physically smaller card and should produce less heat than a 7800GS.

http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/index.cf ... ag=rmp_vds

Hiya NickN

[Sytse]

The X1950 PRO is similar to the X1900 GT, the main difference being that it is not based on the X1900 XT, but a new, less power-hungry core. The card's main competition is the 7900 GS, which it beats in almost every benchmark, but the 7900 GS isn't available in an AGP flavor, which makes the X1950 PRO the fastest AGP card available*

*The Gainward BLISS+ 7800 GS series cards, which actually have 7900 GT and 7900 GS GPUs, are also fast AGP cards and on par with the X1950 PRO. These, however, are far more expensive, and can only be purchased in Europe.
The X1950 PRO is a powerful card that will make AGP gaming viable for at least another year or two. The biggest problem with this card is that it seems difficult to find in stock at this time, but manufacturers are still making them, so if you're interested keep checking the online stores.

It must be noted however, that if you have the money to spend on an AGP card, you may be much better off purchasing a PCI Express motherboard, CPU and PCI Express video card instead. For starters, PCIe cards are cheaper than their AGP cousins. If you upgrade your system to PCIe and sell your old components, you may actually spend a similar amount of money compared to buying an expensive AGP card alone.

Article

[Nick N]

[quote]I don't think chasing a 512mb card makes sense unless you are using massive resolutions like 1920 x 1440.

A 7600GT will produce slightly better performance than the 7800GS according to many sources if you google around, but their are special versions of the 7800GS that are faster.

The 7600GT has a lower power consumption, is a physically smaller card and should produce less heat than a 7800GS.

http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/index.cf ... ag=rmp_vds

Hiya NickN

[congo]

It wasn't just that list I got the info from, I saw a few reports stating the 7600GT was a little better, I should have just looked up the specs instead of repeating what some whackos said, my bad.

[Nick N]

It wasn't just that list I got the info from, I saw a few reports stating the 7600GT was a little better, I should have just looked up the specs instead of repeating what some whackos said, my bad.

As I mentioned, its not about the video card alone. Most people, even so called 'experienced' hardware techs do not know how to balance a system correctly and if the person(s) who either made that list or the people who posted reports were judging the 7600GT in the same or similar systems they tested a 7800GS I would have to question the test systems ability to make the 7800GS work right. In that case the 7600GT would come out on top because they did not have their CPU and memory bus tuned correctly or the right combo of products, including motherboard, for the 7800GS to run its bandwidth.


Anything is possible too. I am going by the engineering specs and how I would purchase/set up the components for the card I was buying. Without trying it myself or seeing some type of data which logically and technically explains why the 7600GT can outdo a 7800GS in the right system for each card, I have to question that. It's just the engineer in me. Doesn't mean I am right though.  ;)