9800Pro or 6600GT? (AGP)

[Covenant]

I know the 6600GT is quicker, but by how much? Mainly going to playing strategy games and racing games on it, but still want to be able to bash out HL2.

I was looking and ebuyer have the 9800Pro for £81.04 (inc VAT) - link

whereas the cheapest 6600GT costs 50% more - link

Any advice would be good? A bit more then simply which one is quicker would help... eg, heat? fsaa performance? image quality? power issues?

I've got a shuttle case, and a XP2800 running at stock - will the std 250W psu be able to handel these cards? Currently using a 9600XT but can quite easily find another home for that

Thx!

[StormPC]

If you have a hefty 24/7 overclock on the 2800+ you may want to pop for the extra and get a 6600GT. For most things though there is little difference between those cards. The 9800 Pro is usually much more stable due to better drivers and a more mature design, but the 6600GT is faster in higher resolutions. On your rig you are not likely to notice much difference tbh. Unless you are a huge nVidia fan I'd go with the 9800. The bang for the buck is slightly better in most cases.

[Covenant]

Ah, cheers bud. Will the 9800 pro be alright in my little shuttle case and 250psu?

[Gipo]

9800pro will be fine in there, I had one before I got a x800pro and there are no problems with current setup either

[DArK-aNGeL]

well a 9800 pro will do everything you want it to but...i'd still get the 6600 gt, more future proof.
i have no idea about the case but, what else is in your computer?

[muddyfox470]

i would stick to the 9800pro tbh, as has been mentioned, there is very little difference between these cards, however in the next gen games i am guessing the 6600's architecture will shine above the 9800pro. the 9800pro is a decent card, and at that price it is quite a steal!

as the £40 or so you save now can be put towards the upgrade in a year or so, if you want to upgrade to pci-e etc!

ian

[Covenant]

Thanks for the advice guys. Went for the 9800 Pro in the end. For £81.04 it's just a steal.

Was leaning towards the ati when I made my first post, but it was good to hear I wasn't making a complete mistake. I'm sure when games really start to need the additional power/features of the 6600GT my barton 2800+ would be the bottleneck anyway. That £40 quid saving can go towards my A64-2 4800+ budget i think

[Smokey21]

For 81quid thats such an awesome deal!!!!