Nikkor 70-300mm VR or non VR?

I want to buy the Nikkor 70-300mm for my D90, the one with VR costs a bomb and the non VR is very cheap. So if i get the non VR, will it be and function exactly in the same way the VR would? I understand i'd need a tripod with the non VR and so i'll buy that as well. I want to know if the performance would differ and if not i'll buy the non VR

The optical performance will be the same.

Be aware though that unless you specifically intend to use it in situations in which you'll set up a tripod or monopod (such as shooting sports), not being able to shoot hand-held in anything but bright sunlight will be a serious annoyance. I own both a 55-200VR and an unstabilized 70-300 (a sigma lens), and i have barely used the 70-300 anymore at all.

If shooting sports is what you're after, then VR is only of limited usefulness anyway, as you need to obtain fast shutter speeds to freeze motion - thus rendering the very point of VR moot. And one would deactivate it on a tripod anyway.

Edit: Jeroen is correct, there are different generations of Nikkor 70-300mm lenses. I had presumed that the new 70-300 came in a version with and without VR; just like the 55-200mm exists in both versions, which are identical except for VR.

The optical peformance will NOT be the same.

Nikon has made 3 autofocus versions of the 70-300. There's the old G-type which was made end of the 1990s and often sold with a F65/N65 as a kit. In the end it sold for about 110 euros new and it was worth that.

Then there was the 70-300ED, basically the G-type but with some ED glass which improved optical performance considerably.

In august 2006 nikon came out with the 70-300 VR which was a complete redesign of the 70-300 zoom. Not only did it gain VR but it was more or less redesigned from the ground up to be a competitive offering for the digital bodies. It's cut down on distortion, way down on CA and purple fringing and it's got the edge in sharpness and contrast.

So, to summarize, yes the non-VR will work but it's a cheap lens and it shows.

I've upgraded from the g-type to a sigma 70-300 APO and shot a non-scientific side by side with these.

Last fall I upgraded again from the sigma to Nikon's 70-300VR and was very pleasantly surprised. VR is a nice bonus for low-light shooting but it's allround a much, much better lens