Nvidia 6600 Series Examined 251
DrunkenTerror writes "Yesterday at QuakeCon, Nvidia debuted their new affordable GPU mentioned a few days ago on Slashdot. Dubbed the GeForce 6600 and 6600 GT, they differ from their higher-end brethren by having only 8 pixel pipes (unlike the 12 & 16 of the 6800 line), and appear to be limited to 128MB of RAM. Both GPUs support Shader Model 3.0. The 6600 GT sports fast GDDR3 RAM, while the 6600 appears to use plain-jane DDR. The GT also supports the oft-recently-discussed SLI, which could 'enable millions of users to experience the power of two GPUs in their system.' The best part, however, may be the price/performance. With a suggested street price of US$199, the 6600 GT runs at a steady 42 FPS in Doom 3, at high-quality 1600*1200." Reader aceh0 adds a few links: "Nvidia is announcing their NV4x Sub $200 Level graphics hardware today with the GeForce 6600 Series. The 6600 Series is feature complete with the 6800s and the differences come in the number of pipelines and memory configuration. SLI has trickled down to the 6600GT as well. Coverage is available at Neoseeker, Tech Report and PC Perspective as well as other sites."
more links. Cost 200.00-230.00, or 150.00 (Score:5, Informative)
Re: PDF document (Score:4, Interesting)
Question: can I swap out from my Geforce 4ti? (Score:3, Interesting)
Just wondering...
Re:Question: can I swap out from my Geforce 4ti? (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Question: can I swap out from my Geforce 4ti? (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Question: can I swap out from my Geforce 4ti? (Score:2)
Re:Vendor Question... (Score:2)
Conversely, I bought an XFX GFFX 5950 ultra and its been a bloody nightmare from the start. 1st board was doa, 2nd one crapped out after a week, 3rd one decided ti go nuts after 2 months of operation, and got RMA'd on monday... never again will I buy one of their products.
Re:Vendor Question... (Score:2)
TNT2 M64.... man...
Those were actually really good cards for their price back in the day. I still have one in my FreeBSD box at home, but all it does now is handle CLI stuff. I might drop it in the Linbox and see how things work.
That card took me all the way up through Black & White without a problem. I finally replaced it with a Radeon 9000 that I'm still using on my desktop box. Oh well.. gotta scrape some cash together and move up to a 9600xt now, I suppose. Maybe with the PCI Express stuff coming
SLI (Score:4, Informative)
Re:SLI (Score:2)
Re:SLI (Score:2)
Not limited to 128mb (Score:5, Informative)
Time to get cracking on those pipes. (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Time to get cracking on those pipes. (Score:2)
Re:Time to get cracking on those pipes. (Score:2, Informative)
Cheers,
_GP_
Re:Time to get cracking on those pipes. (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Time to get cracking on those pipes. (Score:3, Informative)
In other words, there will be no other pipes.
Already done! (Score:2, Informative)
Wonder if it's been tested on the 6600 yet?
Pipeline mod app [digit-life.com]
While this looks like a really nice card... (Score:5, Insightful)
I.E. I noticed a bigger jump in performance by upgrading my mainboard, cpu, and memory while retaining my relatively mediocre (but fully DirectX 9 compliant) graphics card, whereas my friend who had a similar configuration spent his cash on the latest Nvidia and didn't seem to come out significantly ahead.
If you can afford all of the above, I suppose this is the card for you (hell get two and run them together). But too often gamers focus on the graphics to the overall detriment of their performance.
Re:While this looks like a really nice card... (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:While this looks like a really nice card... (Score:3, Informative)
and which card is that and what were your previous specs before that?
with games like doom3 graphics card is the dominant bottleneck.
in fact I would say _just_the_opposite_, that the latest cpu no longer helps you as much as it used to before(in pre 1.5ghz days).
Re:While this looks like a really nice card... (Score:2, Interesting)
Go Figure.
Re:While this looks like a really nice card... (Score:2)
Anyway, it only turns on acceleration if you rename the binary to "quake3.exe"
Re:While this looks like a really nice card... (Score:5, Informative)
I'd suspect that your original CPU was somewhat lacking; 2-2.5GHz seems to be the the low end of what you can get away with for a respectable gaming machine these days. Once you reach this point, you're going to see a big difference jumping from your 5200 to a 5900.
Re:While this looks like a really nice card... (Score:2)
My box at home with a radeon9700 and 2.4 ghz P4 creams my workstation. 1024x768 on Medium, I can't even get 640x480 low to run smoothly on our workstations.
Re:While this looks like a really nice card... (Score:2)
Re:While this looks like a really nice card... (Score:2)
Quadro not specific (Score:2)
Re:While this looks like a really nice card... (Score:2)
Try playing 1600x1200 with 4xAA (or higher)... then see how your graphics card isn't the limiting factor
Even with no AA, FS2004 can get my Radeon 9500 Pro down to 10 fps or less in heavy weather at 1600x1200.
Re:While this looks like a really nice card... (Score:2)
Of course, once you're running dual 6800GTs, then it's back to the CPU (and pr
This is preparation to Longhorn (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:This is preparation to Longhorn (Score:2)
from apple's website:
NVIDIA GeForce2 MX, GeForce3, GeForce4 MX, or GeForce4 Ti or any AGP-based ATI RADEON GPU. A minimum of 16MB VRAM is required.
Tiger, coming out mid 2005, has an addition called Quartz 2D, in which the entire portion of the pipe line that used to require main system memory, is totally eliminated. This enables you to opengl pixel shaders on top of your already existing window compositions. If you haven't heard, or seen, dashboard for
Re:This is preparation to Longhorn (Score:2)
The Nforce boards were nice, but they still failed to acheive good penetration.
Steven V>
This says it all... (Score:5, Insightful)
US$199, the 6600 GT runs at a steady 42 FPS in Doom 3, at high-quality 1600*1200
In the end, regardless of what memory is being used, and what technologies, if I can play the newest game at its highest level of graphics at 42fps, then I'm a happy gamer, especially when the price is under $200 (USD).
Re:This says it all... (Score:2)
In fact, I've played Doom 3 at all 4 levels (low, medium, high, and ultra). The game looks damn near identical all the way through. You have to look pretty close to see differences.
Re:This says it all... (Score:2)
Re:This says it all... (Score:2)
Re:This says it all... (Score:2)
But can Nvidia be trusted? (Score:2)
Re:This says it all... (Score:2)
Interesting that they are releasing the pci-expres (Score:2)
Now if only they would write some firmware for the mac, I could finally have a half decent video card for my g5 that didn't cost me an arm and a leg.
Re:Interesting that they are releasing the pci-exp (Score:3, Informative)
The chip is native PCI Express. NVidia apparently is betting on the success of a second chip that they made for AGPPCI Express translation. The chip can operate in both directions and thus older GPUs can use this chip to work with PCI Express boards and this new 6600 GPU can use this same chip in the other direction to work with AGP boards. I wonder how much of a slowdown this chip brings though.
PCI Express only! (Score:5, Informative)
Re:PCI Express only! (Score:2)
Re:PCI Express only! (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:PCI Express only! (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:PCI Express only! (Score:2)
Re:PCI Express only! (Score:2)
He doesn't have it now, he's looking for a decent AMD motherboard that supports it.
Re:PCI Express only! (Score:2)
YAY HYPEMACHINE (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:YAY HYPEMACHINE (Score:2)
(As a sidenote, I'll still probably get one of these cards, but the damn biased graphs
Nvidia Rocks (Score:2, Insightful)
OK glad I got that off my chest. Now, I run Linux and the only real gaming I do is in NeveWinter Nights. Maybe because I do not do any First Person Shooter / Real time gaming I do not notice a problem, but all my computers run the $49.00 special, Geforce card. I really like Geforce Cards. I love Nvidias support for Linux. I appreciate all you hard core gamers buying the new cards so they keep dropping the price on the other cards. I just can't get enthusiastic over a new video card when
Is it the GPU, or is it the pipelines? (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Is it the GPU, or is it the pipelines? (Score:2)
Fanless? (Score:3, Insightful)
I seem to recall nVidia promising better MPEG/HDTV support in there upcoming cards. Will the low-end of this generation be fanless?
Re:Fanless? (Score:2)
TCO? (Score:5, Funny)
New Pci express motherboard: $150
New case (cause you know your old pc will just be termed a "server"): $100
New faster 1GB ram: $200
New cpu because you're buying the other stuff anyway: $250
Bigger sata 300 GB HD because bittorents are all about sharing: $200
Wife cutting off your broadband connection: priceless
Re:TCO? (Score:2)
It actually works that way, too. I bought a new mainboard and CPU. Had to buy a case, because my old one wouldn't support the new mainboard. I thought it would stop there, but I couldn't resist a new DVD-R drive. Since the new motherboard supported SATA, shit, I might as well get a SATA drive, too.
Thank god the board has sound and NIC, or I'd have bought those too. The only thing I really DIDN'T buy was a new graphics card. The "server" did need it.
Re:TCO? (Score:2)
SLI hype? (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:SLI hype? (Score:2)
Re:SLI hype? (Score:4, Funny)
How well will it play Duke Nukem Forever?
Does the 6800 DDL work on windows? (Score:3, Interesting)
Does anyone know if this $600 card will work on Windows?
http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/
Re:Does the 6800 DDL work on windows? (Score:3, Insightful)
What about the 6800 series? (Score:2)
Re:What about the 6800 series? (Score:2)
No kidding.
I prefer not to pay more then $200 for a video card, because that's the pain threshold for my wallet. (If a $500 card goes up in smoke, I'd be seriously put out, but a $200 card I would be more reasonable about it going poof.)
Combined with the fact that there are easily two dozen manufs of NVIDIA cards, complete with their own differences (memory speeds, e
Coolness (Score:2)
You'd be better off w/ 6800 GT (Score:5, Interesting)
16 pipelines AND it can *easily* be overclocked from it's 350Mhz core / 1000 Mhz memory to the 425/1100 speeds of a 6800 Ultra (which is $150 more).
Compare benchmarks: http://www.nzone.com/object/nzone_doom3_benchmark
ATI's X800 Pro has 12 pipelines.
I dunno, if you're gonna spend money on a graphics card, might as well go balls-out with this one. Best deal I've seen on a card in quite some time.
Re:You'd be better off w/ 6800 GT (Score:3, Interesting)
Couple that with fantastic Linux support from nVidia, and the 6800GT is definitely a winner.
Re:You'd be better off w/ 6800 GT (Score:4, Informative)
Re:You'd be better off w/ 6800 GT (Score:2)
Re:You'd be better off w/ 6800 GT (Score:2)
Re:You'd be better off w/ 6800 GT (Score:4, Insightful)
Too bad that the majority of gamers are not in the position to do anything like that. I mean how likely is it that everyone has $350 to blow on a gpu? Not bloody likely is the reality. At that price and above your talking about a small percentage of gamers. The rest as always will be sticking with way sub $200 cards where gpu vendors continue to make their bread and butter.
Re:You'd be better off w/ 6800 GT (Score:2)
After Doom 3, games will no doubt start really pushing the limits when it comes to graphics. How long will an 8 pipeline card be able to hold its own?
It might be good for another year or two, but beyond that you're gonna end up pushing it to the limits, or at the very least
Pennies Less (Score:4, Interesting)
And I'll bet they cost pennies less to make than the higher-end chips. Translation: the higher-end chips should cost pennies -- not hundreds of $$$s -- more to buy.
Think about it. How much has it cost Nvidia to engineer this new chip? Either it is a crippled version of their existing chip, or they had to re-engineer it, make new masks, and setup a new, qualified production line at quite high costs.
Wouldn't we -- and they -- have been better off if they just punched out larger quanitites of the higher-end chips at less cost?
Re:Pennies Less (Score:5, Insightful)
No, neither you nor they would be better off. Companies like nVidia and ATI rely on the quick infusion of lots of cash from the early adopters to fund R&D on better GPU's. If they sold their best chips at the same cost as an FX5200, funding for innovating these great chips would dry up and you'd have to wait much longer for new designs and better performance.
The best way to get these companies to reduce their costs is simply not to buy their equipment. The laws of supply and demand will naturally produce an equilibrium in which they sell their products at a price point that maximizes their own profit. If their best cards are $500, then you can be assured that there are enough people out there willing to pay $500 to make it more profitable for them to sell it for that price than for $499, $250, $120, or $60. If you aren't one of those people willing to pay $500, then either (a) produce your own damn GPU or (b) wait for the prices to come down. Either way, stop whining.
Not necessarily (Score:2)
Solution: Rather than just junk the entire chip, disable the pipelines that don't work and sell the chip as a lower-performance one with the pipelines that do.
It was once
42fps (Score:3, Insightful)
And how many people are disturbed by this on their 85Hz to 110Hz vertical refresh monitors? More than should be, I'll bet.
Standard movies only run at 24fps, and American television is only a true 30fps (1/2 of the interlaced frame is written every 1/60 of a second). Demanding frame rates much above those seems an absurd form of posturing.
Re:42fps (Score:2)
And, for your comment that standard movies are fast enough, I CANNOT go to movie theaters because of their slow frame rate. 100+ Hz would be better, or just project it through an LCD projector.
Re:42fps (Score:2)
I do go to movies but when they do pans sideways it makes me want to spew. It feels like someone is ripping my forehead apart with a meat tenderizer when there's full-screen pans, it does something that just really really disturbs my head. One of the fantastic things about IMAX is that it's 30 fps, which solves that problem. However, I sometimes have a different problem with IMAX: I went to the Tijuana cultural center (there is such a thing) and in their IMAX watched a presentation on the culture of Mexico
TV and Film have motion blur. (Score:4, Informative)
I've explained this before, and I'll do it again. Television and video have motion blur-- the effect of the capture device essentially "averaging" the motion that occurred across the duration of capturing that frame.
Video cards generate a crisp, instantaneous frame that represents only the precise instant the frame was rendered, not the whole time the "shutter" was open.
At a *bare minimum* producing motion that looks as smooth as blurred 24fps requires double that. (You have to have two frames for your eye to blur between) To do it as well as a film camera requires even more, since their motion blur is effectively an infinite number of samples averaged together over the duration the shutter was open. I'd guess you could get a reasonable approximation at 3x the framerate.
TV and Movies are also filmed with the 24fps limitation in mind-- good cinematographers are well aware of the limits and know how to avoid situations that would result in jerky movement.
Re:TV and Film have motion blur. (Score:3, Insightful)
The simplest example I give to people who say '24fps is enough' is to tell them to wave their mouse cursor around onscreen as fast as they can. The cursor image is being updated at at least 30fps (more like 60fps), yet you can still see discrete cursor images with gaps between them as opposed to one smoothly-moving cursor.
Nicer upgrade path. (Score:2)
Re:Just wait . . . (Score:2)
Re:Just wait . . . (Score:2, Funny)
Re:$199? (Score:2)
Geforce 5200: ~$60
Gamecube: $99
Mario Kart:DD: ~$35
Extra controller: ~$20
=~$214
or
Geforce 6600: ~$200
I know which option I'd prefer
Re:Better Choice (Score:2, Informative)
My 128MB 9500 does better than that
I read online that Half Life 2 will be in ATI's favour though.
But yeah, ~50fps in Doom 3 at 1280x1024 at high settings is quite a compelling reason to buy a $200 graphics card.
Re:Better Choice (Score:3, Informative)
But, instead of having an FPS pissing contest, lemme offer a couple tips: Install the beta 4.9 catalysts, they're manditory for acceptable ATI Doom3 preformance.
THEN, do a search for Doom 3 tweaks. There's an astonishing array of things you can modify to GREATLY improve preformance, most importantly including a number of
Re:Bah. (Score:3, Informative)
Re:SLI? (Score:2)
Re:What should I buy then? (Score:2)
My money would be with the X600 line from ATi for ~$200. Of course, you could just wait until HardOCP gets a copy and does a hardware guide for Half Life.
(Another thing to consider - people with ATI cards are getting considerable boosts in performance in Doom3 by s
Re:What should I buy then? (Score:2)
Re:agp 4x? (Score:2)
Re:agp 4x? (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:does 'only' 128MB RAM matter? (Score:2)
It won't just be Doom 3 though, it will also be many games based off the Doom 3 engine that take advantage of extra video RAM.
Re:Now all they need is good developer relations! (Score:3, Insightful)
I'll admit that ATI seems to have better technology. But drivers are everything. EVERYTHING. And Nvidia wins that battle, hands down.
Odd... (Score:2)
I have so far encountered ONE bug directly attributable to NVidia's drivers. (An issue with XMMS and OpenGL vis plugins, which APPEARS to be drivers, but is exacerbated by something else on the system, as it affects my Gentoo box but not my ancient RH 7.3 box despite identical NV drivers.)
Compare, on the other hand, to the crashfest known as ATI drivers... I used to own an ATI card, NEVER AGAIN. And I keep on hearing horror stories abo
Re:Now all they need is good developer relations! (Score:2, Funny)
Then I guess I need to file a bug report with them if they're so responsive.
Re:You can SLI 2 cards together... (Score:2)
If you need 6800 power now and can afford it, then by all means get the 6800.
Re:It's amazing how fast the tides shift here... (Score:3, Interesting)