Want new card, but I'm tossed up over 3

[Gig-O-Ram]

I currently have a Gf5500 FX 256mb AGP 8x card, and I want to upgrade. I have done quite a bit of research and a lot of comparisons, and I have narrowed my choices to 3 cards by PNY. I chose PNY because they seem to be very up front with their card specs, where some other makers were not. Plus, I have have used PNY in the past, so I am familiar with their products. I might have had an ASUS on my list, but they didn't tell me everything I wanted to know.

My choices are these:

PNY Verto GeForce 6600GT 128MB AGP 8X ($174.95 at ZipZoomFly)
SPECS: NVIDIA® CineFX™ 3.0 Engine
Superscalar GPU architecture
500MHz core clock
128-bit high-speed DDR3 memory interface
900MHz memory data rate
14.4GB/sec. memory bandwidth
4.0 billion texels/sec. fill rate
375 million vertices/sec. setup
8 pixels per clock (peak)
16 textures per pixel (max in single pass)
Dual 400MHz RAMDAC's
Maximum display resolution 2048 x 1536 @ 85Hz
Flat-panel display support with resolutions up to 1920 x 1200
##Requires a 300W Power Supply##

PNY Verto GeForce 6800 AGP 8X 128MB DDR ($199.00 at ZZF)
SPECS: VGA + DVI + S-Video Outputs
NVIDIA® CineFX 3.0 engine
Superscaler GPU architecture with 12 rendering pipelines
325MHz core clock
256-bit DDR memory interface
700MHz memory data rate
22.4GB/sec. memory bandwidth
3.9 billion texels/sec. fill rate
406 million vertices/sec. setup
12 pixels per clock (peak)
16 textures per pixel(max in a single rendering pass)
Dual 400MHz RAMDACs
Maximum display resolution 2048 x 1536 at 85Hz
Flat panel display support with resolutions up to 1600 x 1200
##Requires a 300W Power Supply##

PNY Verto GeForce 6800GT AGP 8X 256MB DDR3 ($415.00 at ZZF)
Specs: NVIDIA® CineFX 3.0 engine
Superscaler GPU architecture with 16 rendering pipelines
350MHz core clock
256-bit high-speed DDR3 memory interface
1GHz memory data rate
32GB/sec. memory bandwidth
5.6 billion texels/sec. fill rate
406 million vertices/sec. setup
525 million vertices/sec. setup
16 pixels per clock (peak)
16 textures per pixel(max in a single rendering pass)
Dual 400MHz RAMDACs
Maximum display resolution 2048 x 1536 at 85Hz
Flat panel display support with resolutions up to 1600 x 1200
##Requires a 300W Power Supply##

Should I go with the 6600GT and its 500/900 clock speeds, the 6800 (slower clocks and data rate, but 12 pipes) or spend more $$ on the 6800GT? (slower clocks, but 16 pipes, more memory and data rate/bandwidth for days)

I will ultimately choose one of them, but I was hoping some other opinions or advice will help me.

 

[{PMS}fishy]

Short answer is a 6800 at 400mhz core is way faster than a 6600gt at 500mhz core.

If you pay $415 for a GT you are crazy.

You can pick up used Ultras for around $300-350.

Out of the 3 the 6800GT gets my vote, or hunt down a 6800 Ultra.

 

[Cyrix_2k]

I'd say get the 6800 and flash it to the 6800GT.

 

[telexen]

Definitely the standard 6800. The price has come way down on those...they're now a better buy than the 6600gt.

The only problem with it is the 128mb of RAM.

 

[Drec]

6800GTs starting @ $284

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...ice=&MaxPrice=&SubCategory=48&Submit=Property

 

[ScottinIndy]

6800GTs starting @ $284

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...ice=&MaxPrice=&SubCategory=48&Submit=Property

Yeah, The egg has the Pny 68gt agp for $295

 

[Yuriman]

The 6800nu is also a lot cheaper at newegg.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130202

 

[Scott9027]

I noticed you picked a specific manufacturer with PNY, and I think you should take a look at BFG. In my opinion, they are the best nVidia manufacturer, especially because of the limited lifetime warranty on their cards. Also I would encourage you to take a look at ATI's offerings, including the X800XL, which I think is the best bang for buck video card on the market right now. Out of the cards you have chosen, I would recommend picking up the 6800GT or the 6800 if you want to save some money.

 

[Gig-O-Ram]

Yeah, The egg has the Pny 68gt agp for $295

I was just there, and I saw the card for that incredible price! Mind you, though the 6800GT card in my list above is the one I think I really want by PNY, I was not at all hot to pay over 4 bills for it, which is why I was also thinking of the others. I just registered at Newegg and set it up for them to let me know when the card is available again (its out of stock right now).

I keep seeing something in the requirements lists for some of these cards that talk about the card needing a power dongle to hook up to the hard drive (or the PSU)...is that just another way of saying it needs an independent power cable? I'm just a bit confused on this, because the last time I put in a GPU myself, I just popped into the bus slot and went on my way. No other surgery was required.

 

[Gig-O-Ram]

I noticed you picked a specific manufacturer with PNY, and I think you should take a look at BFG. In my opinion, they are the best nVidia manufacturer, especially because of the limited lifetime warranty on their cards. Also I would encourage you to take a look at ATI's offerings, including the X800XL, which I think is the best bang for buck video card on the market right now. Out of the cards you have chosen, I would recommend picking up the 6800GT or the 6800 if you want to save some money.

I actually did see a 6800GT card from BFG on ZipZoomFly.com for a not to bad price. They were pretty good at telling me the specifics on the card, which is why I have been focused on PNY. The only reason I chose PNY is for their open spec lists, and because I've used them before. I'm not opposed to trying cards from other makers, I just want the best price and the best product.

 

[bohansen]

If your going with 6800gt i would recomend getting a Leadtek. the HS on that is huge and gives you a better chance of OCing higher, to past Ultra speeds.

284 at newegg. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814122195

 

[Mr.Guvernment]

Why not check out the used sections and get soeone ultra for $300

or a GT for $250

 

[Janus67]

I would definitely get the 6800GT and then just OC it, or do how others have recommended by getting a used 6800U and you will be set.

 

[Gig-O-Ram]

I have my eye on 2 68GTs (PNY and Leadtek) both under $300 at Newegg.

I think it will be the best card for the money, and I won't need to worry about upgrading for a while.

 

[3DFlyer]

Why go with a speciffic brand on the nVidia cards? They are all reference design cards. Find the cheapest 6800GT and throw a good aftermarket cooler on it. Almost every single one of these cards are identical. In fact, I can't remember seeing any brand that has not used the reference design. Some may use copper instead of aluminum on the GPU, or put some fancy looking cooler on it, but layout of these boards are identical. They all have the same GPU on them. The only differences I have seen are some cooling differences and different colored IC boards. If you pay 425 bucks for a 6800GT, that's almost 200 bucks too much. Just grab a card that's the color you want and get a good aftermarket cooler for it. Then flash it with the BIOS you want. You'll save alot of money that way, and still get one of the most powerful cards out there.

 

[Gig-O-Ram]

I have noticed that a lot of the cards have similar specs to them, but now I am just trying to find the least expensive one for the model I want. The card I saw made by Leadtek has a fairly big cooler thing on it, where the one by PNY doesn't. Both are around $279 or so, which is a lot better deal than $400+.

I don't know anything about aftermarket coolers...do you just snap them on, or is there some surgery required? What is the best kind?

And the flash it with BIOS thing...someone is gonna have to explain how to do that one.

 

[ScottinIndy]

Honestly, You should be fine with any card you pick, Most all make quality products and every once in awhile you can get a dud. I got the Leadtek 68gt because it was the lowest priced and I have another of their cards and had no problems with it.
So in the end I would suggest going with the best deal price wise, You can add an after market cooler later if you deem it necesarry, However right out of the box any of the cards should have you up and gaming full tilt.

 

[bohansen]

when it comes down to it some companies have better specs then others.. or somethings that makes them stand out a bit from the other companies.. Likes BFg's auto OC or leadteks massive HS. THATs why people choose specific brands.

Unless of course you get a different third party HS then they all might be prety similar

 

[3DFlyer]

I have noticed that a lot of the cards have similar specs to them, but now I am just trying to find the least expensive one for the model I want. The card I saw made by Leadtek has a fairly big cooler thing on it, where the one by PNY doesn't. Both are around $279 or so, which is a lot better deal than $400+.

I don't know anything about aftermarket coolers...do you just snap them on, or is there some surgery required? What is the best kind?

And the flash it with BIOS thing...someone is gonna have to explain how to do that one.

Aftermarket coolers have different methods that they use to retain them, but most of the 6800 series use some sort of spring dampened screw arrangement and usually a rear retainer plate of some sort. Most come with dirrections. It's fairly easy. One must be very careful not to chip or scratch the GPU, or put any undue stress on it while doing this.

Flashing with another BIOS is starting to get into alot more difficulty. I'd say "medium" difficulty level. It involves using DoS based programs, or command line interfaces from a boot disk. On the Gainward BIOS there is a speciffic program used for it.

On other BIOS's, one must use the nVidia nvFlash utility. This is not something that should be done unless you understand it completely and what can happen. You can end up with a card that doesn't work at all. It is a calculated risk to gain a small percentage in performance. Unless you are max OC'ing or Benchmarking I would not recommend it. It will give you performance increases, but there is some risk involved...as there always is when flashing a BIOS. If you want more info on exactly how to do it, I recommend reading the stickies at the top of the forum, they explain in detail how to do this. Remember, once you flash a BIOS you are on your own. Your warranty is definitely void after that.

 

[Gig-O-Ram]

I think I would be willing to try putting in aftermarket cooling, though with the 68GT, it probably (hopefully) won't be necessary. And I would definately take care not to damage the chip, as this comp is the only one I have and I can't afford another right now.

As for flashing the BIOS...I could read up on how to do it and maybe learn something in the process, but I don't know enough about DOS commands to be sure that I wouldn't mess something up. I took computer courses in high school way before the days of windows, and DOS was always over my head. :
I'm not that much of a gambler, and as I said, the card itself should solve all my performance issues.

Oh, I wanted to thank everyone who has taken the time to give opinions or advice on this issue...I think now I can make a more informed choice.