Graphics 6600GT VS. 6800

well I am in the process of finishing a computer I started a few months ago and the last thing i need is a video card so i was searching and i found these

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814127179

and

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814127147

my question is the 6800 is only a few $$ more so would it be a good choice to get the 6800?

It will be going in a Athlon 64 3400+ with 1GB RAM. If you need any more info just ask.

Thanks in advance.

 

i would say personal preference on that matter. Just my humble opinion. I will no doubt be told i have absolutely no idea what im talking about by some random person with a massive post count so take it with a grain a salt. The 6600 does however boast a 1000Mhz memory clock and the 6800 is only at a 600Mhz clock and the 6600gt seems to brag tons more features for that particular model. If i was going to go with a 6800 i would probably spend a bit more and get the gt if not the ultra. So to get to the point already i would get the 6600 in this particual case but once again its just me.

 

6800 all the way.
Deffo, no doubt about it.

 

any specific reason?

 

going up to a 6800GT is out of the question because of the cost, I would like to keep it under ~$235

 

could look for a 6800le and unlock pipelines and shaders..

just look are some places have ones which can be unlocked easy...

 

Okay, well all 6800 use 256bitDDR whereas all 6600 use 128bitDDR. So at the same memeory clock speed the 6800 cards would have double the memory bandwidth. As such a 6800 @600mhz has 20% greater memory bandwidth than a 6600GT @1000mhz. The 6800 series also has more pipes than the 6600GT, so again at the same clock speeds the 6800 will be quite a bit faster.

However what is most important is how it all plays out in practice. The 6600GT is about even with the 6800LE (cheapest 6800) but the 6800LE is generally more o/c'able. The 6800 is a nice little step up from both of those while the 6800GT gets you right up near the top end of the perf spectrum. I wouldn't discount the X800 cards as although they lack SM3.0 support (a desirable yet minor thing) they tend to offer better perf at a lower price. Over a wide range of games the X800SE is a touch faster than 6600GT, X800 is a touch faster than 6800 while X800XL is a touch faster than 6800GT. For reference those links are ...

$178 "MSI NX6600GT-TD128E Geforce 6600GT 128MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI-Express x16 Video Card - Retail"

$229 "MSI NX6800-TD128E Geforce 6800 128MB 256-bit DDR PCI-Express x16 Video Card - Retail"

 

If memory serves correctly, the 6800 clocks like a b*tch
And its quicker than th 6600gt stock too, i think

 

thanks thats what i needed to know. I had not noticed the memory interface difference between the cards on the site so i understand now why. Thanks Austin and Fury for explaining it.

 

well i think i need to try to save some cash for an LCD so i will get the 6600GT. Thanks for all the help and information.

 

There are comparison numbers in bit-tech's SLI coverage part 3

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/2005/05/18/nvidia_sli_pt3/1.html

 

I'm not sure about unlocking PCI-E 6800s, I know that the plain 6800 is based on a different chipset so doesn't have the pipelines there to unlock, and I'd assume it'd be the same with the 6800LE (if PCI-E versions exist?). I'd still take 6800 over 6600GT for performance.

 

Id wait a few months and wait for the 7000s to come out. The 6800s will probably go down to where the ultra might be some what reasonably priced.

 

checking out the video card charts at toms hardware, the 6600gt always out performs the 6800.

 

Whatever floats your boat.
I don't really follow THG tbh, but imo 6800 is the bigger b*tch

 

I think at stock clocks the 6600GT is a hair faster, but the extra pipes on the 6800 make it scale up past it very quickly when overclocked. Don't take my word for it though, I don't remember the specs.

And 6800U is just stupid. There might have been 1 6800GT ever that didn't overclock to or beyond that clock speed, saving the owner $100.

 

More then agreed
The 6800U is a complete waste, unless your a *****.

 

6800 is definitely the better card but then it costs more too, so it's pretty even. However if you consider o/c'ing it's no contest as the 6600GT does well to increase clocks by 10% while the 6800 tend to give you more (20%?). Also armed with 256bitDDR, more pipelines and more vertex every extra 1mhz has more impact on all the 6800 cards too. It's generally close between the 6600GT and 6800LE (a cut-down 6800) but you should find the 6800 is a decent amount faster. The specs are ...

6600GT 110nm 500/1000 8pipe 3vertex 128bitDDR GPU=2000Mp/s Vertex=375Mv/s RAM=16GB/s
6800LE 130nm 320/700 8pipe 6vertex 256bitDDR GPU=2560Mp/s Vertex=480Mv/s RAM=22.4GB/s
6800std 130nm 325/700 12pipe 5vertex 256bitDDR GPU=3900Mp/s Vertex=488Mv/s RAM=22.4GB/s
6800GT 130nm 350/1000 16pipe 6vertex 256bitDDR GPU=5600Mp/s Vertex=525Mv/s RAM=32GB/s

6600GT effectively have 8 pipes though not technically. However the key thing is actual perf where it's as if they have 8 true pipes. You can expect a little variance between manufacturers and the AGP version of the 6600GT is clocked very slightly lower, the above should be a VERY good guide though. The most important figures are the 'GPU Mp/s' and 'RAM GB/s' although you should still take some note of the 'Vertex Mvert/s' as well. All are based on the same principle technology / archy so compare quite accurately on paper specs alone.

 

The 6600 GT does have eight pixel pipelines.

NVIDIA have designed a very intelligent chip with orthogonal pixel output engines, or ROPs that are separate from the pixel pipelines. The NV43 can process 8 pixels per clock but only write 4. However, because the ROPs are orthogonal they are always full thanks to the Fragment Crossbar that load balances the pixel output.

 

That's the full and correct explanation of course, I was trying to be concise. I know you can't comment but I would imagine with how incredibly efficient the half ROP design is we will be seeing it used in the new cards right up to the high-end. It would be a great way to 32 pipes by only using 16 ROPs instead of the full 32.