6600gt/6800/6800gt

[nuklear]

Well, after "deciding" what I am going to buy for about the 15th time last week, I still haven't made the order, and guess what, I'm rethinking it yet again.

Basically, I'm now wondering about how much of a performance boost there is between these cards. Between a 6600GT and a 6800GT there is about a $175-200 difference.. but is the increase in performance worth that money? What about a 6800? They don't seem to be very popular, and have an extremely low number of reviews on newegg, and I don't see anyone suggest one. Is it even a viable option?

Now since you're probably wondering, here are some more details.

The Comp
DFI LANPARTY UT nF4 Ultra-D Socket 939
AMD Athlon 64 3200+ Venice Socket 939
1GB (2x512) Corsair PC3200 RAM
6600GT/6800/6800GT
Undecided on PSU at the moment

I use this comp for gaming and that's basically it. Right now, the only game I play that really matters performance-wise is CS:Source. I have no plan to play BF2 or anything like that, but I'm sure as cool new games come out, I'll want to play them. For now, let's just worry more about CS:Source.

Also, I generally play on lower settings, but that's just what I'm used to. The choice of video card is what will make the difference between playing on something like 1280x1024 or 1024x768. I'm not too worried about things looking awesome.. as long as it runs well.


And even though this isn't the right place for it, I guess I'll throw this in quickly anyway. Would an OCZ PowerStream 420W PSU (+12V@30A) be good enough for this, assuming I were to get the 6600GT?

As usual, thank you all in advance for the help. Maybe this time I can finally decide for real and just get this finished already.

 

[apu318]

If you want to play Valve games, check out an ATI card. I'm pretty sure an x800 pro will beat a 6800GT in Source. Maybe I'm thinking x800XL. Anyways, take those into consideration.

 

[nuklear]

Well, even though I said the only game I play right now that I need to worry about is CS:Source, I don't think getting an ATI card just for playing Valve games is a good idea for me. Source is really the only one I play, and by the time they have anything else I'd want to play, I'll be an old man. Plus I'm not entirely sure that I will even continue playing Source much longer.

Basically, I'm using the performance in Source mostly to give myself an idea of the general performance boost between them.

 

[Audioaficionado]

The price of the 6800GT is roughly twice the price of the 6600GT for ~35% more performance. However with the 7800GTX out, that should errode the price of the 6800GT and make it the better bang for the buck card soon.

 

[Yoshpop]

Leadtek 6800GT refurbished @ newegg for $210.. Most people have had straight experiences with getting the refurb version from newegg. I personally have the 6800nu and run 1280x1024 at maxed settings with AA off in CS:S and get ~100fps in the stress test.

 

[nuklear]

A 6800GT for $210 sounds great, I'll look into that more.

Now, any chance I could get an answer about the PSU, or am I going to need to actually put it in the right section?

Anyway, thanks.



*EDIT* I can't seem to find it. The only Refurbished Leadtek 6800GT I see is $300. Am I just not seeing it?

 

[Yoshpop]

You definately have enough amps (30A) on your 12v rail for your system to be stable, now the question is if you have enough watts I'm gonna go ahead and say your psu is fine for now unless you add more HDDs or other peripherials.

EDIT: The leadtek 6800GT refurbished comes in and out of stock on newegg. It's a very popular item and you just have to check regularly to see it in stock.

 

[nuklear]

So if it's out of stock right now, it'll probably have some back in stock in the near future? Or is it more of a random, whenever they have some, type of thing, where it could be awhile before there are more? Also, would the price necessarily stay the same? I'd hate to wait for it only to find it more expensive.

And thanks for the answer on the PSU, that's pretty much what I needed. I may get the 520 rather than the 420 just to be on the safe side, anyway.

 

[Yoshpop]

I have the 520 and love it with the adjustable rails. The price of the video card is always $210. It has been like that for probably over a month now and regularly comes in and out of stock so you gotta act fast leadtek sends em out.

 

[BrutalDrew]

I would look into getting the X800XL rather then the 6800GT. It is $250 and performance is basically the same.

 

[nuklear]

Huh, I thought the X800XL's were more expensive than that, and that's one of the reasons I never really looked much at them. I'll have to check that out. I'd still love that $210 6800GT, though.


Wait, I just realized something. Is the $210 6800GT AGP or PCI-e? Same for the $250 for a X800XL. I'm looking for PCI-e right now, and I just realized that I never really specified that.

 

[ScottinIndy]

The Xl's that are occasionally found in the $250 range are the Pci-e versions.

 

[darksparkz]

Are you going SLI for the whole upgrade in the future thing? If not, spend a decent amount on your video card, since it'll be mainly used for gaming.

PCI-E verisons of the 6800GT range in the upper $330s. It all depends on your budget and how much you think you can afford. If you can afford it, even 6800GT Ultras would work great.

For PSU, get a OCZ 520W, only about $120 for a great brand name PSU. PSU's is all about the brand names.

 

[nuklear]

For now, I'm staying away from SLI, since I wouldn't really be able to afford it, and I see no reason to get an SLI mobo and just use 1 vid card until I can afford the 2nd one.

I'd love to be able to spend a decent amount on my video card, but it's looking like a 6600GT might be the highest I can go right now.

The PSU I had been planning to get was the OCZ PowerStream 420W one, but I'll probably end up getting the 520W one instead.

 

[ScottinIndy]

I would save a little money on the PSU and get a Fortron AX500a and put the extra money towards your video card.

 

[3DFlyer]

I have a 6800GT, and I love it. It may not be the fastest hottest out there anymore, but i just did a BIOS mod to it, and I can't explain why yet, but the BIOS I used must've done something very special to that card! I saw stuff in benches that wasn't even there before. That might sound silly, but believe me, I've ran those benches 100's upon 100's of times and what I saw tonight was unbeliveable! It also improved every single bench score I've ran before. I did not mod the voltage yet either. All I did was reflash it. I haven't even got to the BIOS mods yet. The colors, the sharpness, the reflections that "magically appeared"...all that is better after this flash. Whoever programmed that Golden Sample BIOS is a programming magician. These 6800GT cards rock. I'll also tell you a secret... The 6800GT? It'll bench better than the Ultra. The GT has tighter timings. Games and benches LOVE tight timings. With a Golden Sample BIOS it'll improve your OC's, and that "magic" will come alive.

 

[nuklear]

Is the Refurbished Leadtek 6800GT for $210 the AGP or PCI-e version? If it is PCI-e, I am definitely going for it, but if it's AGP, I'll probably have to get a 6600GT instead because of costs.