Nvidia 8800GTS 320mb or 640mb version?

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mothjer

New Member
I purchased the 8600gt..but am now deciding to upgrade to the 8800GTS (for Wow and possibly StarCraft2).

Question is...should I get the 320mb or the 640mb version? The 320mb is a little cheaper, and im currently playing on 17'' monitor..but am looking to upgrade to a 24'' monitor. So will a 320mb card be able to let me comfortably max out the settings as well as providing an amazing framerate for Wow and maybe SC2 in the future.

Im playing at 1280x1024 resolution, but when i upgrade to a new monitor I may decide to up the resolution a bit. I want a future proof card...but at the same time im not going to ever be playing any of those Cryisis or alane wake games...i just dont have the time.

Wow, Source & SC:2 are my main priorities for gaming in the future.

PS: I heard the 8800 gts was a "huge" card..I just bought an AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 4200+..I wont have any trouble fitting/installing it will I? [HP brand computer]
 
it really depend on what monitor u going to get in the future. for ur current mon the 320 will serve u just as well as the 640. But if u manage to get a new monitor with higher resolution then I suggest get the 640 for future gaming. beside they r very cheap now.
 
TheOrangeDude said:
it really depend on what monitor u going to get in the future. for ur current mon the 320 will serve u just as well as the 640. But if u manage to get a new monitor with higher resolution then I suggest get the 640 for future gaming. beside they r very cheap now.
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That was by far the most INCONCLUSIVE answer you could've possibly given dude >_>. 640mb version is a better investment if you plan on playing on a large monitor. (1600x1200 or above). Also, the extra video ram allows certain games to load large maps and many textures into it at once. So if your budget is tight at $260, get the 320mb evga from newegg. If you can spend $330 (+ tax), dell.com has a PNY 640mb.
 
If i do get a new monitor I can always set it to 1280x1024 if i feel the need though correct?

I saw some specs and the 320mb 8800 had better mhz & memory clock numbers then the 640mb version.

Any reason for this?
 
mothjer said:
If i do get a new monitor I can always set it to 1280x1024 if i feel the need though correct?

I saw some specs and the 320mb 8800 had better mhz & memory clock numbers then the 640mb version.

Any reason for this?
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Cause it's factory Overclocked. These are overpriced for the sole reason Of the OC, which you could easily do on your own.

The 640mb version gives the added futureability (my made-up word) in case Dx10 needs exorbant amounts of Vram, Or at the very least more than 320mb. It's doubtful it will use the full 640mb if gaming at a 1280 x 1024 rez though.
 
It's definetly a money issue right now, I refuse to spend more then $320 on a graphics card... Im just not that hardcore of a gamer.

But im definetly getting a new monitor as well...how high do you think I can set the resolution on games like Wow/Source [SC2..no one knows, yet lol]?

I don't NEED to be playing on max res, with max everything...I would like to feel comfortable in knowing that if needed I can encrease the resolution by maybe 2 lvls as well as encrease to max setting and know that my game wont lag horribly or impact my skill.

How future proof are these 320?
 
mothjer said:
How future proof are these 320?
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For your expectations a 640mb would reason. For your budget a 320mb.

No one knows how future proof the 320's are.. it could turn out they are perfect for Dx10. In fact it has a pretty big chance of doing so, Dx9 had 256mb cards and 512mb.. the latter where used by people gaming on higher than normal resolutions. You could inference alittle here..
 
Alright, whether 320 or 640...my big fear is the card not fitting into the cpu. I keep hearing that the cards are huge and create alot of heat. Im not going to need to buy extra fans or anything like that...?

Im running a AMD athlon 64 x2 dual core processor 4200+ Hp, any idea if the cpu is large enough to comfortably insert either 420 or 640 card types? PCI Express.

PS: I was looking at card on newegg and im curious to know why the 320mb outperformed the 640's in mhz and clock speeds. More memory, shouldnt the more expensive cards perform..better?
 
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If you can, 640Mb, you probably want to kill us all for repeating that, lol. The 8800GTS 640Mb is going to set the scale for the DX10 games, IMO.
 
Wait, are you saying this is going in an HP computer? If it is I highly doubt it will work, for two reasons. One being that the stock power supply can't handle an 8800GTS, and you most likely don't have the PCI-E power adapters that are required (although the video card comes with converters). And two, most HP cases are rather small, so I doubt an 8800GTS will fit in there.
 
The size of the CPU doesn't determine whether you can fit an 8800. The motherboard and it's layout, plus the size of the case does however.

the 320 outperformed the 640 because the clocks were higher. A 640mbs strength lies in being able to store Larger texture at higher resolutions.
 
hermeslyre said:
The size of the CPU doesn't determine whether you can fit an 8800. The motherboard and it's layout, plus the size of the case does however.

the 320 outperformed the 640 because the clocks were higher. A 640mbs strength lies in being able to store Larger texture at higher resolutions.
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The speed of the CPU does, then the card would be useless
 
btw, should i buy the extended warrenty plan? It's an extra $30 minimum....am i going to need it?

My card shouldn't overheat or blow up in my machine or anything like that...
 
Ehh, it would be close if it fits in a HP case, maybe one of their bigger "media" pc's....but if you get it and dont fit, you might be able to remove a drive bay or buy a new case :)
But, if you got the money get the 640mb and make sure you got a power supply to power that sucker
 
hermeslyre said:
The size of the CPU doesn't determine whether you can fit an 8800. The motherboard and it's layout, plus the size of the case does however.

the 320 outperformed the 640 because the clocks were higher. A 640mbs strength lies in being able to store Larger texture at higher resolutions.
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When he says CPU, I believe he's referring to the actual tower.
 
Ok now I have to upgrade the goddamn power supply... how do i check the psu wattage without opening the case? (anywhere on the pc itself).

No see, if I have to upgrade the PSU along with a new case...IF the card doesn't fit. NO i dont that, Ill take the 320 then..Im tired of spending money.
 
mothjer said:
Ok now I have to upgrade the goddamn power supply... how do i check the psu wattage without opening the case? (anywhere on the pc itself).

No see, if I have to upgrade the PSU along with a new case...IF the card doesn't fit. NO i dont that, Ill take the 320 then..Im tired of spending money.
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Both the 320MB and 640MB have the same physical dimensions and power requirements. It's pretty much a fact that you would need a new PSU, thats also compatible with your current PC. I dont know what model HP you have, but most pre-builts are not much bigger then mini-ATX cases, so I wouldnt want you to buy the 8800GTS to find out that it wont fit.
 
So what do I do then.. Im using the 8600 gt oc, are the 8800's that much larger then the 8600?

And how do i check the power supply?..further more how much does a new one cost?
 
mothjer said:
So what do I do then.. Im using the 8600 gt oc, are the 8800's that much larger then the 8600?

And how do i check the power supply?..further more how much does a new one cost?
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The 8800's are larger by quite a bit, I know in my mid-ATX cases there is only an inch of room in between the card and the drive bays. If you want to make sure, take a ruler and measure how much space you have between the PCI slot and the closest thing that may potentially interfere with the card.

As for the power supply, it should have the specs listed on a sticker thats visible when you remove the side panel. A decent one that can power an 8800GTS will cost you at least $50.
 
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