6600GT PCX brand

[Emultra]

With my Asus A8N-SLI Deluxe mobo, I ordered the Asus GeForce 6600GT PCX. I didn't give much thought into the Asus brand when it came to the video card; I just selected it based on the model itself.

Is this OK? I hope the Asus 6600GT PCX is as good as the other manufacturers'?

 

[imported_Kensai]

It should be adequate. Also it's PCI-E. PCI-X stands for PCI Extended. It's mainly for servers because of it's high bandwidth and the cards that usually fit in it are rather expensive compared to their standard PCI counterparts.

 

[thanatos355]

they're all pretty much the same. there's no real difference between brands with these cards. just packaging and hsf selection.

 

[Emultra]

Oops, have I made a stupid mistake now? I want PCI Express, have I just ordered something else?

Edit: full name description:

Asus Extreme GeForce PCX6600GT 128Mb DDR3 TV-out DVI SLI-ready RETAIL PCI Express

Well, it's good to know it's as good as anything and up to the task. I would have bought a 6800GT, but you know, the prices they demand for those things over here...It's like $550!

 

[Thurgo0dy]

It's PCI express. You're fine.

 

[Emultra]

It will be a step up from my present card: the GF2 Pro from 2001, no?

 

[stevty2889]

It will be about 5 steps up for your GF2...there's not much to worry about when choosing manufactures, the cards will all pretty much perform the same, just sometimes one manufacturer will offer a better bundle or waranty than another.

 

[Emultra]

I got the SLI ready version, and the mobo is made for that too.

Should I get another 6600GT in a while to increase the power, or concentrate on a new model alltogether?

I figured, since the 6600GT should be cheaper later on (6 months+) and so that would be an easy, quick and inexpensive way to keep my comp up-to-date.

If I do that, can the second 6600GT be from any manufacturer?

 

[Emultra]

Originally posted by: Emultra
I got the SLI ready version, and the mobo is made for that too.

Should I get another 6600GT in a while to increase the power, or concentrate on a new model alltogether?

I figured, since the 6600GT should be cheaper later on (6 months+) and so that would be an easy, quick and inexpensive way to keep my comp up-to-date.

If I do that, can the second 6600GT be from any manufacturer?

 

[stevty2889]

2 6600GT's in SLI is not as good as a single 6800GT, so it's not really worth the trouble. Also if you do get 2 6600gt and run in SLI anyway, then they most likely need to be from the same manufacturer.

 

[Emultra]

But isn't it essentially twice the strength? And the 6600GT scores at least half as much as the 6800GT?

Well, anyway, does this identical model/identical manufacturer rule apply for all video cards? Also, what video cards now and in the future are eligible for this use?

 

[stevty2889]

At lower resolutions and details, the 6600GT's in SLI are able to keep up with a single 6800GT, however as soon as you start using higher resolutions, and cranking up the details, the single 6800GT pulls back ahead. Here is anandtech's own SLI benchmarks so you can see for yourself. There are many many other posts asking the same thing, if you want to search. SLI doesn't give twice the strength, any more tha dual CPU's do. It may be possible for card from differant manufactures to work together, but's it's more likely to cause problems, so you could try at your own risk. That would be like trying to run memory in dual channel, with sticks from differant manufacturers. Even if they have the same speed and timings, there is no gurantee they will cooperate.

 

[Emultra]

Okay. But you agree that $500 for a 6800GT is too little for too much, right?
How far do you think my 6600GT will take me until I have to upgrade to play the newest games well?

Also, is there any card now or in 6 months that is worth using 2 together instead of 1 more expensive model? Where does it begin to pay off using 2 lower instead of 1 higher?

 

[Aquila76]

A single 6600GT will last you for quite a while. It can run anything out there at the moment. I'm hoping that by Christmas the 6800 Ultras will have dropped to below MSRP and I may pick up a couple of those.

If you do decide to SLI another one (like me) you'll get near or above 6800GT performance (depending on the app) for about half the cost. You are much better of buying another ASUS 6600GT though, as stevty reccomends for compatibility.

 

[Emultra]

I could have done that and have it ship with the same package as the other stuff, I suppose, eliminating extra shipping fee.

But on the other hand, it might be cheaper in a while. I'll just have to hope that it's still there when I come back in a couple of months.

 

[Aquila76]

I wouldn't worry about it. ASUS is a top notch vendor, and one of the oldest and best. If, for some mind-boggling reason, they dissappear, there's always eBay!

 

[Emultra]

That's good to know. Let's just hope Swedish stores follow the logic.