Introduction

Properly replacing the GeForce4 Ti 4200 has been a tough task for NVIDIA. With its 4x2 DX8 core running at 250MHz, and 512MHz memory (in later AGP 8X models), the Ti 4200 offered more than enough horsepower to run all of the games of its generation, and it turns out that with a little bit of work, subsequent games as well. NVIDIA’s first direct replacement, the GeForce 5600 Ultra, received a poor reception at its initial launch early last year. NVIDIA later went back to the drawing board and created a faster, second generation 5600 Ultra, but these cards didn’t hit retail until months after the first round of preview articles went out. By then anyone interested in upgrading had lost interest.

The GeForce 6600 GT

GeForce 6600

To stir things up in the mainstream segment, last Fall NVIDIA released their GeForce FX 5700 line. By adapting key technologies found in the GeForce FX 5900 such as UltraShadow, Intellisample HCT, CineFX 2.0, and high-speed DDR2 memory operating at 900MHz, the 5700 and the 5700 Ultra were both really strong parts that were competitive with ATI’s latest offerings, but gamers and enthusiasts still didn’t quite bite, particularly the Ti 4200 owners. NVIDIA decided to up the ante one more time.

Their answer was the GeForce FX 5900 XT. Rather than produce a cost-reduced version of the GeForce FX 5900 like they’d done with the 5700 line, the GeForce FX 5900 XT featured the same NV35 graphics core as the GeForce FX 5900/5900 Ultra, and just as importantly, it shared the same 256-bit wide memory interface found in those cards. These cards were an instant hit, as they provided all the features of NVDIA’s highest-end offerings, but at a much more affordable $200 (or less) price point. It was finally just like the GeForce4 Ti 4200 all over again!

Today NVIDIA is unveiling the GeForce 6600 family, or “The DOOM 3 GPU” as they like to call it. NVIDIA has also announced a new GeForce 6800 SKU, the GeForce 6800 LE.

GeForce 6600 GT bracket

What is that connector up top?

The 6800 LE is NVIDIA’s eight pixel pipeline derivative of the GeForce 6800, but fortunately it retains the 6800 line’s 256-bit memory interface. The GeForce 6800 LE is the new bottom end of the GeForce 6800 series and should be priced somewhere between $200-$300 although we weren’t given an exact figure by NVIDIA. Final clocks are still up in the air, although we expect most boards will likely ship with 128MB of DDR1 memory, just like the vanilla GeForce 6800.

We’ve been told that the GeForce 6800 LE will be targeted at OEMs, or at least initially. Apparently these guys want a lower-priced GeForce 6800 card so they can claim to have 6800 graphics inside, although we have a feeling many enthusiasts will pass on this card, just as they did with similar offerings from ATI, such as the RADEON 9800 SE.