Vram - does "size matter"?

This question came up most specifically with the new Macbook Pro, but I've also had it in reference to other machines. All of the notebooks I've been looking at have sported 8600M GTs. However, they vary in configuration significantly.

128/256/512 MB ...
Gddr2/Gddr3 ...

How much of a difference is this going to make in gaming? Specifically I want to know if I can get away with spending $600 less on a Macbook Pro and getting 128MB less vram...

 

Considering what other manufacturers charge for the jump from 2.2-->2.4ghz (or, if u wanna get nostalgic, from 2.16-2.33ghz), and the fact that you get a larger hard drive, I'd say that the whole package is a steal.

Remember that you can't upgrade the gfx card, so whatever you buy today is going to be with you forever! That said, how long do you want this thing to last? I mean, technology changes so fast...this 8600m GT seems great now, but I'm sure you're going to want an upgrade in a year...you could just pocket the cash and sell your macbook when the next round of video cards comes out! (Remember, a year and a half ago there were powerbook G4s with ATI mr9700 gfx cards).

 

we do not know about the difference as a 128mb 8600GT hasn't been benchmarked yet.

 

On a high end card, absolutely. On a 7600 (and by association an 8600), there's a noticeable difference between the 128 and 256MB versions, but not the 256 and 512MB versions. Anything more expensive and you will benefit from having 512MB to 1GB of VRAM.

By the way, it is unlikely you get a $600 discount by only getting 128MB less VRAM. What you're probably doing is downgrading from a 7900GS to a 7600, or something similar. In other words, you're saving $600 not just because of the VRAM, but also because of the power of the card using that VRAM.

 

We like to think that size doesn't matter..

But hot chix will tell you that size matters!

So go with the larger size of VRAM, chix will dig it!

 

lol does size matter...? of course! (but not in that way and lets not talk about that here.) it matters but i dont think your going to see that much of a performance gap. i read somewhere on this forum that you'll see maybe a 10-15% performance gap in gaming.

if your going to game i honestly think you should consider something else besides a macbook. you can purchase a similar specd laptop for much cheaper if you really tried. do you really want to pay a premium for a laptop your going to game on? unless of course your purchasing the macbook pro for the os then sure why not?

 

Size only matters when a game or when a program needs that much memory. Else you wont notice a difference in speed! That's the only rule when it's about the AMOUNT of GPU memory or system memory!

 

The difference in VRAM becomes apparent when running at higher reolutions. And 128 MB for a 8600GT is seriously crippling it. It's twice as powerful as a Go7600, and that could use 256 MB quite well.

 

Its getting to the point though where it is becoming more important and you almost need 512MB for new games.

For example you can't run World in Conflict on high without 512mb,