GeForce 6600GT 128MB AGP DVI-I VIVO

g5604 · Post by **g5604** » Fri Sep 16, 2005 1:08 pm

Hi,

i am looking for this card:

http://www.dabs.com/uk/Search2/Product+ ... ase=6600gt

looks like a good silent option, anyone know where else i can get it as dabs is out of stock (in the uk)

cheers,
G

RachelG · Post by **RachelG** » Fri Sep 16, 2005 2:15 pm

Have you tried QuietPC.com? More expensive, but in stock.

scruzbeachbum · Post by **scruzbeachbum** » Fri Sep 16, 2005 2:41 pm

Looks like they may have restocked.

RachelG · Post by **RachelG** » Fri Sep 16, 2005 3:14 pm

scruzbeachbum wrote:Looks like they may have restocked.

... except that that's a fanned PCI card instead of a fanless AGP card ...

scruzbeachbum · Post by **scruzbeachbum** » Fri Sep 16, 2005 3:39 pm

Bah - I was swayed by the image on the previous page...

g5604 · Post by **g5604** » Sat Sep 17, 2005 2:06 am

many thanks for the replies.. seems a hard card to find. quiet pc is good but kinda feel like i am getting ripped off a bit.

i found this:

http://www.cocc.co.uk/Itemdesc.asp?ic=1 ... SP&eq=&Tp=

has anyone used this company before??

cheers,
Gareth

HenryHonda · Post by **HenryHonda** » Sat Sep 17, 2005 2:39 am

Hi,

I assume you want the AGP version..?

I got the PCI-E version from Dabs and it arrived with the section of the heatsink on the rear of the card twisted and touching the PCB.

I RMA'd to Dabs (took ages, awful system), who wern't interested in supplying a replacement - eventually giving a refund with no apology.

The assembly quality of (at least) the PCI-E version appears to have been an issue with a number of other folks (search the forums). This isn't helped by the way the card is packaged in its box. You've got two quite hefty chunks of (Zalman) heatsinks, joined by a single heatpipe, straddling the PCB. IMHO, the whole assembly needs to be more rigidly supported and cushioned in its box (especially if your average courier is going to be chucking it about)!

I have since received a replacement (at only slightly greater cost) from QuietPC:
http://www.quietpc.com/uk/components.php#graphics
- who kindly took it from its box and inspected it, whilst I was on the 'phone. Polite service

, and this one arrived undamaged - but I haven't tried it out yet (build still in progress).

Interesting to note - the one I have now, came with a small cooling fan and bracket (the first one didn't). This can either be attached to an adjacent expansion slot opening, or the fan itself can slide directly onto two of the fins on the heatsink itself. Perhaps an admission that the passive cooling won't always work (and some folks don't realise that you always need a good airflow in your case for passive VGA cooling to work!).

I've read a number of posts complaining about some pretty high temps that some of these cards can run at - maybe inadequate case cooling, but may be to do with the integrity of the heatsink-GPU interface being broken due to the transport packaging issues above.

Best of luck with your search...

g5604 · Post by **g5604** » Sat Sep 17, 2005 3:18 am

many thanks for your reply henry, i guess you do get what you pay for!

i do indeed need an agp version.

would you still reccomend the card, and do you know if the fan supplied is nosiy at all? trying to work out if i need to pick up another fan as well.

cheers,
Gareth

HenryHonda · Post by **HenryHonda** » Sat Sep 17, 2005 3:37 am

Can't recommend anything - since I haven't got it installed & working yet. This is also my first NVidia card - always stuck with ATI previously, but the THG review convinced me that the 6600GT was the best price/performance ratio at my budget:
http://graphics.tomshardware.com/graphi ... 00-34.html

The AGP version has a different heatsink design, and I don't know if it comes with a fan. The fan that came with my PCI-E version is 60mm and clear hard plastic - I don't hold out much hope for it being quiet!

I've designed the system so that I (hopefully!) won't need any direct cooling for the GPU. Time will tell...

Henry

Bitter Jitter · Post by **Bitter Jitter** » Sat Sep 17, 2005 5:08 am

Hi HenryHonda,

Welcome to SPCR neighbour! Where in Norfolk do you live?
I live in Long Stratton if you know where that is?

Shame about your dealings with Dabs, i don't use them anymore because well, the service is non-existent!

Still a 6600GT is the card of choice, for silence and performance.

What is your system going to be?

HenryHonda · Post by **HenryHonda** » Sat Sep 17, 2005 7:12 am

Bitter Jitter wrote:Hi HenryHonda,

Welcome to SPCR neighbour! Where in Norfolk do you live?
I live in Long Stratton if you know where that is?

Shame about your dealings with Dabs, i don't use them anymore because well, the service is non-existent!

Still a 6600GT is the card of choice, for silence and performance.

What is your system going to be?

Yeah, I've bought stuff from Dabs ever since they were a small place in a backstreet in a Manchester suburb (1992). They've always had very good prices, but now they've lost their way (IMHO). There is now no way you can actually speak to a person - everything is automated mails, most of which are standard responses like they've not even read your mail. Never going to use them again, and recommended my friends don't.

I live out in Breckland, between Attleborough & Watton.

My system? - read my sig! With the arrival of some Arctic Ceramique this morning, will be putting it together over the next few weeks. I've two other systems based on:

1. Nexus Breeze Case / Asus A7N8X-E Deluxe / Athlon XP 3200+ Barton / Nexus XP Cooler / 2x 512MB Crucial Ballistix PC3200 / Sapphire 9600XT Ultimate / 2x Samsung P80 120GB etc.

2. SuperMicro Full Tower / Abit KT7A-Raid / Athlon T'bird 1400 / Global WIN Cooler / 2x 256kB Crucial / ATI Radeon 8500 / 2x IBM DeskStar 80MB (1 recently failed).

Bitter Jitter · Post by **Bitter Jitter** » Mon Sep 19, 2005 2:25 pm

HenryHonda wrote:My system? - read my sig!

Not quite sure how i missed that?

Have you noticed much of a difference between the Spinpoint P80 and P120? I'm looking for a new drive as my current P80 has an intermittent whining noise which i find really annoying.