Introduction
The Midrange graphics market currently populated by, ATI's X700pro, X700XT, 9600XT, 9800/9700pro and Nvidia's 6600, 6600GT. These cards are priced ~$300CAD, an interesting addition to this price point is the 9700/9800 series, these cards were not too long ago considered High End cards. We will not be examining how the 9700pro stacks up against todays midrange champ Nvidia's 6600GT. The 6600GT we will be reviewing is the XFX 6600GT 128MB, this card has gained a reputation as an impressive overclocker. With the 6600GT Nvidia hopes to regain the midrange glory it had in its Geforce 4 Ti4200 days and with the widespread adoption of PCI express, this card in its PCI-X form is a force to be reconed with in an SLI setup.
Specifications
Graphics controller
GEFORCE 6600 GT
Memory Configuration
Performance
- Graphics Core: 256-bit
- Memory Interface: 128-bit
- Memory Data Rate: 1000 MHz
- RAMDACs: 400 MHz
With its use of the new GDDR3 standard, the 128-bit memory interface does not in any way cripple performance as with previous generations. It's stock 3D clocks are 500MHz (core) 1.0GHz (memory). These innovations make it the first true DirectX 9 midrange performer.
Packaging
The box is very attractive and does an execellent job drawing perspective purchasers' eyes to its place on the display shelf. It is a very small detail but a nice finishing touch to the product. The same old rectangular boxes that most manufacturers use are tiresome at best so this was a welcomed sight.
Software Bundle.
The software bundle includes X2 The Threat, Commando3, Nascar Thunder 2004 and the XFX driver/utilities disk. I would have preferred to see one of the more popular First Person Shooters added to this list but none the less a nice package; a little something for everyone. In addition to the software and manuals in the box you will find a DVI to VGA adapters and a A-Video cable.
The Card
The card features an excellent stock heatsink fan that is virtually inaudible and allows for plenty of overclocking headroom. Due to the lack of compatible reliable aftermarket cooler such as the VGA Silencers, the attention to detail by XFX to their stock solution is a welcomed sight. Also, just below the GPU's heatsink you will see a smaller aluminum heatsink. At first I thought this was a ramsink, but it is actually a heatsink for the PCI-X bridge chip. The introduction of dual DVI outputs to a midrange card is a first. Dual DVI is a feature that in the past was limited to high-end cards, so for all you dual LCD users, have fun. It is unfortunate that the addition of ramsinks was overlooked considering how this card clocks. | 
