Between two identical graphics cards, if all the specifications are the same other than bitrate, then the 256-bit card will be faster than the 128-bit card. Otherwise, a graphics card’s performance depends on a lot of features along with bitrate. Sometimes a 128-bit card can be faster than a 256 bit GPU.
Though a 256-bit card is always a better option than a 128-bit card, a 128-bit card can beat a 256-bit card in many cases. Still today, 128-bit graphic cards are good enough for the vast majority of PC users.
128 Bit vs 256 Bit GPU – What’s the Difference?
A 128-bit GPU may seem a lot weaker than a 256-bit card. But a 128-bit card can still handle a lot of heavy tasks and can be affordable as well as a 256-bit card. Some AMD cards are still at 128 bit but they are quite powerful.
Best 128-Bit Graphics Cards
Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1050 Ti, AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT, AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT, Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Super, Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960, GTX 750 Ti, GeForce GT 730 DDR3 and AMD RX 460 128-Bit 4GB GDDR5 are some 128bit cards.
Among these, Radeon RX 6600 XT is the most powerful one and can compete with the most powerful cards in the market. Also, the GTX 1650 Super, GTX 1050 Ti, and Radeon RX 5500 XT are very good at handling most of graphics tasks easily.
There are a lot of options out there and here are a few of them that are useful and handy.
Best 256-Bit Graphics Cards
AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT, AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT, Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Ti, AMD Radeon RX 6800, Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070, Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Super, Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080, Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Super are some the best 256 bit cards.
Most of the high-end graphics cards are 256 bit. Among these AMD Radeon RX, 6900 XT is the most powerful one. Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 is the most powerful card with RTX features here. Though the 6900 XT has the ray tracing feature as well, most users prefer RTX as the ray tracing feature from a GPU.
If you are looking for something alternative, then here are some worth looking into.
128 Bit Cards for Games
At max settings and 1080p resolution, Shadow of Tomb Raider is being rendered by GTX 1050 Ti at 32 FPS. GTX 1650 Super renders at 66 FPS, 5500 XT renders at 55 FPS and 6600 XT renders at 112 FPS.
If you have a low-tier 128bit card like GeForce 1030 or GTX 960, you can play the above games at medium or low graphics settings. Even with weaker graphics cards like the GTX 730 or RX 460, you can play less demanding games like Far Cry 3, Mafia 2, Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood, Witcher 2, NFS The Run, etc.
256 Bit Cards for Games
At the highest settings, RTX 2080 shows an average of 131 FPS in Shadow of the Tomb Raider. Again, at max settings the 6900 XT renders the game at 141 FPS, the RTX 3070 renders at 102 FPS, 3060 Ti renders at 118 FPS, and RX 580 renders at 87 FPS.
If you are going to play games with the ray tracing feature on, frames will be lower but DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling) or features like DLSS can help the game render at higher FPS. These 256-bit cards can run all modern games at 1080p easily. There are also low-tier 256 bit GPUs like GTX 1650, which can be harder to play with.
256 Bit and 128 Bit Cards for Graphics Works
If you are a 2D designer like an illustrator or photoshop user, then a card like GeForce 1030 will be enough for you which is a 128-bit card. A low-tier 256-bit card like RX 580 can be so helpful if you put stress on your PC while graphics designing.
If you are a video editor or stream games or live screens on social media, 6600 XT will be good for you as a 128-bit card. If you want a 256-bit card, at least 1650 is recommended unless you are a professional. If you are a professional video editor then go for no less than a 2060 Super.
Which is Better GDDR5 or GDDR6?
For multi-purpose synthetic tests, the GDDR6 Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 showed a performance boost of between 5% and 8%. Nvidia GTX 1650 GDDR5 versus GDDR6 Performance Benchmarks It also showed a range of improvements in gaming performance, ranging from 2% to 10% (depending on the game), with an average of around 6%. Additionally, though they both have the same TDP of 75 Watts, the GDDR6 model used 9% less power than the GDDR5 version.
128 Bit Vs 256 Bit GPU Bandwidth
To determine bandwidth appropriately, multiply your bus width by its data rate, then multiply that amount by two. The total possible throughput is now measured in Megabytes per second. The higher this value is, the faster your graphics rendering will be.
Conclusion
If you focus on performance, you should not concentrate on the bit rate of a GPU. A GPU can be 128 bit or 256 bit, but the performance depends mostly on the other specification. A high-end 128 bit can be more powerful than a low-end 256 bit GPU and vice versa.
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