For the same price, should i get two 512mb 128-bit video cards or two 256mb 256-bit video cards?

For the same price, should i get two 512mb 128-bit video cards or two 256mb 256-bit video cards?

-The cards would be running crossfire.|||On the subject of bits & the bus width between the GPU and the memory , the bit width is only a part of the equation . How fast the memory "moves" is also just as important. Faster clocked memory on a slower bus width is as fast as slower clocked ram on a wider bus width.



For example, if you had 256MBs of DDR2/3 on a 128bit bus, but its clocked at 500MHz (1GHz DDR), it would be as fast as 256MBs of DDR2/3 on a 256bit bus if that memory is clocked at 250MHz (500MHz DDR).



Make sure you cards are ATI CrossFire Certified components. ( see link one )



Well If I were going to build this combo , I would go with the cards that have been released later , i.e. the " newest " ones.

For the simple fact that ( mostly )older cards have older chips

and use older drivers and tech. While the new cards can be a pain sometimes ( lack of support ect. ), you are buying something thats not going to be outdated as soon as you install it :) lol



So i'd say go with the two cards that are the more current on the releases list . P.S. just what cards are you thinking about , I could not really compare , or test which set up is " better " without knowing what I am to compare :)



However im leaning towards the 256- bit set up but i want to know what motherboard/ram/HD/monitor/ect these beasts are going to make a home in to give a better answer !|||Its hard to tell without knowing what cards youre choosing...



But i'd say go for the 256's. 512MB gpu ram should be fine for most games and you'd probably see a big difference in 256bit cards|||Judging from TomsHardware

http://www23.tomshardware.com/graphics_s…



You may be better off getting a high-end single board.



Note: average fps from Tom's

HD 2900 XT - 1751 fps - under $400

X1950 XT crossfire - 1836 fps - over $410, not to mention the big honking PSU



Check stats for your favorite too-slow games, and see how they compare. My prices are from newegg, include rebates, and may be outdated. Personally, I'd rather have the slightly cheaper and cooler single-board. You can always upgrade *it* to crossfire when prices drop to < $100 for the 2nd board.



Jim, http://www.jimpettis.com/wheel/