So how big of a difference could we see between the 8800GTS 320 & 640 w/ Cry

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TacticalElefant

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#1 TacticalElefant
Member since 2007 • 900 Posts
I'll be running the game at 1440 x 900, and frankly seeing that the game will need a card with a 256 MB framebuffer, and how the recommended card is an 8800GTS 640 MB, it's unsettling knowing that since I have the 8800GTS 320 MB. Also recommended settings are definetly the max settings either. I'm now considering replacing the 8800GTS 320 MB with the 640, or possibly with the 8800GTX. Any input would be fine. Of course I should actually wait for the game to come out and test it myself before dropping more money into another card, but seeing as we're talking about a large difference in VRAM, will I see a huge performance difference that'll justify getting a better graphics solution? Once I have Vista properly re-installed I'll be running in the following configuration below (since you guy's always ask). I'm also considering the idea of just getting another 8800GTS 320 for SLi, and in that case, how does VRAM on both cards work in SLi configurations? Does it really double the video memory, or are the cards inheritly using only one VRAM pool, depending on the SLi mode of course? Also, if I was able to allocate system RAM as shared video, would it slow things down, do nothing, or actually improve Crysis' performance especially considering I have 4 GB of RAM? Thanks in advance.

My current set configuration for Crysis to be installed and ran on:

AMD Athlon 64 X2 5600+ @ 2.8 GHz
4 GB of OCZ DDR1066 PC8500 SRAM
eVGA 8800 GTS 320 MB
eVGA nForce 590SLi Mobo
Maxtor 250 GB 7200 HDD
Windows Vista Premium x64 for DX10 capabilities & 4 GB RAM capabilities

I'll probably have one of the new AMD Phenom Quad-cores by then too, but the above is the current 'plan'.
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Rob_101

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#2 Rob_101
Member since 2004 • 3291 Posts
Wait for the demo or even the full game to release before making major upgrade decisions. Trust me!
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Zaber123

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#3 Zaber123
Member since 2003 • 1159 Posts
SLI will just use 320mb of vram. No reason to upgrade to 640, you're playing on a lower res. Don't worry about it.
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Raggamuffin0

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#4 Raggamuffin0
Member since 2004 • 329 Posts
My vote is with games like crysis, that extra 320 megs of video memory is going to make a HUGE difference.
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TacticalElefant

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#5 TacticalElefant
Member since 2007 • 900 Posts
My vote is with games like crysis, that extra 320 megs of video memory is going to make a HUGE difference.Raggamuffin0


That's what I'm thinking. Come on 256 is the minimum, and they recommend a card that has 640. Even still do you guys think that with me running so much RAM, would a shared memory system help out you think, possibly in a 320 MB + 256/512 MB shared configuration?
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dayaccus007

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#6 dayaccus007
Member since 2007 • 4349 Posts
For that resolution your 320mb version is ok I think
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omgimba

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#7 omgimba
Member since 2007 • 2645 Posts
For that resolution the 2 versions have nearly no difference.. the 640 mb one won't be worth the extra cost.. 1400X900 is the highest settings where you will hardly notice any difference at. If you would decide too go higher in res you will need the 640 mb version. But you will see a major increase with the 8800gtx since this is the god among video cards (Well except for Ultra which is slightly better) Although I wouldn't upgrade from a 8800gts 320 mb card until the next gen of videocards or possibly by buying another 320 mb one.. (I don't know the increase in performance that would give and I doubt it would be worth it)
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omgimba

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#8 omgimba
Member since 2007 • 2645 Posts
My vote is with games like crysis, that extra 320 megs of video memory is going to make a HUGE difference.Raggamuffin0
I doubt that.. It will most likely be the proccesing speed of the GTS that makes it lagg before the memory capacity on normal resolutions, as for all other games currently released but you never know and I wouldn't spend 200$ too find try it out wihout knowing beforehand....
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TacticalElefant

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#9 TacticalElefant
Member since 2007 • 900 Posts
[QUOTE="Raggamuffin0"]My vote is with games like crysis, that extra 320 megs of video memory is going to make a HUGE difference.omgimba
I doubt that.. It will most likely be the proccesing speed of the GTS that makes it lagg before the memory capacity on normal resolutions, as for all other games currently released but you never know and I wouldn't spend 200$ too find try it out wihout knowing beforehand....



Well even with the same card, I bet I could tweak the GPU clock and memory clocks especially. In a game like Crysis, memory bandwidth will be crucial, and I bet I could alleviate some memory problems with memory overclocking and adding shared memory.
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Zaber123

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#10 Zaber123
Member since 2003 • 1159 Posts
Bioshock recommended a 512 mb card and you clearly didn't need it. You're 320 will be fine, and if it's not, it's not due to the memory. You sound giddy to buy a new card, go for it if you want, but going from a 320 to a 640 is silly.
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TacticalElefant

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#11 TacticalElefant
Member since 2007 • 900 Posts
Bioshock recommended a 512 mb card and you clearly didn't need it. You're 320 will be fine, and if it's not, it's not due to the memory. You sound giddy to buy a new card, go for it if you want, but going from a 320 to a 640 is silly.Zaber123


I was using the 320 and 640 as a comparitive. If I actually was going to plop down money for a more powerful card, I'd actually go up to a 8800GTX. But even still it's a waste. I can still overclock my current card and it's memory especially. I don't even know how it'll run yet in Vista x64 in DX10 mode, with shared memory allocated in for good measure. If I was to buy anything (not counting the AMD Phenom Quad I'll be getting) it would be another 8800GTS 320 for SLi.
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Mochyc

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#12 Mochyc
Member since 2007 • 4421 Posts
Yeah, I kinda want to know too. If I want to play on very high with a Q6600/3gb ram, 16x10, will I need the 640mb?
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codezer0

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#13 codezer0
Member since 2004 • 15898 Posts
We're already seeing a difference with games like World in Conflict and Bioshock. The GTS 640 manages to hold its own, but a GTS 320 is getting lagged up pretty bad.
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roncoco

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#14 roncoco
Member since 2005 • 143 Posts

Well, i have the exact same question as the OP. i'm playing the beta at 1280x1024 everything on high but the shadows wich are set to medium, also, it's playing with a mod from the official beta forums to all of the .cfg files in the installation folder, an it's looking impressive, even better than w/o the mod, also it's running somewhat smoother (even though my 320 is paired with an x2 4800+). Of Course, it's still running on dx9 and no AA, but i'm happy that a simple mod to the config files makes such a good improvement (at least for me), because i'm thinking crytek will make it run pretty good when it retails.

Still, all this apply to dx9, and we really don't have any idea how will it run on dx10 for now, the only thing i can tell you is that in my opinion the 320 will run it pretty good at 1280 and 1440 in dx9 (i'm 80% sure though). and yes, i'm scared too because i want to play this game in dx10 at least 1024x786 2xAA high/very high settings....

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rfc2k

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#15 rfc2k
Member since 2007 • 61 Posts

We're already seeing a difference with games like World in Conflict and Bioshock. The GTS 640 manages to hold its own, but a GTS 320 is getting lagged up pretty bad.codezer0

Huh ? I can understand what your saying about WIC but the 320 had no problem with Bioshock. Anyway about the topic, i'm already playing the Beta on highest settings @1280*1024 and it's relatively smooth with a few hiccups that can be ironed out so im pretty sure the game will run fine in DX9 max.

DX10 I have no idea, but my feeling is that alot of the DX10 cards are gonna struggle at highest settings. Could be wrong tho.