Re: How much graphics RAM?
- To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
- Subject: [mg37063] Re: How much graphics RAM?
- From: Jens-Peer Kuska <kuska at informatik.uni-leipzig.de>
- Date: Mon, 7 Oct 2002 05:26:27 -0400 (EDT)
- Organization: Universitaet Leipzig
- References: <anp09v$qtp$1@smc.vnet.net>
- Reply-to: kuska at informatik.uni-leipzig.de
- Sender: owner-wri-mathgroup at wolfram.com
Hi, DrBob wrote: > > My OPINION is that extra graphics RAM is useful primarily for 3D games Or complex 3d scientific visualizations ? Textures ? Try to render the skull from a 256^3 CT scan or the output of a 3d plasma simulation and you will know *what* can be done with extra 3d RAM > (which are themselves completely useless). The major effect is, that 3d Games make 3d graphics hardware less expensive. Five years ago a SGI cost 20-30 000 $ and today you can have more 3d power for 400 $ Regards Jens > A static 3D plot doesn't > need that much graphics RAM -- it's the rapid transformation of it, to > simulate live action, that may require it. > > On the other hand, if the manufacturer's limits are that low for > graphics RAM, I would get another manufacturer. Who knows what other > limitations and compromises they'll saddle you with? I would be very > suspicious. > > Bobby > > -----Original Message----- > From: Murray Eisenberg [mailto:murraye at attbi.com] To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net > Subject: [mg37063] How much graphics RAM? > > We are about to order new PCs for a university student lab in which > Mathematica will be installed. Of course they will be using 2D and 3D > graphics -- plots of surfaces, e.g. Sooner or later students will want > to rotate such plots, too. > > An unresolved issue is how much graphics RAM to get. On existing > machines we typically have 64MB. But for the PCs we are looking at, > manufacturer's limits on graphics RAM, rather than cost, seems to limit > us to 32 MB. > > Is 32 MB adequate not just now, but likely to be adequate as well for > the near future (say, a 3- to 5-year equipment lifetime)? > > -- > Murray Eisenberg murray at math.umass.edu > Mathematics & Statistics Dept. > Lederle Graduate Research Tower phone 413 549-1020 (H) > University of Massachusetts 413 545-2859 (W) > 710 North Pleasant Street > Amherst, MA 01375