Head to Head: NVIDIA GeForce 5900XT vs. NVIDIA GeForce 6600GT

If we take a look at the price of the GeForce FX 5900XT in our RealTime Pricing Engine, we see a card that hovers somewhere around $185. The 5900XT is the lower rung of the high end graphics cards from NVIDIA at the end of the year in 2003.

Under Doom 3, the 5900XT just can't keep up with the 6600GT, especially at higher resolutions. We are seeing the same type of pattern we saw with the 9800 Pro head to head: as resolution increases, so does the 6600GT's lead.

Doom 3 Performance

 

NVIDIA GeForce 5900XT

NVIDIA GeForce 6600GT

Performance Advantage

640 x 480

65.6

105.9

61.4%

800 x 600

50.2

100.3

99.8%

1024 x 768

36.3

82

125.9%

1280 x 1024

25.4

58.7

131.1%

1600 x 1200

18.9

43.4

129.6%

Winner

 

-

6600GT

 
This test isn't even a contest. The 6600GT makes short work of the 5900XT under valve's VST test. Though, with Half-Life two finally released, we'll have to see just how good a predictor of performance the VST is.

Counterstrike: Source Visual Stress Test Performance

 

NVIDIA GeForce 5900XT

NVIDIA GeForce 6600GT

Performance Advantage

640 x 480

81.8

191.8

134.5%

800 x 600

60.6

175.3

189.3%

1024 x 768

40.2

133.3

231.6%

1280 x 1024

24.8

83.3

235.9%

1600 x 1200

18.9

68

259.8%

Winner

 

-

6800GT

 

This test shows virtually no difference in the framerates of Unreal Tournament 2004 until we started working beyond 1024x768. It is very likely that before 1280 graphics are not a limiting factor in performance here. Nevertheless, the 6600GT comes out on top, and when graphics power does start to matter the 5900XT starts to fall behind.

Unreal Tournament 2004

 

NVIDIA GeForce 5900XT

NVIDIA GeForce 6600GT

Performance Advantage

640 x 480

72.7

72.3

0.6%

800 x 600

71.4

71.4

0.0%

1024 x 768

67.2

70.5

4.9%

1280 x 1024

51.9

62.8

21.0%

1600 x 1200

39.1

50.2

28.4%

Winner

 

-

6600GT


The 5900XT is not playable at anything above 1024x768 in FarCry, but the 6600GT holds on and manages over a 100% performance advantage at the higher resolutions.
 

Far Cry 1.3 Performance

 

NVIDIA GeForce 5900XT

NVIDIA GeForce 6600GT

Performance Advantage

640 x 480

60.2

86.3

43.4%

800 x 600

45.7

80.8

76.8%

1024 x 768

33.3

67.9

103.9%

1280 x 10 24

23

48.7

111.7%

1600 x 1200

16.4

37.1

126.2%

Winner

 

-

6600GT

 
Halo continues the 6600GT reign with almost double the performance across the board.

Halo 1.05 Performance

 

NVIDIA GeForce 5900XT

NVIDIA GeForce 6600GT

Performance Advantage

640 x 480

71.4

131.7

84.5%

800 x 600

55.1

111.7

102.7%

1024 x 768

39.7

82.4

107.6%

1280 x 1024

26.5

56.9

114.7%

1600 x 1200

19.2

41.3

115.1%

Winner

 

-

6600GT

 
This OpenGL benchmark shows a tie between the two boards, and at lower resolutions the 5900XT board is acutally leading the 6600GT here. This older quake III engine based game definitely shows a side we haven't seen, but so far the 5900XT has tied one benchmark while the 6600GT has won all the rest. Let's contine on and see what the rest stack up like.

Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory Performance

 

NVIDIA GeForce 5900XT

NVIDIA GeForce 6600GT

Performance Advantage

640 x 480

111.8

107.6

3.8%

800 x 600

110.3

107.5

2.5%

1024 x 768

103.7

104.2

0.5%

1280 x 1024

84

88

4.8%

1600 x 1200

64

68

6.3%

Winner

 

-

Tie

 
In Battlefield vietnam, the results are pretty steadily in favor of the 6600GT: it wins with over a 50% performance advantage every time.

Battlefield - Vietnam Performance

 

NVIDIA GeForce 5900XT

NVIDIA GeForce 6600GT

Performance Advantage

640 x 480

139

217

56.1%

800 x 600

106

180

69.8%

1024 x 768

76

134

76.3%

1280 x 1024

53

97

83.0%

1600 x 1200

36

68

88.9%

Winner

 

-

6600GT

 
Running with 78% higher fps at 1600x1200, the 6600GT closes out its victory against the 5900XT.

The Sims 2 Performance

 

NVIDIA GeForce 5900XT

NVIDIA GeForce 6600GT

Performance Advantage

800 x 600

33.4

50.3

50.6%

1024 x 768

29

42.1

45.2%

1280 x 1024

20.3

32.6

60.6%

1600 x 1200

15.6

27.8

78.2%

Winner

 

-

6600GT

In every test but one the 6600GT dominated the 5900XT in performance and value. In our head to head battles, price was a key factor. Now that the 6600GT has entered the AGP market, there is no reason to look at either of these other two AGP based products.

Head to Head: ATI Radeon 9800 Pro vs. NVIDIA GeForce 6600GT Doom 3 Performance
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  • Slaimus - Tuesday, November 16, 2004 - link

    What is missing is an AGP versus PCIE comparison, so the impact of the bridging can be seen.
  • bob661 - Tuesday, November 16, 2004 - link

    Newegg has one for $235.
    http://tinyurl.com/6cjej
  • pio!pio! - Tuesday, November 16, 2004 - link

    #8: What do you mean unlock the stuff? Can you flash the 6800GT BIOS onto the 6800 regular or something?
  • Da3dalus - Tuesday, November 16, 2004 - link

    NVidia rocks again 8D
  • Staples - Tuesday, November 16, 2004 - link

    Hell yeah.

    I was hoping this card would hit before Christmas. My brother wants a 9800P for Christmas but after seeing the PCI-E vesion as a comprable price, it would pain me to buy a 9800P for the same price.
  • Staples - Tuesday, November 16, 2004 - link

  • Bonesdad - Tuesday, November 16, 2004 - link

    Will the retail price here match the street price we see in the real world? Often the MSRP is appreciably higher than street price. Have to wait to see...if it is $175-$200 street price, then the message is clear
  • FinalFantasy - Tuesday, November 16, 2004 - link

    Awesome card...I might pick one up for my dad's rig.
  • CU - Tuesday, November 16, 2004 - link

    Anand you must be the only one in the world that can find 6800GT/U and x800Pro/XT, and now a 6600GT AGP the day it is out, but don't have a 6800nu to test with. I wish I had that problem.

    P.S. I don't mean this in a bad way or anything. I just thought it was funny.
  • mldeveloper - Tuesday, November 16, 2004 - link

    will we see a pci express 6600gt vs. agp 6600gt to confirm if the bridge chip actually affects performance

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