8600 gt 512mb + turbocache ... What is that supposed to mean???

Hi everybody help me out I was looking to buy an MSI 1719 (AKA GX700) on RKComputer but the gpu has that "turbo cache" word attached to it that I havent seen on any other notebook with the same GPU...

How many differents cards are there for the 8600GT ???

and if there is more that one ( which I believed till now) then which is better???

 

TurboCache is basically shared video memory. There is 512MB of onboard memory on the GPU, and then there is RAM from the system that is used with that.

 

thanks nightfox91,

just one more thing...

So does the gpu has 512mb of video memory + shared memory

or

does it have less than 512mb (256mb for example) and the rest is shared memory???

thanks for your answer (and sorry for my newbness ;-)

 

basically there are 3 varieties of just the 8600m gt.

there are two with "fast" ram - those would be the 128meg (apple exclusive) and 256meg versions, which use gddr3.

there is one that uses "not as fast" ram - that would be the card above. it has 512 megs of slower ddr2 ram.

they all have turbocache, which basically means that if they run out of local fast ram (gddr3 or ddr2) they will start sharing ram with the system (very slow by comparison).

the 256 meg card is the fastest, while the 128 meg card vs 512 meg cards are probably close.

edit: the 512 megs of ddr2 memory on the 8600m gt is all local memory. it is still faster than sharing the system ram, even if you have fast ddr2 system memory, because it is data sitting right there, on its own separate link to the gpu, instead of the data having to be transported across the fsb (shared by the whole system) from the ram module to the gpu.

8600m gt 256megs > 8600m gt 512 megs. i know its weird. the onboard memory is faster on the one with less memory. it matters.

 

4 types 512 mb ddr 3 8600m gt like on the c90.

 

ok so there is a 512 meg with the fast memory. just make sure you get one of those- the speed of the memory matters more than the amount.

 

Hmmm ok thanks guys this helps clear a lot of issues...

I just hope resellers be kind and tell all these thing before getting people excited...

BTW The Forerunner,

are you getting your C90 from an online retailer?? if so then which one.

Thanks a lot

 

Gentech PC
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So the C90S the 8600GT has 512mb and uses shared memory? I thought it just used 256 and could share up to 512 or something. Well anyone know this? I hope

 

speed is important but the amount is too. just as much if not more so that the speed.

the GDDR2 stuff vs GDDR3 is not a huge leap, but soon as you use up more than 256mb worth of memory wich is very easy to do in any modern game with high res textures and things, the 512mb card will definitely be in the lead.

Overclock your memory and watch what performance it gives you, your fps may jump by just a few numbers. Or better yet underclock it to the same speed as the GDDR2 is running.

Now go try a game like BF2142 or Oblivion and put max textures on there and watch with your own eyes the difference from 256 --> 512.

Many of the new games on the market are saying 512mb dedicated memory recomended for system specs.

The same thing applies to system ram aswell.

2gb of slow ram will decimate 1gb of the fastest ram you can find.

 

C90S uses the 512 dedicated card, and it turbo caches up to 756mb.

 

Yeah from gentechpc (adress: 1toppc.com). Thx for answering jaek .

The c90 version has 512mb dedicated meaning that it comes with 512mb onboard which is not used by the system but nowadays many of the purevideo technologies offload alot of information from the cpu to the gpu in order to save energy since the cpu uses more energy then the gpu so in a manner of speaking lately it seems the system is "using" the gpus memory but not really. It goes to 756mb by borrowing from your systems memory (turbocache). Well ddr3 I believe is more well suited in terms of energy efficiency and heat and overall overclocking ability particularly the latter.

Edit: EW! vicious beats me to the response.....back to the drawingboard......some day!

 

thanks everybody for your responses

 

wait, so in all actuality, what would be the better choice to go with, the 256mb 8600GT that goes with the new Dells, or the 512mb 8600GT that is on the Sager 2090?

 

More memory is better not HUGE difference but a significant one.

 

damnit, I was set on the 1720....now that I hear this, I want the Sager again.....

 

get wich ever notebook you like best, the diffrence shouldnt be too large, its not like notebooks can really play games at the same high resolution/details that desktops do that bring 256mb cards to there knees.

 

yeah i s'pose....as long as I can get good graphics on medieval 2 everything will be fine.