6800GT 128MB vs 6800nu?

[Staz]

Asus has a 128MB version of their AGP 6800GT for only $319. With most 6800nu's running around $280-$300, this is only a minor jump in price. Most benchmarks put the 6800GT a good amount ahead of the 6800nu at higher resolutions, but those 6800GT's have 256MB and are around $400. How much of a factor does that extra memory really make? If not much, that Asus 128MB 6800GT for only $319 is a really attractive offer. I just got a Dell 2005FPW and with a native resolution of 1680x1050, I need a good card to run my games. My current FX5700 just doesn't cut it at that resolution, and am worried that the 6600GT's wont either, so was looking at a 6800nu.

Basically, my question is if for only an extra $20-$40, will I get a good jump in preformance at higher resolutions by getting the 128MB version of the GT instead of the NU?

 

[slash196]

If the GT has the 16 pixel pipes and higher core speed, then I'd say it performs better than a plain 6800. The 128 meg memory thing is weird, though. Maybe it's a marketing mistake, and it's just a plain old 6800. Check the specs.

 

[Staz]

It's not a mistake, other sites have the same card, but for a tad bit more than Newegg. From what I am reading, it is simply the 128MB version of their 6800GT card, so they needed to make it cheaper than the 256MB version. I don't think there are any other differences, I have found none. Why it is so much cheaper than the 256MB version and thus very close in price to the 6800NU's, I don't know. It seems like an unusually good deal, so was wondering what the "catch" is, pending there is one.

 

[slash196]

Can you link to the cards you're looking at?

 

[Marsumane]

Its worth its price

 

[Staz]

Originally posted by: slash196
Can you link to the cards you're looking at?

Here ya go...

ASUS nVIDIA GeForce 6800 GT Video Card, 128MB DDR, 256-Bit, DVI/TV-Out, 8X AGP, Model "V9999GT/TD/128"

 

[imported_umbra]

linky http://www.newegg.com/app/View...=14-121-177&depa=0 I've been looking at it myself I figure why take the risk of getting a card that doesn't unlock. I need to wait a few weeks to recharge my cash from christmas though

 

[Pete]

It's got only 700MHz RAM, AFAIK, which I believe is the same as a 6800. So the only gain is from the inreased pixel pipes at a slightly increased speed (16 @ 350 vs. 12 @ 325).

Tough call, IMO. If you can wait for a deal, I'd look for a $250 6800. Otherwise, I'd probably say just go for a $230 6600GT (XFX dual DVI @ Buy.com). One problem with that XFX is a loud fan, though, which might steer you toward one of the other cards.

 

[zealit]

From what I've been reading, this card has the GT core with 6800NU memory. This means you have 16pp+6vp so no unlock. It runs at 1.3V instead of 1.2V for the NU's and 350mhz/700effective. I guess that if you don't want to unlock pipes on a NU or you want to be sure to have 16/6 running you should buy this.

 

[slash196]

I say go for it. It's not as good as a "real" GT, but it looks better than your standard 12 pipe 6800. At that price, it's hard to pass up

 

[HeatMiser]

I agree that at a $20-40 difference, the 6800GT is a better buy at $320. However, I think most people are buying the 6800NU during some of the great deals that have been around (BFG at BB and PNY at CompUSA), and end up paying more like $200-220 +/-. If you have $300+ to spend, the 6800GT is a good card, with the caveats that a couple other posters mentioned above.

As far as memory, most people say that 256MB is important if you are going up to 1600x1200 and running with AA and AF. If you see some of the reviews, you'll see that the 6800NU with 128MB has a hard time even running at 1600x1200 with AA and AF on, so if you have a big monitor/LCD, you may want to get a card with 256MB.

edit: I just noticed your comments about your monitor. I would check out some of the reviews about the performance these cards have at 1600x1050 (or 1200 as most reviews have). I don't know what the answer is, but you may find some good answers one what performance card would be good for you, especially with respect to how much video memory you need.

 

[Staz]

Only problem is there are no 256MB AGP cards in the 6000 series under $350, which is really more than I want to spend.

Found an interesting site with good benchmarks. It's not in english, but you don't need it when reading the numbers...here

 

[HeatMiser]

Xbit labs had a good performance comparison too, note it is half-life 2 only. I book marked to the page where the performance measurements starts. I guess you could say that this ASUS would be somewhere between the 6800NU and 6800GT (256MB) in performance.

 

[imported_umbra]

the way I see it is this is like a 6800pro Also this card actually has a gt core. I read up on it. it's a 6800 board with ram and a 6800gt core 6600GT<6800<6800gt128<6800gt256<6800ultra<6800 ultra extreme

 

[Staz]

Or you can consider it just a 6800nu that comes factory unlocked and OC'ed a bit.

 

[imported_umbra]

I checked the asus site it comes with like 8 games too battle engine aquila deus ex I think

 

[Pete]

Three games, none of them great (DE:IW, BE Aquila, Gun Metal). The "6-in-1" thing is probably demos.

Again, I have to say that this sounds like a bit of a rip-off, considering 6800s have gone for $220-250 (sometimes with great games like Far Cry or HL2) for the past few weeks, and the X800XL is coming in January at a supposed $300 with 256MB 1GHz RAM.

IMO, the $270 Jaton or XFX 6800s are better buys, with better bundles (Jaton in particular, with Madden '04 and C&amp;C:G, tho the XFX is dual DVI). I'd almost prefer the passively-cooled Gigabyte 6800 for $300, because that passive cooler probably raises resale value.

If you disregard the bundles and focus solely on high res performance, the Asus 6800"GT" will perform better--without AA. Throw AA into the mix, and it probably won't be noticably faster than a regular 6800, as memory speed becomes the limiting factor.

Actually, everything I wrote is now moot. Digit-Life's 3Digest includes this Asus 6800GT 128MB 350/700 in their benchmarks, along with a regular 6800, on a bunch of games, with various resolutions and AA+AF. So you can decide for yourself.