Page 1 - A Mermaid Introduction
NVIDIA GeForce 6600 GT AGP 8x (reference)Product: 128 MB Graphics card
Manufacturer: NVIDIA
Info: www.nvidia.co.uk
Price: 199 EUR / 220 USD
A new week and yes indeed, a new GeForce 6600 review! This one is a bit different though, I can guarantee you that. Ever since NVIDIA introduced the GeForce 6600 series you, the consumer, made something very, very clear to this particular chipzilla: you want an AGP version. Initially I did not think that NVIDIA would have released the AGP version of the 6600 before Christmas because it will directly compete with NVIDIA's own products, namely the GeForce FX series.
But NVIDIA is clearly listening and can see where the money is. Slowly the GeForce FX series will phase out, not because it's bad or anything, but the Series 6 graphics products simply are heaps faster and thus offer true value for you hard earned bucks. So last week we received the reference model of the GeForce 6600 GT AGP 8x version. I know you guys are ready to get this puppy and good news, it's shipping throughout the world as we speak! This is a card that offers a lot of features and performance for a very reasonable amount of money; the GeForce 6600 range is inexpensive and offers truly first-rate value for your money.
Within the GeForce 6600 range we see a large number of products though, slightly mystifying and for some confusing, as within that mid-range lineup we again see a top to bottom range. In essence between 100 and 230 USD you'll notice about 6-7 different 6600 models. The product you'll want to steer clear of is the one marked with 64-bit memory. Memory bandwidth is extremely crucial and a very important factor for performance. That 64-bit version will have effectively halved performance over the 128-bit models. Today's merchandise is in that upper region of that mid-range. The GeForce 6600 GT is possibly my favorite product from the mid-range segment and it doesn't matter whether that is the PCI-Express or AGP 8x version.
I'll admit it immediately, you can't go wrong with the 6600 GT, it offers so much fun and game play. You'll have very respectable frame rates and all the nifty technology features.
Spot the differences, GeForce 6600's all the way
Let's have a quick overview of the Series 6 products from NVIDIA and then talk a little about features and technology. Next we'll show you a photo shoot, followed by overclocking, benchmarks/tests and of course we'll be concluding with "the verdict" on this product.
