Introduction
Whereas ATI and Nvidia battle it out within the high-end sector, desperately attempting to realize the efficiency crown, the vast majority of us will probably be intently eyeing up the mid to low vary playing cards. Let’s get proper to the purpose right here – these playing cards common £140, they’ve all of the options of the high-end playing cards they usually can play all the newest video games with fairly spectacular outcomes.
The vanilla 6800 and the X800XL, weighing in across the £200 mark received’t match each ones price range. Most individuals merely can not justify £200+ on a GPU. That is the place these two playing cards shine – The intense gamer on a price range! Certainly you may perceive why these two playing cards are being purchased by the dozen?
To delve in a little bit deeper as to why these two playing cards might presently be so standard, you want to realise that a type of architectural adjustments have been happening once more. As most of , AGP has been pushed to at least one aspect for a brand new customary – PCI-e. Which means individuals on the market upgrading their motherboards and processors to the newest and biggest can’t use there loyal and dusty AGP graphics card any longer, subsequently this typical CPU/motherboard improve turns into extraordinarily dear. A severe gaming card at £140 goes to look so engaging at this level to many players, and I’m certain loads of the gross sales of those playing cards have been due to this precise situation.
Don’t misread the above paragraph although. PC Lovers don’t like being pushed right into a nook. They wouldn’t spend there cash on junk at any value. These playing cards are promoting as a result of they carry out admirably and match many peoples improve price range. To summarise, an enormous variety of individuals on the market are on the lookout for a really severe value/efficiency card.
The 2 value/efficiency playing cards representing ATI and Nvidia at present would be the Connect3D X700 Professional 256MB and the XFX 6600GT 128MB Excessive Avid gamers Version.
So, why are I pitting the X700 Professional and never the XT model towards the 6600GT? The X700XT has not really hit retail but and the phrase on the grapevine is that it could by no means hit retail. Present pricing additionally places the 6600GT and X700 Professional face to face, with not more than a £10 distinction between them. Presently, to pit the 6600GT towards the X700 Professional makes excellent sense until ATI does the proper factor and lowers the worth.
Conclusion
The 2 playing cards from ATI and Nvidia are evenly priced, however the efficiency is something however even. ATI’s reply to the 6600GT was meant to be the X700 XT, equivalent to the Professional however with a 475 Mhz core and with 1005 Mhz reminiscence. Even when the X700 XT arrived tomorrow I very a lot doubt it will be capable of carry out properly sufficient to offer Nvidia something to fret about, and the overclocking outcomes show this to a sure diploma.
XFX have created one of many absolute best 6600GT’s on the market with the 6600GT Excessive Avid gamers Version. Although it’s spec’d with Samsung 2.0ns reminiscence, it nonetheless allowed an overclock to 1200 Mhz. There actually isn’t something for me to complain about right here. It constantly outperformed the Connect3D X700 Professional, in some instances by 40%, and never simply in Doom 3. Even leads to HL2, usually an ATI sturdy maintain have been outmoded by the 6600GT. The icing on the cake is the a lot decrease working temperature at load over the X700 Professional.
The Connect3D X700 Professional could be a very good card, and advisable if it have been priced properly away from the 6600GT. It’s not Connect3D’s fault; that is ATI’s pricing technique. It merely can not compete in any kind with a 6600GT and is in want of a severe value lower. On one other notice, the inventory cooler did its job, however a greater cooler may have helped with overclocking. So, to sum up, it’s a strong card and I’ve nothing towards it, as long as the worth is true, and presently it’s not.
Seeking to the larger image, Nvidia have created an astoundingly quick card within the 6600GT and there may be nothing in its value vary to trigger it an issue. ATI are going to undergo if their solely defence is the X700 Professional. They’ve taken there eye off the ball with the X700 Professional. With costs extraordinarily near the 6600GT playing cards it turns into very tough to advocate them in any respect. On high of all thism two equivalent 6600GT’s can be utilized in SLi to offer an enormous efficiency soar and supplies a wonderful improve path.
