AGP 6600GT vs 6800GS vs 7600GS

[oxygene_2]

I know there are a lot of "new agp card" threads out there with similar questions to mine, but there is also a lot of conflicting information...

I want to upgrade my current (AGP) video card for the short term as I might get a whole new computer once vista/direct x 10 comes out.

I've pretty much narrowed it down to a choice between:

The 6600GT 128Mb
The 7600GS 128Mb
The 6800GS 256Mb 256bit

I'm a bit confused about which would be the best option. The 6600GT and 7600GS are roughly the same price here (Australia) and i've heard people say that the 7600GS is a better card. However, I've also noticed that the 7600GS has DDR2 memory while the 6600GT has DDR3 memory....

The 6800GS is about AU$50 more than the other 2 cards, but i'm not sure if it's any better than the others.

Please bear in mind that i'm not really intending to overclock.

Can anyone offer any recommendations/advice?

Thanks

 

[TheGreatGrapeApe]

I'm a bit confused about which would be the best option. The 6600GT and 7600GS are roughly the same price here (Australia) and i've heard people say that the 7600GS is a better card.

It is.

However, I've also noticed that the 7600GS has DDR2 memory while the 6600GT has DDR3 memory....

Makes little difference the GS will be faster in pretty much everything, even if memory bandwidth were an issue it's be at a resolution the GF6600GT would crap out in.

The 6800GS is about AU$50 more than the other 2 cards, but i'm not sure if it's any better than the others.

It is better, but only slightly better than the GF7600GS.

Whether or not it's worth $50 would depend on you and what percentage that is. $50 more than $50 no. $50 more than $200, yes.

Not sure about AU pricing so that's a guess of course.

The GF7600GS and GF6800 GS are well ahead of the GF6600GT, and the GF6800GS would be a good 20% better (especially on older games at high res high AA) than the GF7600GS as a ballpark figure.

 

[oxygene_2]

Thanks for the reply.

The 7600GS and 6600GT are approximately AU$180, while the 6800GS is more like AU$230.

One other option i've just come across is the X800GTO 256Mb for about the same price as the 7600GS and 6600GT. How would this card compare to the other 3 i've mentioned?

Thanks again.

 

[TheGreatGrapeApe]

The X800GTO is just below but about equal to the GF6800GS, but depends on the App, there's also the X800GTO-16 which is slightly better than the GF6800GS;

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/video/display/powercolor-x800gto16.html

 

[Steve911924]

My second PC has an ATI X1600XT 256MB (the MSI one with passive cooling) and that retailed for $199 from the local shop. The performance of this card hovers around the 6800GT mark, and is great value for money.

As for those three, I would probably go for the 7600GS, as it has the 12 pipes (Infact it is the same design as the 7600GT, but with lower clock and memory speeds), and the option of overclocking is always there.

I personally would go for the 7600GT, or have a look into a X1600XT

 

[oxygene_2]

I think i might go for the 256 bit 256Mb Xpertvision 6800GS for AU$225.

Does anyone know what sort of power supply i need for this card? All I know about my power supply is that it's 400W.

Also, is the card particularly noisy or hot?

 

[Steve911924]

It depends on how power-hungry the rest of your system is. I personally would recommend around 450w PSU to be around the mark, or a 500w is you have a more power-needy system. Just make sure it is a good brand, so you can rest assured there won't be any hiccups.

If you have no plans on upgrading your system for a while and want to run the latest games, then the 6088GS will do just fine.

 

[Steve911924]

Oh and as for heat issues, etc:
The 6800GS will take up the spare PCI slot next to it, but the passively cooled 7600GS will run hot, especially during gaming (up to 90c in a case with poor airflow, according to a collegue at work). As with all actively cooled VGA cards, the 6800GS will generate some noise, but nothing too audible.

 

[oxygene_2]

hmm... my power supply came with the case which is a fairly generic case(OMNI brand)...

I really don't want to have to mess around and get a new power supply...

The rest of my system is:

Athlon XP 3200+
1.5Gb DDR400 RAM
160GB HDD
LG 16X DVD Burner
Radeon 9550 256Mb
SB Live 5.1

Given that i just want to get a new card and not bother with anything else (eg new PSU) would a 7600GS or X800GTO be a better option?

Also, does anyone know anything about the "Inno3d" brand?

Thanks

 

[PaCanc]

My 6600GT runs 40-45C idle, 80-85C in games. So I expect similar temperatures from the 6800.
Also my card runs off a 350W no-brand PSU, so I think 400W for the 6800 should be enough.
From what I know, the 7600 uses less power than the 6800, and runs cooler.

 

[quantumsheep]

hmm... my power supply came with the case which is a fairly generic case(OMNI brand)...

I really don't want to have to mess around and get a new power supply...

The rest of my system is:

Athlon XP 3200+
1.5Gb DDR400 RAM
160GB HDD
LG 16X DVD Burner
Radeon 9550 256Mb
SB Live 5.1

Given that i just want to get a new card and not bother with anything else (eg new PSU) would a 7600GS or X800GTO be a better option?

Also, does anyone know anything about the "Inno3d" brand?

Thanks

Don't worry, im running a 6800gt and a Northwood P4 @ 3.7 with 2 H/Ds off of a standard 350 Watt Emachines power supply. You're 400 should be more than enough to run it fine.

 

[oaksmokedbacon]

You could also consider a 2nd hand card from Ebay, like the X800XT's or the 6800GT or 6800 ultras.

You'll get a great deal and they will perform jsut as well as the ones you've mentioned if not better

 

[oxygene_2]

I just checked my PSU and it's rated at 400W and 12A for 12V...

I've had a bit of a look around and it seems that people are recommending a minimum of 350W and 18A @12V.

Does this mean that my PSU is insufficient for both the 7600GS and 6800GS?