geforce question

how big of a step back is a 660gt 128mb ddr3
from a 6800 128mb ddr

well the 6800nu is a bit faster than a 6600gt, dont' get me wrong both are excellent cards, but..

6800 256bit memory interface 12 pixel pipelines

6600gt 128bit memory interface 8 pixel pipelines

this is what i am considering as replacement
BFG Tech BFGR6600GT Geforce 6600GT 128MB 128-bit GDDR3 AGP 4X/8X Video Card
Core clock 525MHz
PixelPipelines 8
Memory Clock 1050MHz
Memory Size 128MB
Memory Interface 128-bit
Memory Type GDDR3
3D API
DirectX DirectX 9
OpenGL OpenGL 1.5
Interface
Interface AGP 4X/8X


( i have this not working properly tried all suggestions )
XFX 6800 128mb ddr
DirectX: DirectX 9
DVI: 2
Max Resolution: 2048x1536
Memory Clock: 700MHz
Memory Interface: 256-bit
OpenGL: OpenGL 1.5
SLI Supported: No
TV Tuner: No
TV-Out: S-Video Out
VIVO: No


RAMDACs (MHz): 400

Both are good, I would personally choose the 6800, it's an xfx which means the memory could overclock to nearly 900mhz, plus you could almost certainly unlock the extra pipelines and vertex shader with riva tuner, turning it into a 6800nu(non ultra) with 16 pipelines and 6 vertex shaders.....

Meaning a much faster card than the 6600gt could ever be....


Edit - sorry missed the bit about you having the 6800, just out of interest whats wrong with it?

won't run with any udated drivers crashes windows fatal errors

You'll be stepping back from 256bit video memory to 128bit video memory, which will cause a slight performance hit but nothing you'll really notice.

The Geforce 6600GT is capable of running most current games in exactly the same quality/resolution as the 6800/X800 series of graphics cards without much of a performance hit. The only reason I'd buy another 6800 is future-proofing, the 6800 will naturally out-last the 6600GT as newer games come out, but to be honest the 6600GT already has a healthy life expectancy.

As for what the other guy said about overclocking, ignore him. If you're getting the BFG 6600GT it comes pre-overclocked and is still capable of much more if you're into that sort of thing.

If you're looking for a low-cost/high-performance alternative to your card then go for the 6600GT. Like I said, it will obviously take a slight performance hit, but you'll definitely be pleased as it can still run Half Life 2 in 1600x1200 resolution and at full detail, which includes the AA and AF.

tx for the input

Sorry to be picky, but what I said was if you overclock a 6800 and unlock the pipes then difference in performance would be wider....didn't even mention about overclocking a 6600gt, never had one so why would I say overclock it.....

I went from a Geforce FX 5200 to a BFG Tech Geforce 5500 FX OC.. did i do any better or worse..? (i am also getting a new PSU today..from a MicroATX 250w to a MicroATX 350w)

You would see a bit of a difference, not alot though

At this point in time, you should be looking for PCI Express cards if you plan on upgrading the rest of your computer any time soon. I couldn't recommend spending the money on a 6800 unless you really don't see yourself upgrading for several years. The 6600 is more than enough power for GW and any other game out today, and it's the only AGP card I could justify spending the money on at this point.

Keep in mind that the 6600GT is clocked higher than 6800 (even though it has 256bit memory), and FXF = crap company.

Sorry, your wrong, just because it is clocked higher doesn't mean it performs better, double the memory bandwidthof a 6800 means it outperforms the 6600gt, dont forget the fact 12 pipeline to the 6600gt's 8, and the fact that the 6800nu can potentially be unlocked to the full 16 pipelines and 6 vertex shaders using rivatuner, would you not say that that would make it perform a whole lot better than a 6600gt no matter what speed the memory or the core can run at.......

So exactly where did I say that the 6600GT outperforms a 6800?

My apologies termite, misinterpreted what you wrote

Oh well went with the 660gt
did so because my system is very new and agp. prob wont upgrade my motherboard for at least a year the i'll prob go pci hopefully by that time the 6800ultra will be down enough.
Tx for all your input

Hopefully not one made by XFX

nope bfg comes overclocked with lifetime warranty

one thing you might do (and report back to us) is check the wording of lifetime

PNY has a *LIFETIME* guarantee but checking the fine print it is the MARKETING LIFETIME of the card

meaning if you buy it reasonably close to the point when a new generation of cards come out and a year later that card is no longer in every store you are not covered

My Leadtek has a 3 yeat guarantee and supports overclocking their products to the point of supplying a good overclocking utility as part of the install cd

quote from there site leads me to believe lifetime means lifetime.
LIFETIME WARRANTY.
Other vendors may claim to have a “lifetime warranty”, but closer inspection of their policy reveals that “lifetime” is defined as products currently on the shelf and in production.

here is warranty
BFG Tech Lifetime Warranty


BFG Technologies is proud to warrant the original purchaser of the graphics card included in this package ("Product") that the Product will be free from defects in material or workmanship for as long as the original purchaser owns the product, when given normal wear and proper usage. This warranty is valid if the product:
>> Was not damaged while being installed.
>> Was not damaged by software or hardware from a company or individual other than BFG Technologies or by motherboard incompatibility.
>> Was operated in accordance with BFG Technologies specifications, instructions and any technical support directions.
>> Was not modified or damaged by overclocking, tampering, user error, accident, disaster, abuse, misuse, power supply, power application, alteration, repair, modification, a fix or replacement by someone other than BFG Technologies.

BFG Technologies' liability under this warranty, or in connection with any other claim relating to the Products, is limited to the repair or at BFG Technologies option, the replacement of the portion of the Products which were defective in material or workmanship.

You assume the risk of loss in transit and the returned Products shall be the sole property of BFG Technologies. BFG Technologies warrants the repaired or replaced Products will be free from defects in material or workmanship.

EXCEPT AS EXPRESSLY STATED ABOVE, BFG Technologies MAKES NO WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, WHETHER OF MERCHANTABILITY, NON-INFRINGEMENT OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY, FITNESS FOR ANY PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR USE, OR OTHERWISE ON THE PRODUCTS, OR ANY PARTS OR TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE OR OTHER LABOR FURNISHED.

BFG Technologies reserves the right to inspect and verify the defectiveness of any product returned. Please allow 48 hrs processing time once item has been received by BFG, and 3-5 days for shipping of the replacement product (shipped ground). This warranty does not apply to any software component.

thank you for the information

i know about the PNY lifetime guarantee from personal experience

it took a month to get my warranty replacement card but i did get it after 4 calls to them

did i mention i am very happy with my new Leadtek 6600 GF?

u wont see much, if any difference... trust me

"Whoa, slow down there Timmy, you're not on the moon yet!"

AGP 4x/8x will still be alive and kicking for a long time yet. If, in the future, he decides that he'd like to upgrade to a 6800/X800 (Or 7800) series graphics card then he'll more than likely still be able to find 4x/8x AGP variants.

Of course the 6800/x800 are available in AGP versions. The newer generations coming out this summer will NOT, however, come in AGP. The industry is changing. If you want to stay at the top of the line, then you have no choice but to change platforms. I'm telling him this for future-proofing reasons. I, for one, wouldn't like to spend a bunch of money on a platform which will be unsupported in a few months.

So you're saying the 6800 AGP only has a few months of life left in it? I hardly think so. Even the 6600/6600GT AGP will last a while longer than that. Hell, the X850 XT just got converted to AGP, something they didn't plan on doing at all.

The 7800 is coming out soon, but I hear it's still coming in both PCI-E and AGP flavours, and that the vanilla 7800 PCI-E is not going to support SLI.

Uh... I never said it wouldn't have any life.... I'm telling you that AGP is being phased out. The 6800 series will be more than powerful enough for the next several years.

And I sure am glad to hear what you have heard; it makes me feel SO much better...

I got the impression that you were telling him not to buy an AGP graphics card, if you weren't then I apologise, but I was just setting the record straight that AGP will not suddenly become useless.

Oh? Are you, like me, not a fan of SLI? Or are you glad the 7800 may be coming out in AGP flavour?

I love SLI. I have a pair of 6600gt's in SLI and couldn't be happier with the performance I'm getting.

I remember when the experts where saying that sata drives were the next step and pata drives would be phased out soon.

While it's true that SLI offers great performance, and that dual 6600GTs have been known to perform better than dual 6800's, I'm just not ready for SLI yet.

I'm still sceptical since 3DFX made a failed attempt at it a few years back, and I simply don't have the money to spend on dual graphics cards at the moment. If SLI does indeed become a great success, then I'll consider it, but only time will tell for me.

Indeed. PCI-E 16x is simply not a big enough improvement over AGP 8x to completely phase it out, a number of AGP 8x graphics cards still out-perform their PCI-E 16x counterparts. The AGP version of the X850 XT PE is a class example.

Chances are they'll simply create yet another faster PCI slot, but until then AGP isn't really going anywhere any time soon.

Isn't it cheaper to get a higher end card. Given the fact that video cards are great sources of heat, I find the idea of two video cards a bit hard to stomach.

no

you can buy 2 6600 GT cheaper than 1 6800 ultra