Need help chosing a 6800

[oogabooga]

After recently purchasing a 9800pro that went bad, i got a refund and have ~200 dollars US to spend on another video card.

I'm willing to spend ~100-150 dollars, depending on the card.

Should i go with a 6800, or wait till the 6600 prices drop. You can look in the rig or figure from the fact that i had a 9800pro that i'm looking for an AGP card.

Just some questions
1) Which line of product (6600, 6600GT, 6800, 6800GT) should i be looking at?
2) I'm looking for something relatively quiet since the rest of my case is really darned quit. The 9600XT i put in to replace the 9800pro has near tripled the sound volume of my computer. At the very least, i'd like to buy a silencer if need be so the card should be arctic silencer-able
3) Are prices expected to drop (this is most important since price drop = i'll buy a better card) for some specific reason anytime soon (ie enough 6600's appear so the prices will drop to the 150-200 range I thought they'd be...)


Some i was looking at
XFX PVT43AND Text
ASUS 6800GT (i'm not sure why it's so cheap, the fact it's only 128mb of memory?)
Text

of course : any help will be apprciated, thank you very much.

 

[021310061976]

hey dude, i'm in the same boat. my old 5600 ultra went wacky on me, and now i'm considering either a 6800 (if i can find a good one for a reasonable price) or a 6600gt.

due to my recent experience with xfx, i'm avoiding them at all costs - but that's just me. newegg is starting to get agp 6600gt's from various manufacturers in stock, many of which are less expensive than the xfx card. if you go with 6600gt, you may wish to consider a less expensive alternative. i'm assuming you have an agp setup, so a normal 6600 is out of the question at the moment.

that asus 6800"GT" card you linked to is an example of one of their screwed up cards. if you look at the specs, you'll see it has the core of a gt and the memory of a standard 6800 (128mb ddr1 @ 700mhz). they also sell a card with a standard 6800 core and gt memory, if i recall correctly. it usually costs more than a real gt from another manufacturer.

 

[McArra]

I think the Asus 6800GT 128mb is not worth the money. I would go with the 256mb version (which I have and love). But in that price you're posting I don't know which one is faster...

EDIT: The Asus is prety quiet in idle with smart doctor utility (2000-2200rpm fan) and gets louder in 3d mode, but just as much as the PSU so I can't really hear it while playing.

 

[Pnoy02]

Actually, I'm thinking of getting a standard 6800 too in the future, what I need to know is:

a. Brand that will be good for unlocking 4 pipes and shaders

b. How to flash to GT bios and should I unlock pipes b4 flashing bios, is this risky?

c. Would it help alot to buy a Silencer cooler for VGA cards with arctic silver 5 if I overclock or is standard cooler fine?

d. Any recommendations for this plan?

thanks.

 

[2Xtreme21]

OP, why not go for a 6800nu? They're better than the 6600gt and clearly your best choice if you don't want to stretch to nearly $400 for a 6800GT. Outpost.com is selling their BFG 6800nu OC for $250. May want to check them.

Originally posted by: Pnoy02
Actually, I'm thinking of getting a standard 6800 too in the future, what I need to know is:

a. Brand that will be good for unlocking 4 pipes and shaders

b. How to flash to GT bios and should I unlock pipes b4 flashing bios, is this risky?

c. Would it help alot to buy a Silencer cooler for VGA cards with arctic silver 5 if I overclock or is standard cooler fine?

d. Any recommendations for this plan?

thanks.

a. There's no brand that will guarantee an unlock. Those who bought BFG and eVGA typically are those that say they generally unlocked. Remember, it's not guaranteed.

b. I wouldn't flash to the GT bios. The NU and the GT aren't even close to the same card once you open up the pipes and shader. The GT runs at much higher clock speeds with much faster RAM. I would highly advise against flashing.

c. Depends on how much you overclock. It might be a good alternative if you're considering pushing the card to the very max it can get. But remember that removing your HSF voids your warranty.

d. BFG 6800nu OC @ Outpost.com

 

[oogabooga]

6800nu is just the 6800 right? not the 6800GT

I think the asus card won't be worth it, something about a GT with only 128mb rubs me wrong, i'll pass. I hesitate on the XFX cause i haven't ever heard of it.
Curious to find people in the same boat as me

do you think 6800 price will drop, i can wait out till january to get a card.

 

[Sincerity]

ASUS 6600GT
http://usa.asus.com/products/v...n6600gt/en6600gt_l.jpg