Conclusion
The AGP version of the NVIDIA GeForce 6600 GT is undoubtedly a success. Having performed a simple modernization, NVIDIA has got an excellent mainstream graphics card which outperforms last-generation solutions of the same class, like the RADEON 9800 XT and PRO, not to mention the GeForce FX 5950 Ultra.
Besides its excellent performance, the GeForce 6600 GT AGP features all the technologies peculiar to the whole GeForce 6 family. Thus, this is the only mass product with the AGP interface to support version 3.0 pixel and vertex shaders (Shader Model 3.0). Don’t also forget the PureVideo technology ?the card carries NVIDIA’s second-generation video processor to unload the CPU during video playback, especially with the HDTV format.
As for the performance of the new graphics card, take a look at the following diagram:
Despite its simple design and 128-bit memory bus, the NVIDIA GeForce 6600 GT AGP makes an excellent showing in one of the most popular resolutions, 1280x1024. The more expensive, complex and hot RADEON 9800 XT is lagging behind in almost every test. The GeForce FX 5950 Ultra is no competitor to the GeForce 6600 GT AGP: the NV4x architecture is evidently superior to the NV3x.
The GeForce 6600 GT AGP also feels at ease when full-screen anti-aliasing and anisotropic filtering are enabled, save for those cases when the load on the graphics memory is so high that the 128-bit width of the bus becomes too narrow. The bottlenecking effect of the 128-bit bus is especially felt in 1600x1200 resolution, but that’s not very critical since you are unlikely to have a playable frame rate in modern games turning on FSAA + anisotropic filtering in this resolution. The GeForce 6600 GT AGP is a mainstream graphics card after all, so don’t ask for the impossible from it.
At the time of our writing this, the GeForce 6600 GT AGP was already selling freely. According to PriceWatch.com, it’s going to cost you about $200-250 depending on the manufacturer, while the price of the RADEON 9800 XT is $275 and more. You can also have a RADEON 9800 PRO for $215, but its performance is lower than that of the new GeForce.
An AGP version of the RADEON X700 XT would make a good alternative to the GeForce 6600 GT AGP, but this GPU only exists on the PCI Express platform yet, although the converter called ATI Rialto is already being made and tested by the manufacturers of graphics cards. So we’re expecting new AGP products from ATI any time now, but until their arrival the GeForce 6600 GT AGP remains the only mainstream graphics card with new-generation architecture. Considering its relatively low price and excellent performance we recommend it for your consideration ?it’s an excellent buy, free from any obvious drawbacks.
Highs:
- Small and simple PCB;
- New-generation architecture;
- High performance;
- Shader Model 3.0;
- Floating-point color representation;
- PureVideo processor of the second generation.
Lows:
