softcris opened this issue on Dec 26, 2007 · 18 posts
svdl posted Sat, 29 December 2007 at 2:52 PM
More memory means that the graphics card itself can hold more geometry data and textures. 256 MB is OK, 512 MB is slightly better.
The width of the memory interface is important. The wider (more bits) the better.
The 8500 and 8600 chips have a 128 bit memory interface, which is OK. The more expensive 8800 series have wider memory interfaces, that is why they are faster - and more expensive.
As for brands, it doesn't matter that much. Asus used to be a good brand, but their quality control has gone downhill over the last couple of years - had a LOT of trouble with Asus mainboards. MSI has always been good.
When it comes to graphics cards, there seems to be less of a quality difference. I have had nVidia based graphics cards by Club3D, XFX, Asus, MSI and PointView, and without exception they have always worked fine.
Cooling is important. The best cooling is passive cooling, without fans, because fans can stop working, and fans can be very noisy.
If the graphics card produces too much heat, active cooling is necessary, and there IS quite a difference between one cooling fan and the next. It's probably wisest to look up some reviews of interesting graphics cards, usually the reviewer has something to say about the quality of the cooling fan.
The pen is mightier than the sword. But if you literally want to have some impact, use a typewriter