Higher Core clock speeds V's more memory Smack Down

[Grotbags]

Hedge your bets errr....trim that bush errm...leaf that thread alone and swan over here and take a gander at this-

When looking at 2 graphics cards that are identical, except one has more memory and the other one has a higher clock speed, wich would be a wiser investment, considering the user plays a lot of fps's and really doesnt have a large screen, but newer games are using more and more memory.

1GB Grotbags HD 4670 1746MHz GDDR3, GPU 750MHz

Or
512Mb Grotbags HD 4670 1746MHz GDDR3, GPU 800MHz

[cleaverlch]

The 512 version. The 1GB version is a waste of money, the 4670 will never be able to make use of that much of ram as it's not powerful enough to run at resolutions which demand 1 GB of ram.

[Grotbags]

So at which GPU does 1gb actually become useful then? I've seen many cards at about the same price and performace bracket with 1gb, but also, cards with half the RAM with only a slightly higher GPU! So why even make a card with excessive RAM if its going to be idle !?

[moogle]

So why even make a card with excessive RAM if its going to be idle !?

To trick those that think more = better into buying one. Cards which are made for high resolutions are more powerful and need 1GB at least (896MB as well), it's when you crank up the details like AA and AF that extra ram comes in handy.

[CK_1985]

Agreed, on this GPU I'd pick higher clock speed every time. Plus factory O/C'ed cards should generally (in theory at least) have more O/C'ing headroom so you can get even more performance out of them

[aidanjt]

To trick those that think more = better into buying one. Cards which are made for high resolutions are more powerful and need 1GB at least (896MB as well), it's when you crank up the details like AA and AF that extra ram comes in handy.

Maybe if you're rendering a gigapixel frame. The vram hike has went well beyond the point of silly (2GB+ vram, wtf?).

[Grotbags]

what about this instead
512MB XFX HD 4830

its another model (mainly because you guys have got me thinking) but its clock is significantly lower. Does the fact that its a 256bit really make that much of a difference?

[sammorris]

1GB is unnecessary for an HD4670, 512MB is ample, but the HD4830 will smash the HD4670 to pieces, it's a good 45-50% faster in most benchmarks.

[Grotbags]

Guys after looking around I completely agree, but could you please tell the differences between

XFX HD 4830 512MB .scan.co.uk/Products/512MB-XFX-HD-4830-PCI-E-20-(x16)-1800MHz-GDDR3-GPU-575MHz-640-Cores-2x-DL-DVI-I-HDTV-HDCP

and

Asus ATI Radeon HD 4830 .saverstore.com/product/20026607/Asus-ATI-Radeon-HD-4830-PCI-Express-20-512MB-DDR3-2-x-DVI-I‚S-Video-HDTV-90-C1CM60-J0UAY00Z

The xfx card seems to have an enclosure over the entire pcb as I cant find anything through google about these specific cards, I dont know which one has the advantage.

If I could only find some info on them then I could make an informed decision! Thank people, I've come a long way from the 1st post, great stuff!!!

[sammorris]

I prefer XFX's coolers, warranty service and product quality to Asus'. I also prefer Scan to Saverstore
I am waiting for that exact card to come in stock in Scan then I will buy one immediately