When will we see 512MB

The reasons manufacturers slap on 256MB of memory (and eventually 512MB) is because it's a numbers game. The average consumer knows NOTHING AT ALL about computer components. Actually, that statement would probably be grossly exagerrating their knowledge - it's some negative value (we've ALL seen it).

Anyways, Joe Schmoe computer buyer sees 512MB and he will think that more memory = more performance. You might mention the difference between 16 and 12 pipelines, but those numbers pale in comparison to the large values of 2^x and to Joe Schmoe that extra 256MB of memory will make all the difference in the world. What he doesn't realize is that MS Word and online poker won't be much faster - if at all - with the latest and greatest video card with an obscene amount of money. But in his head it's faster and ultimately he wins because he thinks he got something that will really increase his computing experience and the manufacturer wins because they pawned off some powerful card onto Joe Schmoe who has little need for anything above integrated graphics.
 
Whats with the flaming over the ram on a damn video card?

128 should be good for Doom 3 / HL2 If its not, someone, somewhere screwed up. And since i doubt they did, it wont have any problems.

Does that mean 512 cards arent on the horizon? No. Even with texture compression, increasing amounts of video card memory are needed. No, not yet, but that doesnt stop Intel from introducing a dubious spec that wont show its benefits for years (differant topic)

The next unreal engine is going to be a beast. And compression can only take you so far. By the time it hits the shelf, everything will probably be 256. I dont see how its so outlandish to think 512 mega bytes of memory on a card, since sizes in the consumer sector have been steadily increasing for decades. Eventually we'll have 512, and eventually we'll have a gig.

If anything, PCI-E once its mainstream will increase graphic card requirements, since they will (theoretically) be used for more things than just graphics.

Memory prices have droped, although they've leveled off. There was a time when a few kilobytes was mind blowingly excessive, and extremely expensive. Now you can get good 512 ddr for under a hundred bucks. As the baseline for acceptable levels of memory increases, the prices for the previous baseline will decrease. So eventually we'll have a gig of ram for under a hundred. Unless intel keeps balking the trend and pulls another RDRAM fiasco
 
RDRAM :( , that standard was made a mere couple years ago, and they are damn near impossible to find, I feel sorry for the people you bought that, i really am, what a disaster that was...
 
Wixard said:
Memory prices have droped, although they've leveled off. There was a time when a few kilobytes was mind blowingly excessive, and extremely expensive. Now you can get good 512 ddr for under a hundred bucks. As the baseline for acceptable levels of memory increases, the prices for the previous baseline will decrease. So eventually we'll have a gig of ram for under a hundred. Unless intel keeps balking the trend and pulls another RDRAM fiasco
Click to expand...

Yup, VRAM prices are always dropping from an absolute perspective, but it's been a long time since they have dropped from a relative perspective.

In other words, the price of 256MB of 4ns RAM 2 years ago was very similar to the price of 256MB of 2ns RAM today. 256MB of 4ns RAM is now cheap today, but it can't provide enough bandwidth for modern GPU's so nobody uses it anymore for new cards. 1.00ns RAM is available today, and in a year or so when its price comes down to the same as 1.67ns RAMs current price then it will doubtless be used in cards. At that point nobody will want to use 1.67ns or 2.0ns ram anymore except for midrange cards, and putting 512MB of the fastest RAM available in a card will still make the price $700.

Basically it will take a DRASTIC reduction in RAM prices to make 512MB reasonable from a cost perspective. They will have to come up with a much cheaper method of making the next generation of RAM for 512MB to become realistic, even 2 years from now.

I am not saying it won't happen, I am just saying that currently nothing seems to be leading us down the path of 512MB of the fastest RAM available being priced at a reasonable level for gaming cards. 512's day will come, but not very quickly.
 
advanced101101 said:
RDRAM :( , that standard was made a mere couple years ago, and they are damn near impossible to find, I feel sorry for the people you bought that, i really am, what a disaster that was...
Click to expand...

Thank you, that would be me :(

Currently putting together (to replace the Dell w/RDRAM)
AMD 64 3500+
1 gig Corsair TWINX-3200XLPT
all wrapped nicely in Antec P160 w/window.
As soon as Newegg gets the Asus A8V Deluxe (because I can't wait for the MSI NEO2) in I'll have all the pieces.
For the graphics card I'm just waiting for [H] to do a review of the retail X800XTPE and the 6800U. Until then I'm riding out my 9600XT.

Hopefully that will last me a couple of years with maybe just a motherboard upgrade for the PCI Express turnover :confused:
 
tinysmall said:
I would hardly call the 'next generation' of cards 'next generation' since the amount of on board memory remains the same as it has been for the past 2 or 3 generations. Stuck at 256. I think for games like D3 or HL2 it would benefit to have 512MB of on board video ram. Will cards with that amount of memory be shipped and ready to buy by August?
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tinysmall=Joe schmoe
 
"all anyone ever will need is 64K" - bill gates (sometime in the 80's)

LOL

Ok, will we need 512 eventually, yes.

that time is nowhere NEAR NOW. Or even on the horizon.

But 2 things have to happen:
1 - games, textures and resolutions have to be increases to actually need it
2 - the cards have to be powerful enough to use it with out slowing to a slideshow (this is the bigger bottleneck)

Cores === amount of memory it can actually use
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
GF3, GF4mx, lowend == 32MB is probably enough
GF4 ti 4x00 ========= 64MB is enough
GF FX/9700/9800 ==== 128MB is enough
6800/ X800 ========= 256MB is enough

next generation card with 512-bit memory intereface will probably be able to use 512.... but probably wont be needed yet.
 
Mushroom Prince said:
Because ram is a commodity and it is FUCKING EXPENSIVE


but I guess wintel users doesn't understand that
Click to expand...


Should I inferr from your statement that wintel users have less of a concern regarding hardware costs and our attitude can be attributed to our vast wealth In my case your are absolutely correct. :D :p

PS: I never heard of an IT pro getting fired for choosing Wintel platforms and that is why it will be a cold day in hell when AMD stops languishing in the relatively small "cottage industry" enthusiast's market

;)

Back to the original post. I believe that while not needed, we would be seeing 512 mb cards as we speak had not Samsung and others dropped the ball on GDDR3. A 512 card is a marketing extravaganza.

oh and I am aware of the inaccuracies in my above statements they were made to illustrate and mirror the absurdity that was reflected in the "Wintel user's " assertion.
 
jackdhammer said:
Thank you, that would be me :(

Currently putting together (to replace the Dell w/RDRAM)
AMD 64 3500+
1 gig Corsair TWINX-3200XLPT
all wrapped nicely in Antec P160 w/window.
As soon as Newegg gets the Asus A8V Deluxe (because I can't wait for the MSI NEO2) in I'll have all the pieces.
For the graphics card I'm just waiting for [H] to do a review of the retail X800XTPE and the 6800U. Until then I'm riding out my 9600XT.

Hopefully that will last me a couple of years with maybe just a motherboard upgrade for the PCI Express turnover :confused:
Click to expand...


Dude dont feel bad that rdram rig has more bandwidth and will smoke alot of amd rigs. I ran a p4C533 mobo with PC1066 rdram with a gig of rdram in dual channel for a long while and it will keep up with alot of current rigs. In fact my buddy pruchased it from ime and its purring like a kitten as his internet rig.
 
Yea it was good, but the memory was hard to find and very expensive, the wierd thing was right after the rdram phase the standards went back to PC133 (which was alot slower), then after PC133 then finally the P4s settled into the DDR standard
 
jacuzz1 said:
Should I inferr from your statement that wintel users have less of a concern regarding hardware costs and our attitude can be attributed to our vast wealth In my case your are absolutely correct. :D :p

PS: I never heard of an IT pro getting fired for choosing Wintel platforms and that is why it will be a cold day in hell when AMD stops languishing in the relatively small "cottage industry" enthusiast's market

;)

Back to the original post. I believe that while not needed, we would be seeing 512 mb cards as we speak had not Samsung and others dropped the ball on GDDR3. A 512 card is a marketing extravaganza.

oh and I am aware of the inaccuracies in my above statements they were made to illustrate and mirror the absurdity that was reflected in the "Wintel user's " assertion.
Click to expand...


thats because a lot of IT's choose Dell for there cost, service, and support. It just so HAPPENS that Dell would rather Intel over AMD.
 
advanced101101 said:
I want a video card where i can upgrade the memory modules!! I wanna be able to slap a 32-1000mb module on that card!!! and i want the memory to be just as fast as gddr3, am i dreaming?
Click to expand...

OMG, I have just the thing for you!!!

jaton_tv47.jpg
 
You know i build a new Pc for myself about every 3 months or so, and i can honestly say my favorite setup by far would have been my STB Lightning card for 2D and my 2 VooDoo2s In SLI mode each with a whopping 12 megs of memory on the cards if i remember correctly, i think im gonna go out in the garage and dig those up and run a 3dmark with them. I think we will see systems needing a required 1 Gig of system memory well gefore we see games that require 512 megs on the card, but bigger and more is always better so if i could get a card that had 512 megs of ram i could sleep better at night knowing that it was in my computer.
 
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