How many forums have you visited in the last month with threads discussing whether 512MB video cards are really necessary? Well hopefully this article will shed some light on this topic.
A few weeks ago I reviewed the Gainward BLISS 7800 GT Goes like Hell, which is a supercharged 7800 GT with 512MB memory. It's clocked at 450/650 (standard GT is 400/500 ) and that is undoubtedly the main reason for its superior performance, but an interesting question arose after the review went live - Did the 512MB of memory make any difference? I don't believe anyone reading this would disagree that 512MB cards will become a firm requirement of high end gaming very soon, but the key question here is does 512MB of VRAM offer anything to us now, other than future proofing? To answer this we first need to understand exactly what happens to a 256MB card when you max out its memory (VRAM).
Pure-Overclock
A few weeks ago I reviewed the Gainward BLISS 7800 GT Goes like Hell, which is a supercharged 7800 GT with 512MB memory. It's clocked at 450/650 (standard GT is 400/500 ) and that is undoubtedly the main reason for its superior performance, but an interesting question arose after the review went live - Did the 512MB of memory make any difference? I don't believe anyone reading this would disagree that 512MB cards will become a firm requirement of high end gaming very soon, but the key question here is does 512MB of VRAM offer anything to us now, other than future proofing? To answer this we first need to understand exactly what happens to a 256MB card when you max out its memory (VRAM).
Pure-Overclock
