15-inch MBP - Which do I really need? 9600M GT 256 or 512?

[MacAndy74]

I'm confused which discrete video option I need.
I plan on using iLife apps and playing Sims 3.

So would the 256MB 9600M GT be enough or should I get the 512MB variety?

He-e-e e-e-lp!

 

[Freyqq]

the way i see it, you're more likely to hit a bottleneck based on the speed of the gpu than an extra 256 mb difference. I don't think it's worth the extra cash, honestly.

 

[MacAndy74]

the way i see it, you're more likely to hit a bottleneck based on the speed of the gpu than an extra 256 mb difference. I don't think it's worth the extra cash, honestly.

That cool. Thanks! I thought 256MB was likely to be enough too.

 

[grahamnp]

The 512mb will give a small performance boost but you won't be making full advantage of the twofold increase in memory because of the 128bit interface. The lower the resolution you play your games at, the smaller the advantage.

 

[zorahk]

For the sims 3, it's not worth it.

But if we are talking FPS gaming, definitely go for the 512, because you will want to play at higher resolutions with better FPS.

 

[MacAndy74]

Thanks for the advice! Much appreciated.

 

[Smacky]

But you cant upgrade from 2.66ghz 3mb l2 cache to 2.8ghz 6mb l2 cache if you take the 256mb video option

 

[maflynn]

Back in October, I opted for the then 2.53GHz MBP because you cannot upgrade the vram, L2 cache or cpu speed, so while I may not see the need for the extra vram, I might down the road.

I frequently use two monitors and I thought (rightfully for wrongfully) the extra vram would be beneficial in that case as well.