MSI NX6600GT AGP Installation & Review

[Eagle Rock]

Just finished installing my new MSI NX6600GT-VTD128. My 3dmark03 score using softmodded Visiontek 9500 Pro was 4369. 3dmark03 scores for NX6600GT was 7232.

Edit:
3DMark03 showed the following:
VGA Memory Clock 900.0 MHz
VGA Core Clock 299.3 MHz
Edit:
Powerstrip shows
VGA Memory Clock 900.0 MHz
VGA Core Clock 500 MHz

[Cogar]

Originally Posted by Eagle Rock

Just finished installing my new MSI NX6600GT-VTD128. My 3dmark03 score using softmodded Visiontek 9500 Pro was 4369. 3dmark03 scores for NX6600GT was 7232.

Edit:
3DMark03 showed the following:
VGA Memory Clock 900.0 MHz
VGA Core Clock 299.3 MHz
Edit:
Powerstrip shows
VGA Memory Clock 900.0 MHz
VGA Core Clock 500 MHz

Looks like a good improvement. Incidentally, at stock speeds, the NX6600GT runs the core clock at 300MHz when running 2D applications and 500MHz when running 3D applications. The stock speed for the memory clock is 900MHz in both cases.

[Deer Slayer]

I was looking at my 6600GT's bios with NiBitor again, and he added an new option. He gave it a check box that says enable 6600GT temp monitor trick! It doesn't get any easier than that! Plus you can put the ram clock up to 1ghz where it should be by default if you want. I would make sure your ram can do it though first, but that's it's rated speed anyway. That's default for the PCI Express version. All you have to do is make a DOS boot disk, put Nvflash on it (the newest version), and save your bios. Then go into windows, open the bios with NiBitor (2.0 latest version), and the rest is self explanitory. I'll post a couple screenies of NiBitor. Then boot with your DOS boot disk with Nvflash on it again with the modded bios copied to it, and flash your bios back on to the card. I'd keep a copy of your un molested stock bios though just in case. Don't mess with the voltage options or VIDs in NiBitor, the 6600GT still can't be modded this way. The clock speeds and temp stuff works though, but I'd verify there are no issues with this @ MVKTech. Good luck, I hope it works for you.

[Cogar]

Thank you Deer Slayer, I will read up on it.

[hackerneeds]

I edited the bios on my 6600gt myself with hextreme after reading all the toutorials on how to do it. It was as simple as locating the string that controlls the temp display and changing a 1 to a 0 or was it a 0 to a 1 - lol. Anyway read the toutorial and use your own bios then flash it as instructed in the directions on the weblinks. This will keep you from killing your card with another bios and you will have the temp guage.

I am running a BFG 6600gt oc'ed to 1.16GHz memory and 560 Core settings (the stock for the BFG is 525MHz/1.05GHz). I am very pleased with the card itself. I am, however, considering increased cooling on the memory to push my memory settings even more.

Anyone else have luck with heavy overclocking on this card yet?

[cookcpu]

Originally Posted by cookcpu

I own 2 MSI 6600 GT, it does show the card temperature. It is under the menu temperature setting.

I just found out that AGP version don't display the card temperature.

The 2 MSI 6600 GT that I own is PCIe card. I should have stated clearly. Sorry didn't do that in my first post.

[Eagle Rock]

Today I used a guide, by Symbios, I found in the Nvidia Forums at:

http://forums.nvidia.com/index.php?showtopic=2379&hl=

Which listed the software programs needed, where to get them, and the directions on just how to enable temperature monitoring on Nvidia GeForce 6600 cards.

It worked on my MSI NX6600GT VTD128 AGP card. My readings:
Core slowdown threshold = 145C (Can't image it getting that hot w/o OC)
GPU Core Temperature = 41C

As usual, you do this at your own risk.

[barureddy]

Originally Posted by Eagle Rock

Today I used a guide, by Symbios, I found in the Nvidia Forums at:

http://forums.nvidia.com/index.php?showtopic=2379&hl=

Which listed the software programs needed, where to get them, and the directions on just how to enable temperature monitoring on Nvidia GeForce 6600 cards.

It worked on my MSI NX6600GT VTD128 AGP card. My readings:
Core slowdown threshold = 145C (Can't image it getting that hot w/o OC)
GPU Core Temperature = 41C

As usual, you do this at your own risk.

I used the guide, and it worked great. The only problem I had was to tell the system to ignore the pci subsystems id mismatch. It is not a big deal, and can be ignored with an nvflash option.

It is hard to believe that all msi needed to do is change one hex value in their bios to get temp monitoring to work (even under linux). Shame on them.

[tedgram]

The new version of Everest Home will also show your GPU, CPU, motherboard and vidio card temps.

[3 of 7]

Originally Posted by tedgram

The new version of Everest Home will also show your GPU, CPU, motherboard and vidio card temps.

I have the latest Everest Home (Ver 220) and I can't find the temps for my EVGA 6600gt. Are the temps for yours listed with the mobo and hd temps? Or are they hidden somewhere else?

[Deer Slayer]

Originally Posted by 3 of 7

I have the latest Everest Home (Ver 220) and I can't find the temps for my EVGA 6600gt. Are the temps for yours listed with the mobo and hd temps? Or are they hidden somewhere else?

Most manufacturers decided to be buttheads and disable temperature monitoring on 6600GT cards. Probably because they didn't want anybody to know that their rinky dink heatsinks they started putting on their cards won't cool the GPU good enough. I can't see a good reason to disable the temperature sensor in the GPU other than just plain being total bungholes! They don't want you to know your GPU temp, and any possible reason for that makes me mad . You can flash your bios to enable temp monitorig, just go look it up on http://www.mvktech.net/ . There are guides for enabling temp monitoring, and lots of people have EVGA cards, and have done the mod. Good luck, hope that helps.

[3 of 7]

Originally Posted by Deer Slayer

Most manufacturers decided to be buttheads and disable temperature monitoring on 6600GT cards. Probably because they didn't want anybody to know that their rinky dink heatsinks they started putting on their cards won't cool the GPU good enough. I can't see a good reason to disable the temperature sensor in the GPU other than just plain being total bungholes! They don't want you to know your GPU temp, and any possible reason for that makes me mad . You can flash your bios to enable temp monitorig, just go look it up on http://www.mvktech.net/ . There are guides for enabling temp monitoring, and lots of people have EVGA cards, and have done the mod. Good luck, hope that helps.

I spent some time there this morning reading up on the procedure..... what a pita (not to mention the normal apprehension invovled with flashing hardware)to just see temps on something that has the diode there.... gee wiz....
Now if I'm going to flash this card, is there a better bios for it that might increase performance?

[Deer Slayer]

Originally Posted by 3 of 7

I spent some time there this morning reading up on the procedure..... what a pita (not to mention the normal apprehension invovled with flashing hardware)to just see temps on something that has the diode there.... gee wiz....
Now if I'm going to flash this card, is there a better bios for it that might increase performance?

Flashing the 6600GTs with different BIOSs is a crapshoot, sometimes you lose video out to TV, sometimes temp sensors won't work, and sometimes they won't even boot! So, I suggest you keep the original bios for your card, and just edit it with NiBitor, which can enable temperature monitoring, and change clock frequencies for the card. If your card follows the standard nVidia reference design and underclocks the DDR3 to 900 MHZ, you may want to clock it up to 1 GHZ, if it can do it without artifacting. My XFX 6600GT came with the ram clocked @ 1 GHZ, and that's the ram's rated speed. Nvidia clocked it down so that it would make AGP look inferior to PCI express, which I thought was pretty shady personally. If you really wanted, you could test the BFG 6600GT OC frequencies on your card (use coolbits to verify it works OK first), and flash your card to BFG's 6600GT OC specs. I would only do that AFTER you know your card is stable OC'ed!!! I would just put the ram up to it's rated 1 GHZ, and OC the rest of the way with coolbits. That way IF your OC causes trouble later down the road, it's only software. It's up to you though, if you don't like coolbits, you can flash the bios to whatever clock speed you like though with NiBitor. Good luck, hope that helps. :o

[3 of 7]

Originally Posted by Deer Slayer

Flashing the 6600GTs with different BIOSs is a crapshoot, sometimes you lose video out to TV, sometimes temp sensors won't work, and sometimes they won't even boot! So, I suggest you keep the original bios for your card, and just edit it with NiBitor, which can enable temperature monitoring, and change clock frequencies for the card. If your card follows the standard nVidia reference design and underclocks the DDR3 to 900 MHZ, you may want to clock it up to 1 GHZ, if it can do it without artifacting. My XFX 6600GT came with the ram clocked @ 1 GHZ, and that's the ram's rated speed. Nvidia clocked it down so that it would make AGP look inferior to PCI express, which I thought was pretty shady personally. If you really wanted, you could test the BFG 6600GT OC frequencies on your card (use coolbits to verify it works OK first), and flash your card to BFG's 6600GT OC specs. I would only do that AFTER you know your card is stable OC'ed!!! I would just put the ram up to it's rated 1 GHZ, and OC the rest of the way with coolbits. That way IF your OC causes trouble later down the road, it's only software. It's up to you though, if you don't like coolbits, you can flash the bios to whatever clock speed you like though with NiBitor. Good luck, hope that helps. :o

OK.... Sounds like logical (and good) advice..

Thnx

[Kage]

I just bought an ASUS 6600GT a couple of weeks ago and I'm very pleased with it. My 9800 is nothing compared to it , In 3dMark03 I get 7330 @ stock speeds and 8453 when I crank it up to 561/1197.
BTW 1197 is the max powerstip allows me to clock the memory up to...