First time video card buyer seeks help

[t3h l337 n3wb]

Okay, well I'm building my first comp this summer, and I've decided to get PCI-E. Anyways, I'm sick of everyone suggesting a 6600GT, cus they cost like $180+. I've considered an x600 Pro card, since it seems pretty good (I've been running integrated graphics comps all my life, currently on a Radeon 9000 IGP laptop), but not too expensive. What about the 6600 vanilla? Is that any good? Also, what about refurb cards? x700 Pro is looking pretty cheap refurb...

Abit x600 Pro 256MB:
http://www2.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=14-123-141&depa=0

Geforce 6600 128MB:
http://www2.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814125176

REFURB x700 Pro 256MB:
http://www2.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814121523R

Thanks in advance

 

[crazyeddie]

A Radeon 600 Pro or a GF6600 vanilla would be a good choice for your budget. I haven't seen benchmarks comparing the two directly, but I believe the 6600 vanilla would have an edge in overall performance.

Oops, found a comparison, definitely go GF6600.

 

[t3h l337 n3wb]

Yeah, but the x600 Pro has a higher core and ram clock. Plus, the 6600 vanilla cant be use in SLI...

 

[nRollo]

Originally posted by: t3h l337 n3wb
Yeah, but the x600 Pro has a higher core and ram clock. Plus, the 6600 vanilla cant be use in SLI...

I'm guessing he's not going with a SLI motherboard given his card choices?

Anyway, X700 Pros are pretty good cards, I've never looked at the benches for 6600s, so I have no info for you there.

 

[imported_Noob]

I heard the 6600's can hit higher FPS then the X700.

 

[t3h l337 n3wb]

see, the x700 seems like the best to me, with 8 pipelines and 256MB of DDR3, but its refurb... Is it safe to buy refurb cards?

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Benchmarks

I'd get the X700. It performs either similarly to a 6600 or blows it away depending on the game.

 

[Munky]

AFAIK the x700pro is about as fast as a 9800pro, which is a good deal faster than a 6600 vanilla. But for cards in that class, it makes no sense to have 256mb memory, they don't have the power to use it effectively, so if you can get a 128mb x700pro, it would be a good choice.

 

[BobDaMenkey]

Originally posted by: munky
AFAIK the x700pro is about as fast as a 9800pro, which is a good deal faster than a 6600 vanilla. But for cards in that class, it makes no sense to have 256mb memory, they don't have the power to use it effectively, so if you can get a 128mb x700pro, it would be a good choice.

I agree.

And comparing two different GPU clocks is rather pointless. It's like saying an A64 3200+ is slower than a P4 3.2ghz because it's only clocked at 2ghz, even though they are much closer in performance than the clocks would have you believe.

 

[t3h l337 n3wb]

Hmm... There are 2 refurb x700's that are below $120 on newegg. An Asus and a Sapphire. They both have the same specs, but I heard that Sapphire cards suck, and Asus is a reliable company. The Sapphire is $100 and the Asus is $120. Which one should I get? Btw, the sapphires have 128MB RAM, but munky said 256 is useless anyways...

 

[2Xtreme21]

How about a nice 9700pro? It competes with the 9800pro at stock and can be had for around $130. Check eBay for Buy It Now deals, or the FS/T forum.

 

[hans030390]

6600 will outperform a 9800pro....so yeah, you want that

oh, and it has shader model 3.0, meaning it is more future proof....honestly, i don't see how you could go wrong with a 6600...best performer out of that bunch....well...just get a leadtek...if possible...if you get XFX or PNY...you might as well throw it away when you get it.

 

[t3h l337 n3wb]

Originally posted by: 2Xtreme21
How about a nice 9700pro? It competes with the 9800pro at stock and can be had for around $130. Check eBay for Buy It Now deals, or the FS/T forum.

erm, I'm getting PCI-E. Isnt 9700 pro just AGP?

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: t3h l337 n3wb

Originally posted by: 2Xtreme21
How about a nice 9700pro? It competes with the 9800pro at stock and can be had for around $130. Check eBay for Buy It Now deals, or the FS/T forum.

erm, I'm getting PCI-E. Isnt 9700 pro just AGP?

yes

 

[Munky]

Originally posted by: hans030390
6600 will outperform a 9800pro....so yeah, you want that

oh, and it has shader model 3.0, meaning it is more future proof....honestly, i don't see how you could go wrong with a 6600...best performer out of that bunch....well...just get a leadtek...if possible...if you get XFX or PNY...you might as well throw it away when you get it.

Umm... no, actually the 6600 (non-gt) is significantly slower than a 9800pro, I'd link you to benchmarks, but xbitlabs is down right now, and I can't remember any other ones. And don't give me the sm3 crap, the 6600 is a low-midrange card, and is too weak to have any kind of future.

 

[Diogenes2]

Is it safe to buy refurb cards?

I'ts really no more of a risk than buying anything else, ( if you are talking about Newegg ) since their same return policy applies.

I have bought quite a few refurbs from Newegg ( when the price was right ) and have had a couple of DOA's, but that has happened with new stuff also..

I recently bought a refurb Leadtek 6600 GT for $150.. It works great and came in full retail box with bundled software and everything, even though they don't guarantee you will get anything other than the bare card.

Refurbs are open-box returns from customers.