Video Card RAM

[.Maleficus.]

Ok, so there's DDR, GDDR2, and GDDR3. Which is better? I'm guessing GDDR3, but would it be better to have more memory on a GDDR2 or better to have less using GDDR3? I'm looking at 2 cards right now (for my new computer until Vista and DX10 comes out) and they are about the same price. One has 256MB of GDDR3, and the other has 512MB of GDDR2. The 256MB one is the "Overclocked Edition", so it has higher clock speeds too. These are the cards. 512MB Card and 256MB Card. If I get the 512MB un-overclocked card, I can overclock it myself, so don't let that sway your decision.

Also, as these are ATi cards, and I've never spent much time around them, would you suggest buying an ATi made card, or a different brand? The 2 I linked were Sapphire, and they were the best deal I could find to just get me playing games until Vista and DX10. If you know of a better deal, preferrably under $105, can you post that too?

Thank you for any help!

[Silenced_Coyote]

Getting a Sapphire brand is good.

Get this one:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102019

When comparing cards, it is way more important to look at the clock and memory speeds than the amount of memory it has. Oh, and the 2nd one has a 20 mail-in-rebate so hurry up and buy it!

[public_eyesore]

the newer ones overclock further

[.Maleficus.]

Well, this isn't a permanent card, just until I feel Vista is worth my money. And if you say the second one is the best, then that shall be the one I buy.

[Silenced_Coyote]

Don't forget the mai-in-rebate! Must be purchased before the 27th to qualify.

[.Maleficus.]

Hmmm... Now I have a new question. Which is better, X1600PRO or X1600XT? I can get a X1600XT 256MB GDDR2 card for about $10 more, if I don't get the rebate on the other one. It doesn't tell the clock speeds for the XT, but I'm guessing it is a better card. Now which one should I get?

[CanaBalistic]

Radeon X1600 XT runs officially at 590 MHz and accesses its memory at 1.38 GHz (22.08 GB/s), 128 bits per clock cycle.

This video card has four GDDR2 512-Mbit 1.4 ns chips from Samsung (K4J52324QC-BC14), making its 256 MB video memory (512 Mbits x 4 = 256 MB). These chips can run up to 1.4 GHz. Since this video card accesses the memory at 1.38 GHz, there is no room if you wish to overclock its memory inside its specs.

http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/355/1

[Slug Toy]

as far as the x1600pro goes, the 256MB GDDR3 card is enough. going to 512MB wont get you any more performance because the card is limited by the 128 bit interface to some extent. 512MB isnt completely necessary yet anyways... its good, but not essential. i personally dont like GDDR2 anyways... i cant really explain why... it just feels like a bastardized step between DDR and GDDR3. why anyone would put GDDR2 on a card these days is beyond me because it makes just as much, if not more, sense touse GDDR3.

seeming as the core clocks are 575 for the pro and 590 for the xt, you can save a little money and overclock the pro up to 590. a 15MHZ increase should be completely possible. the ram is a little iffy though, to get up to 1.38GHz from 1.2... theres no guarantee on that. it IS only 180MHz, but a lot can happen in that span. the ram on my video card is technically rated for 1.2GHz, but i cant get it passed 1.05 on a good day.

sapphire is definitely the way to go. they get good deals and generally have the lowest prices. i had a sapphire 9600xt a while ago. no complaints, it ran as good as a card can run.

[.Maleficus.]

Then I will go with the X1600PRO. Hopefully I will be able to order it in the next few days to get that rebate.

[dgrmkrp]

i don't know if it's too late or not.. i read a couple of reviews and articles.. look for deals on HIS x1800gto IceQ version.. this baby can be converted to a x1800xl by some bios tweaking and has 256b memory interface.. and ddr3 and the only problem is it's price, compared to what u seek.. with the right cooling and luck, u could get a x1800xt