Features, Features, Features...
Written: Nov 19 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Inexpensive, Powerful GPU, Many FEatures
Cons: Drivers could be newer, slight (fixable) problems in Win2k
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| dkoepke49's Full Review: Asus AGP-6600 |
I purchased the Deluxe version about a month ago, but I wasn't expecting a card like this to have so many extras. It was just amazing at how much stuff this card comes with as well as the bundled software.
First off, you get the power of the GeForce256 chip which just hauls compared all other chips. Granted, the GeForce 2, Geforce 2 GTS and GeForce 2 Ultra are the newer, faster better chips out right now, but as for the perfomance you get (and the price), if you don't have a Geforce, this is the perfect time to get one now.
Besides the GPU, you have many features and bundled accessories. The Deluxe comes with the VR Goggles (personally, I haven't used), S-Video I/O, RCA Out and the standard monitor input. So you really have a lot of devices that can be used with this card. And to top that off, you get about 12 CDs packed with software and games (I haven't used any of these either).
Now as a gamer, I was mostly looking to the GPU, but with the extra features, it is pretty fun to mess around with video and editing. Now granted, there are going to be much better cards out there for video and editing, but if you are really wanting a powerful graphics card, with a taste of some extra features, this is definitely something to think about.
Now the only downside I found was more with my setup then with the card itself. I run Windows 2000 Pro, so I have to be on the lookout to make sure everything is compatible. Another problems that pops up its head is when you add the VIA AGP chipset into the equation. YOu may have some problems with locking up in 3D games. Now there are some fixes to this, the one i recommend is on Microsoft's site, but that was the only thing that really bothered me out of the box.
The other thing you have to be aware of are the drivers. Now Nvidia has some outstanding reference drivers that work great with this card (actually benchmarking higher than with the supplied drivers), but you lose the functionality of all those features you want to play with. The drivers included work just fine, but they are just built off an older reference version. So all in all, it is going to work, and if you don't want to use the extra features, you can always go with different drivers and increase your performance some.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 150.00
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Epinions.com ID:
dkoepke49
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Member: Daniel Koepke
Location: Fort Wayne, Indiana
Reviews written: 66
Trusted by: 5 members
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