6600Gt agp vs radeon 9800 pro: Head to Head: ATI Radeon 9800 Pro vs. NVIDIA GeForce 6600GT

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IndexThe CardsHead to Head: ATI Radeon 9800 Pro vs. NVIDIA GeForce 6600GTHead to Head: NVIDIA GeForce 5900XT vs. NVIDIA GeForce 6600GTDoom 3 PerformanceCounterstrike: Source Visual Stress TestUnreal Tournament 2004 PerformanceFar Cry PerformanceHalo PerformanceWolfenstein: ET PerformanceBattlefield: Vietnam PerformanceThe Sims 2 PerformanceFinal Words

Head to Head: ATI Radeon 9800 Pro vs. NVIDIA GeForce 6600GT

Before we get to the full set of benchmarks we wanted to look at a couple of
important direct comparisons to the 6600GT. 

First we have ATI’s Radeon 9800 Pro; using our RealTime Price Engine
we see that the 128MB ATI Radeon 9800 Pro is currently selling for $214

Under Doom 3, the 6600GT performs at a minimum of 27% faster than the 9800
Pro at the lowest resolution we tested. Ramping up in resolution only widened
the gap between the cards. The 6600GT remains playable all the way through our
testing, while the 9800 Pro falls to less than half the 6600GT’s frame rate
at our highest resolution. Not only is this generation’s midrange card
outperforming a top of the line card from last year, but technologically and
dollar for dollar this 6600GT is the very clear winner here as well.

The CS: Source VST also shows
an increasing performance advantage with resolution. In two of the most
demanding apps, the 6600GT is able to scale much better than its competition at
this price point. These numbers are not as dramatic as the Doom 3 scores, but
at the same time, NVIDIA cards have traditionally been stronger under OpenGL
titles while ATI cards tend to hold there own when put to the DirectX test. Of
course, this fact just amplifies the victory for the 6600GT.

The two contenders traded blows
in this DirectX 8.1 based game. The numbers are close across the board. The
6600GT leads at lower resolutions, while the 9800 Pro inks ahead above 1280.
None of these numbers are hugely significant, and this game is a classic toss
up. The engine is tried and true as it’s based on the same technology
used in UT2K3. It doesn’t really push the hardware like other games we
see on the list, but it is still a good test because many games licensed the Unreal
Engine.

With the exception of UT2K4,
Far Cry revives a trend: the 6600GT increases its lead in the benchmark as we
increase the resolution. Far Cry didn’t show as much favor toward the
6600GT as in Doom 3 or the Source VST, but the trend is still the same. While
the 20% lead the 6600GT maintains at 1600×1200 is impressive, 37 fps may or may
not be playable depending on how demanding of a gamer one may be. We like to
see 40 to 45 fps in shooters at a minimum, but there is a subjective element to
it, and we’ll leave the final call to the reader.

Another DirectX 9.0 game shows
that the 6600GT card has a resolution scaling advantage over the 9800 Pro that gives
it much more bang for the buck. Halo’s performance advantage numbers fall
somewhere between Doom 3’s and the Source VST’s. Between the 9800
Pro and the 6600GT, current and future games will definitely see more benefit
from the NVIDIA card.

In this older OpenGL title, we
see the 9800 Pro scale better than the 6600GT, but the NVIDIA card still
maintained a lead throughout the testing. Since the smallest advantage the 6600GT
enjoyed was just under 3% at 1600×1200, this benchmark goes to in its favor. With
OpenGL being NVIDIA’s strong suit, and the 6600GT doing so well in al the
other benchmarks, it is interesting that this would be the game in which the
9800 Pro would give some of its best competition. Of course, the fact that this
game is based on a very fixed function type of engine could have something to
do with that.

ATI’s 9800 Pro scales
down better than the 6600GT here, but the NVIDIA card just outperforms the 9800
hands down.

Once again, we see the 6600GT
out performing and out scaling the 98000 Pro. This game isn’t built for
sheer frame rate, but, at the same time, the graphics can be intensive.

Across the board, the 6600GT is a better buy than the 9800 Pro. There is no
question that the performance is better across the board, and only gets better
at higher resolutions. Add to that the fact that the feature set is a year
newer, and there really isn’t a debate.