Video Card 128 or 256? Worth $500?

[heatasmallhouse]

I use Final Cut and After Effects a lot. Buying in 20 minutes. Do you think its worth the extra 500 for the difference between the bottom and top 15" MBP (keep in mind I'm fresh out of college and just starting freelancing, so that's a chunk of change for now)? I'm not worried about the processor as they're really fast either way, but the video ram is making me nervous...IS THERE A HUGE DIFFERENCE?

[whateverandever]

No.

[Eidorian]

I want 256 MB but it's so not worth $500.

There's a big difference nowadays for gaming and running dual monitors.

[heatasmallhouse]

I don't game but I run an external monitor with FCS . Are there any final cut people out there who have been damning the gods since they got a 128? Anyone see any convincing benchmarks.

5 minutes to go, humor me, thanks! :D

by the way...this is everything i could have wanted in an upgrade!

[Eidorian]

I don't game but I run an external monitor with FCS . Are there any final cut people out there who have been damning the gods since they got a 128? Anyone see any convincing benchmarks.

5 minutes to go, humor me, thanks! :D

by the way...this is everything i could have wanted in an upgrade!If you're going to run FCS on two screens I suggest 256 MB of video RAM.

Remember, you can't upgrade it unless you buy an entirely new machine.

[AdamJames]

I'm also interested in the difference between the two cards for light gaming...

[chex]

I'm also interested in the difference between the two cards for light gaming...

Almost none whatsoever. maybe if you turn *everything* up on something like F.E.A.R. you would get a few fps more.

For gaming (in *general*) the speed of the card and the RAM are more important than the amount of RAM.