Upgrading from a 6600 256 agp, but to what?

[fedshark]

With games like Oblivion not so far off, its time for me to consider an upgrade. I want to know whether or not its worth upgrading to a x850 XT or 6800 GS (for shader 3.0 support) from a 6600, or would the performance boost not be good enough to warrant the price? Ive thought about getting a pci express compatible board, but then Id also have to buy a new cpu on top of that and a card that'd end up costing more than I think I'd really want to spend. So, is upgrading to a x850/6800 gs worth it when I've got a 6600? And, if so, would I really be better off with a x850 and not having the ability to use newer features with with the 3.0 shaders or having the 6800 gs and having alittle weaker performance? I'd appreciate what feedback anybody has to offer.

 

[parlee]

if your worried about price look at the x800xt aiw, its somthing like 229 and it offers incredable performance, to math x850xt speeds all youd have to do is overclock it a little, if the price for a x800xt aiw is a lot less than the x850xt, consider the x800xt due to the fact that the performance difference (stock) is like 5 fps in any given situation

 

[raven_87]

If he was going to buy a card for gaming, then why get him an All-IN-Wonder??

He said he needed SM3.0 support...something the X8xx line doesnt have.
But his 6600 DOES have. To be honest, I would wait until you see what your system needs. The R580 is moments away, not to mention the G71, so take your time, prices will fall with these new lines, you'll save some $$ while getting the preformance you'll need.

 

[pauldh]

If he was going to buy a card for gaming, then why get him an All-IN-Wonder??

Because the AIW is as cheap or cheaper than the plain X800XT, and there is no equal performing gaming card for that price, unless a X850XT can be found on sale for the same.

 

[parlee]

thats what i was saying, u get more features, same perforamance for less price due to the low demand for the card, if he wants SMshader 3.0 then he should upgrade to pci express where all the newer cards support it... theres no reason to get a 6600 for 150 when an x800xt can be had for 230 with WAY better perforamnce, and the 6600 although supports SM3.0 u cant really use it due to the poor perforamnce of the card...

 

[pauldh]

So, is upgrading to a x850/6800 gs worth it when I've got a 6600?

Yes, most definately. Assuming the rest of the system is up to par, there is just no comparison.

And, if so, would I really be better off with a x850 and not having the ability to use newer features with with the 3.0 shaders or having the 6800 gs and having alittle weaker performance?

IMO, YES!!! The X850XT or AIW X800XT is a much better gaming card offering more bang for about the same buck. I still think any GF6, including my 6800U OC, is too weak to get excited about having SM3. Hey if a 6800U were the same price as the X850XT, then performance is close to a draw, so sure grab the SM3 card. But that's far from the case price wise. The 6800GS AGP with it's lowered clock speeds, is slower than a X800pro(also 12-pipes), which gets destroyed by the X850XT.

If you hope to game at 1280x1024 on an LCD, or use eye candy at 10x7 or above, grab the X850Xt.

 

[pauldh]

I hear ya

And i agree, if he desperately wants SM3, then PCI-e is the way to go. The best available SM3 AGP cards(6800U), are no longer available :roll: and the 6800GS AGP is really too expensive for the performance it offers.