what's the difference...

[[MSB]-TOM]

..between 9600 128mb and 9600 256mb?
is it worth paying a little more to get the 256 one? also, how bigger difference would there be?

ps. this is not for me its for a friend

[SearanoX]

No, it's not worth the extra memory, especially because it's slower than the 128 MB version (in order to save money on ATi's end). Unless you're going to be keeping the card for a year or two, you won't see much of a difference on games. Later on, with Half-Life 2 and DOOM III, it might be worth getting it. The 9600 Pro can also be overclocked to XT speeds.

If possible, you could also try looking for a 9700 NP, which can be overclocked nicely if your friend is into that.

[Soulburner]

The 256mb card IS better, but only if its "PRO".

The 256mb cards are usually lower clocked non-pros so are usually not as fast.

[PersianImmortal]

No, it's not worth the extra memory, especially because it's slower than the 128 MB version (in order to save money on ATi's end).

The 256MB version is faster for high resolutions and higher levels of AA and AF. So if your friend is not (or can't) game at resolutions like 1600x1200, and doesn't have the performance headroom to use high levels of AA and AF then it's not worth it.

In fact it would be smarter to get a 128MB 9800 Pro than a 256MB 9600 XT given the price would be similar.