NVIDIA GeForce 6600 and 6600 GT - Value Based PCI-Express Preview
Introduction to the 6600 and 6600GT
With the release of both NVIDIA's 6800 Series and ATI's X800 series, the high-end enthusiast has several excellent choices when seeking the perfect gaming card. It really is hard to go wrong either way, with each product line having the muscle to power any game you can throw at it, while offering the best image quality we've seen to date. But the high-end market is only a small percentage of sales as these cards can cost in excess of $500. When it comes to PCI Express based value solutions , ATI has their X600 series which sells in the $200 range, while NVIDIA has yet to launch many new value-based PCI Express offerings as of yet, electing to focus first on their high end products. However, all of that is about to change.
Today, NVIDIA has sent word of their next additions to the GeForce 6 series, namely the GeForce 6600 and 6600 GT. Both are aimed at offering value-based PCI-Express solutions, competing directly with ATI's X600 line. The goal is to offer a superior performance solution for a lot less than the 6800 models, while still delivering many of its advanced features, including GDDR3 and SLI capabilities. In an effort to provide you with a little more detail on NVIDIA's newest creations, we've put together a preview of each card, spotlighting its features and capabilities. Let's get started by giving you the run-down and see what NVIDIA has up its sleeve this time around.
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CINEFX 3.0 SHADING ARCHITECTURE
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INTELLISAMPLE 3.0 TECHNOLOGY
ULTRASHADOW II TECHNOLOGY
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NVIDIA DIGITAL VIBRANCE CONTROL (DVC) 3.0
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Essentially, the new 6600 models look like scaled down 6800s, but that is not completely the case. The new GPUs are manufactured using a .11 micron process compared to the 6800's .13, thereby reducing power consumption, which helps reduce heat. Additionally, PCI Express is native to the 6600s, and NVIDIA is actually using their HSI chip to convert the signal back for AGP versions of the card. This makes the GeForce 6600 series the only real native PCI Express solution available from NVIDIA at this time.
Each of the 6600s come with 8 Pixel Pipelines compared to 12 and 16 found on the 6800, 6800 GT and 6800 Ultra. The memory interface is also reduced to 128-bit, half that of the 6800s. Each card will be equipped with 128MB of either DDR or GDDR3 memory and will support dual-monitor outputs. While they may be value-class cards, the 6600 models will still support most of the latest technologies found in the more expensive 6800 line, bringing high-end features to the mainstream consumer. Both the 6600 and 6600 GT will be able to take full advantage of Shader Model 3.0 with such games as FarCry, Painkiller and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of Chernobyl. In the end, this means that each card will have an affordable price for the masses without sacrificing image quality or the ability to play all of today's current gaming titles at respectable frame rates.
