Does brand difference matter with GeForce 6600GT cards?

[bonzo341]

Hi all,

Please bear with me, as I'm very much a newbie. I'm looking at the following two GeForce 6600GT AGP video cards:

GIGABYTE GV-N66T128VP Geforce 6600GT 128MB 128-bit GDDR3 VIVO AGP 4X/8X Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814125179

eVGA 128-A8-N350 Geforce 6600GT 128MB 128-bit GDDR3 AGP 4X/8X Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130220

Is brand a considerable factor to consider? Is the difference in performance truly worth $45? (I actually found the Gigabyte card at zipzoomfly.com for $10 less, but that's still a notable gap in price.) I noticed a Sapphire Radeon x800GT 256MB card on newegg for only a few dollars more, so is that perhaps the best course?

I would greatly appreciate any insight into the differences. Thank you very much for your time and patience.

 

[truflip]

the gigabyte u listed from newegg has passive cooling thats why its more expensive. I havent had any experience with Gigabyte. but i have with eVGA and i can say they r a good brand. give u the chance to upgrade ur card too while paying only the difference.

what u should look for are warranties and google aroudn to see how well the manufactures handle their customers. I believe eVGA now gives their video cards lifetime warranty and they have good tech supoprt and customer service according to experience.

however be warned, their video cards are pretty loud (especially the 6600GT)
If ur planning to up the stock cooling, then its no matter.

 

[jaroddog]

To get the lifetime warranty, you have to have the right letters in your model number. Check evga's site for more details. This particular card only has a 1 year warrany + an extra year for registering your product (for a total of 2 years). I too am considering the eVGA. If you would like my take on these and other video cards for the AGP interface, feel free to send me a personal message. I've been doing some research. But between those cards, you could buy an eVGA and a quieter cooler for it and still come out ahead (plus with better cooling). It seems users of that passively cooled card are having problems overheating unless adding an adjacent fan. That seems to defeat the purpose, wouldn't you agree? Also, note that the GIGABYTE card is on backorder at newegg, so if you're looking for a card and are in a hurry, that wouldn't even be an option. But it does have VIVO, while the eVGA does not. Some food for thought.

Regards,
Jarod

 

[Foxracer15]

I had a Leadtek 6600gt oc which was awsome but i upgraded the fan to a Zalmen VF700-Cu http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835118117

which is your best cooling fan out there for the price, SO if i were you i would go with the evga and get the Zalmen fan which is silent on low and dead near silent on high if that is an issue with you. The Zalmen will also let you do a little overclocking to allow you to get teh best out of the card.

I would go with a 6600gt over a x800gt any day.

good luck

 

[bonzo341]

Thanks for all your responses! A correction to my original post: my search for an AGP card is not at all limited to the pair I mentioned above. I'd be grateful for any further suggestions regarding cards of similar performance in that general price range. I certainly have to consider the Leadtek 6600gt another strong contender. Does anybody have any experience with MSI? I've noticed that Newegg.com is currently offering $30 rebates on cards that are priced normally at $176 and $182.

Having browsed a small handful of review sites--and being completely ignorant--I'm surprised that the 6600gt appears to be the card of preferrence around these boards when compared to the x800gt. I'm curious why that is. (The latter appear more expensive, but that doesn't necessarily bear significance.)

I very much appreciate your assistance!

Best,

Matt

 

[Foxracer15]

I have not had any experience with MSI video cards but there motherboards are awsome, great for overclocking. But im sure that there video cards are sweet too. Are u planning on getting a replacement fan with this card? :suspiciou

 

[truflip]

eVGA is cheaper than any other brands

 

[jaroddog]

MSI is usually high quality. I interned at local high school, repairing their 450+ systems. My instructor swore by MSI video cards (he was particulary fond of GeForce cards). He was AMD and Nvidia all the way. My friend was the only other intern in that program with me. We had a computer to share between us. We used parts from the stock to "pimp" (hate to use it, but it very well describes our system) our rig out. We had burners, MSI vid card, amd processor, 512 RAM (a lot at the time), big hard drive, and all was stuffed in a beige desktop case. Those were the days. But anyway, that MSI card rocked. I don't remember the specs of it, but it flew through games. My had an MSI in his computer and he would play Warcraft all the time. They were really good cards, never had a problem with them. I wouldn't hesitate to buy them today, but I use price as my deciding factor (as opposed to brand).