The Notebook Review forums were hosted by TechTarget, who shut down them down on January 31, 2022. This static read-only archive was pulled by NBR forum users between January 20 and January 31, 2022, in an effort to make sure that the valuable technical information that had been posted on the forums is preserved. For current discussions, many NBR forum users moved over to NotebookTalk.net after the shutdown.
Problems? See this thread at archive.org.

    Hi a quick question on Mbp 15" 256Megs Video RAM

    Discussion in 'Apple and Mac OS X' started by tyronne, Nov 3, 2008.

  1. tyronne

    tyronne Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    27
    Messages:
    672
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    Hi a quick question on Mbp 15" 256Megs Video RAM,
    do you think this is worth it? I have already bought 2 brand new MBP with 512 Video RAM recently and we are so happy with it.

    Now i need a sexy laptop but I am hesitant on the 256 video RAM has anyone bought this entry level? And if you have are you happy with the RAM and performance?


    Thanks.
     
    tyronne, Nov 3, 2008
    #1
  2. gengerald

    gengerald Technofile Extraordinaire

    Reputations:
    674
    Messages:
    1,961
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    55
    Are you asking if the new 9600m GT is comparable to the older 8600M GT? If so, then no. They are in different ballparks. The 9600M GT scores considerably higher on benchmarks. The 8600M GT DDR3 is a good card, and at the 512MB level found in the older MBP's it is fast but also allows for more textures. The new card, however, is an overall upgrade. The new 9400M integrated feature is also quite nice, especially if Apple decides to utilizes it full linked potential.
     
    gengerald, Nov 3, 2008
    #2
  3. tyronne

    tyronne Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    27
    Messages:
    672
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    is the 256 Megs video ram worth it? or should i just get another 512 Megs 9600 GT?
     
    tyronne, Nov 3, 2008
    #3
  4. gengerald

    gengerald Technofile Extraordinaire

    Reputations:
    674
    Messages:
    1,961
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    55
    Within the 9600M GT, 256 vs. 512 will make a bit of difference. I do not have any specific references for you, but check around here, Laptopvideo2go.com, and 3DMark. I cannot thnk you would see a huge difference with game play other than a lesser capacity for textures.
     
    gengerald, Nov 3, 2008
    #4
  5. tyronne

    tyronne Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    27
    Messages:
    672
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    ok thanks mate i am scared the 256 will be terrible for gaming and i am not sure if i should get this low end entry level mac book pro. Dont wanna get burnt like we did with the iMAC Ati 2600 pro video card.
     
    tyronne, Nov 3, 2008
    #5
  6. livesoft

    livesoft BUSTED

    Reputations:
    337
    Messages:
    1,411
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    55
    I believe the improvement is minimal, based on the comparaison of the old 8800 GT 320MB vs 640MB. I remember that more RAM allowed you to run on higher resolution.
     
    livesoft, Nov 3, 2008
    #6
  7. tyronne

    tyronne Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    27
    Messages:
    672
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    ok thanks mate for this tips i didn't realise more ram mean better resolution.

    thanks
     
    tyronne, Nov 3, 2008
    #7
  8. masterchef341

    masterchef341 The guy from The Notebook

    Reputations:
    3,047
    Messages:
    8,636
    Likes Received:
    4
    Trophy Points:
    206
    its not that big a deal. the 9600GT is a decent game performer. moving from 256mb to 512mb isn't going to make much of a difference.
     
    masterchef341, Nov 3, 2008
    #8
  9. lixuelai

    lixuelai Notebook Virtuoso NBR Reviewer

    Reputations:
    463
    Messages:
    2,326
    Likes Received:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    56
    It has a 128bit bus so the extra vram probably wont make much difference.
     
    lixuelai, Nov 3, 2008
    #9
  10. blurb23

    blurb23 Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    20
    Messages:
    198
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    The only time that you'll really see a marked improvement is when you are running at high(er) resolutions.

    The 256 should be fine for gaming at 1440x900.
     
    blurb23, Nov 3, 2008
    #10
  11. joystik

    joystik Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    438
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    search the forums, i was looking at some benchmarks the other day, the 256 scores are not far from the 512 at all. VERY similar.
     
    joystik, Nov 3, 2008
    #11
  12. rapion125

    rapion125 Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    15
    Messages:
    353
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    The 512MB of VRAM is a gimmick. A 128-bit memory bus can only use up to 256MB of VRAM.
     
    rapion125, Nov 3, 2008
    #12
  13. The_Shirt

    The_Shirt Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    127
    Messages:
    436
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    Please read this thread http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=6425129 to get the information. Too many people here don't fully understand there is more to a video card than just moving data through a bus...

    And there are other links within the thread I provide above that will provide even more information...
     
    The_Shirt, Nov 3, 2008
    #13
  14. tyronne

    tyronne Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    27
    Messages:
    672
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    alright thanks for this info
     
    tyronne, Nov 3, 2008
    #14