NVIDIA GeForce 64 MB

In the world of computers, the cliché "more is better" seems to be commonplace. This cliché has been associated with computers since the dawn of the microprocessor. The years have seen computers with more megahertz, more storage space, and more options. Typically, the saying holds true, but occasionally more does not always make a superior product. Take, for example, two systems, one based on Intel's Celeron clocked at 600 MHz and a second based on Intel's Pentium III clocked at 550 MHz. To the naive consumer, the Celeron at 600 MHz seems like the better deal simply because "more is better." A veteran computer user would know, however, that the Pentium III 550E is in fact the faster of the two in most cases. It is for this reason that "more is better" remains a cliché and not a fact.

This does not stop manufacturers from touting a product asbeing betterthan a clearly superior product just because it has "more". Marketing firms know that many of the consumers they target will hold the "more is better" cliché to truth. Due to this fact, it is often-times hard to separate when more is truly better, when more is only slightly better, and when more is actually inferior. In some cases, the answer may seem obvious off the bat. Other times, the truth behind the marketing is skewed and the answer becomes less clear.

It has been awhile since the "more is better" debate was waged in the video card market. With NVIDIA on a 6 month processor cycle and few other competing products hitting the shelves, it seems that not many advancements, beneficial or not, have popped up. Well, video card manufacturers, with the permission of NVIDIA, recently set out to change the market with the "more is better" philosophy. This change comes with the release of 64 MB DDR GeForce video cards from a variety of manufacturers. How much weight does the additional memory hold? Is the additional memory actually useful or just a marketing gimmick? Is the cost of such cards justified? Is more, in fact, better in this case? These questions can only be addressed through hands on testing, an opportunity that AnandTech was recently given. The pages which follow attempt to guide the consumer through the pros and cons of 64 MB DDR GeForce cards and help access the value and speed to be gained by having RAM.