Is 512MB vs 1GB a big difference?(9800M GTS)

Hello guys,

So this is my first post here and unfortunately not a happy one, since i got a bit scammed via eBay. I paid for a P-7805u and i got a P-7811FX

I live in Ireland so i had to pay for import taxes. That way, returning it and buying a 7805u will actually result in losing 140eu!

My question is simple: Is there a big difference in performance for 512MB over 1GB gfx ram? Does it really worth all the trouble sending it back, ordering again and arranging a good shipping method with the seller?

Thank you in advance,
Psy

 

^^ thats why ill never buy anything from ebay or any other types of those sites. That said unless im mistaken 1gig ram helps with FPS if you like to play in high rez like 1900x1200. If you have a 1440x900 screen rez i dont think it matters to much.

 

Yes you are right about eBay but i know that the P-series is not officially exported from US. And since i read here that you guys have so much fun with this machine (and my budget is matching this range) I fell for it and bought one!

As for what you propose, it surely makes sense. But, with semiconductors and current flow you can never be sure!

For the record, i play EVE online so i want 1900x1200 and planning to play bad company 2 with a lower rez. I got a 1900x1200monitor as comes standard with the model.

cheers!

 

A 1gb card will help in some games like GTA:IV that love video memory.

 

The 9800m GTS is a powerful card, im sure it would make a difference in a few games, but generally there wont be a large difference. Its still a relatively weak card compared to desktops, it won't make use of the extra 512mb often.

 

I've heard that the 512mb 9800gts can overclock higher than the 1gb model.

 

How much did you buy it for?

 

mrPico

i payed nearly 1000usd if you include the customs tax, the seller did not declare a smaller price. Initial price was 800usd + 80 for p&p

 

Depends on what level Anisotropy and Antialiasing you want. Both are big VRAM eaters, if both are disabled, there is almost no impact. On intensive games 512mb could mean 2xAnisotropy vs 16xAnisotropy in which there is a very significant difference in texture appearance. Same goes for Antialiasing.

 

It depends solely by the game you are playing and the resolution you are playing it at. Gta 4 will tell you how much of your VRAM you are using when in the settings page. Raising resolution and texture detail will raise video memory usage a lot. At 1400x900 I think you will be able to have most settings maxed without using all your VRAM. Basically the only limit of having 512 instead of 1gb is that in some games you might be forced to lower some settings, but you should get same fps.

 

The 512 MB vs 1GB video memory argument isn a long hashed out one with plenty of reading available all over the place. As stated before though if you OC the video card in general the 512MB is usually slightly better at overclocking the memory speed.

1GB has been often billed as jus a gimic and for the most part it is. As stated too though, if you run really high res and lots of eye candy 1GB can be a plus. The thing there though the memory bandwidth, and GPU, is limited in getting really high FPS with all those features enabled.

So in all the 9800m is a well ballanced card for the 512mb. 1GB is nice to have in extreme situations but these are far and few between. Now new games may at some point prove this wrong down the road but I haven't heard of any where a 9800m and 1gb minimum is a must have........

 

Thank you for your answers, i decided to keep the machine.
TANWare you are right, i also read in this forum that some people accused the 1gb as being a joke, but i hope you understand that i had to ask the question again since it wasnt my choice to have this sort of laptop.

As far as this topic is concerned i am personally covered.
thnx