7800gtx 512...

[icewall]

If i get a amd 64 4000+ chip is it worth getting the 7800 gtx 512 over the 7800gt or gtx? or will i not see much of a performance boost? Assuming i will not be doing any overclocking...

 

[SynthDude2001]

It has more to do with the games you play and especially the settings and resolutions you use, than the CPU. Honestly I don't think the 512MB GTX is worth its high price unless you have the money to burn, but if you tend to play at high resolutions (1600x1200 or above) with AA and AF, it'll definitely be faster than the regular GTX (and even the X1800XT).

 

[Googer]

The 512MB versions of 7800's are in the benchmarks about 30% faster than the 256MB cards. This is due to tweaks (increase) in the memory bandwith and nVIDIA's modification of the 7800 Chip. Get the 512 even if your games only use 1/4 (128MB) or even 1/16 (64MB) of the avalable RAM, the performance boost of this card is just too good to pass up.

http://graphics.tomshardware.com/graphic/20051114/index.html
http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=2607
http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1697,1886278,00.asp
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/video/display/geforce7800gtx512.html
http://www.guru3d.com/article/Videocards/285/2/

 

[caz67]

Get two...

 

[Googer]

Originally posted by: caz67
Get two...

No Get FOUR!

I think statements like those are easier said than done.

 

[Chacranajxy]

The 512mb cards are uber expensive, but they are better... personally, I don't think they're $250-300 better than the 256MB cards though... I went with an XFX 7800GTX 256MB Overclocked card (from Zipzoomfly) to complement the Athlon 64 4000 I'm getting... seemed like the best card for the money. Based on the benches, that should definitely be fast enough for the computer I'm building.

 

[Lonyo]

Don't get a 4000+.
Get a 4400+ or 4800+. The extra speed of the CPU won't really do much to help because (Xbitlabs reference), most games a GPU limited, even with a 7800GTX you'll still pretty much experience a GPU limit.
Then when dual core games come (Oblivion, UT2k7), you'll already be set.

If you get a 7800GTX this holds doubly true, if you get a GTX-512MB it's slightly less applicable, but still true in the main.