The "bigger is better" motto isn't always correct, not even when we talk about PC components. Having a balanced system is what should bother you, most of the time. Graphics cards almost single-handedly deliver 3D performance, and that  confuses many users who believe that the "balance" law just doesn't apply here. They are wrong.

On the card's PCB we have a GPU and an amount of RAM that must be enough so it doesn't end up being a bottleneck for the GPU. But enough is enough, adding memory past that sweet point is useless and, unless it comes for free, a waste of money. Case in point: eVGA's "GeForce 8600 GTS 512MB Superclocked".

Hardware Enthusiast was also suspicious about so much memory being installed on a mid-range offering and found out it's performance benefits a rather small. They go even further:

"The performance just isn’t there to allow you to increase your in-game settings to the levels that 512MB of RAM will help you. We looked closely at the latest games like BioShock, Lost Planet and Lord of the Rings Online. We know these games benefit from more RAM, but at the levels we had to play them at on the GeForce 8600 GTS that isn’t the case. You have to run these games at their highest in-game settings in order to experience the benefits of greater RAM on your video card. The GeForce 8600 GTS GPU simply does not have enough horsepower to pull that off."

Our recommendation is clear, then: don't buy it if it's going to cost you more than a regular 8600 (and it will). 

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