Newbie Requesting Assistance

[Frisco K]

Hi,
I have decided to build my own rig after years of buying off-the-shelf systems.
I am stuck on deciding what video card to get. I have narrowed it down to a Nvidia, either 6600GT or 6800GT.
The system that I have put together so far has:
Mobo: Asus P5AD2-E Premium (PCI-Ex16, non SLI)
Processor: Intel 3.4 GH LGA775
Memory: Corsair XMS2 Pro DDR2 667 1.0GH
HD: WD Raptor 74Gb.
DVD-RW: Pioneer DVR-109
Power supply: Antec True 430W
My question is: which brand and chipset would be the way to go (ASUS, BFG, XFX are what I have been looking at). Gaming, mostly Battlefield 2 among others, is a close secondary purpose for this build (overclocking is not the main issue).
Any recommendations or advice would be a great help.
Also, links to cards? reviews (benchmarks) will be highly appreciated.
Thanks in advance.

 

[imported_Kensai]

Grab a BFG 6800GT or an MSI 6800GT for a VGA with copper sinks.

 

[2Xtreme21]

X800XL for a cheaper PCI-E card that competes nose to nose with the 6800GT.

 

[Acanthus]

Id reccomend a Geforce 6800GT for battlefield 2, the 6600GT will struggle a bit at max settings.

As far as the OEM, DO NOT BUY XFX!!! Nothing but problems with poor tech support, poor build quality, poor overall performance compared to competitors.

BFG is overclocked out of the box with a lifetime warrenty, and Leadtek has a reputation for the highest build quality but usually commands a small premium over the other brands. Ive also had no problems with the asus cards i carry and their RMA system is pretty painless, although a bit on the slow side.

 

[pyrosity]

You're building a gaming rig that uses a P4...? :\

 

[Regs]

Originally posted by: pyrosity
You're building a gaming rig that uses a P4...? :\

lol, I love it.