With Success. First, the card is much cooler than the GForce 6600GT (and I clocks not, but the predecessor was a pleasant "Desk Heating"), faster (Fleet 96 fps compared to 54fps in Half Life 2 benchmark) and the Shader Model 3.0 I gladly as a bonus with.
Practically speaking, I can in most games (no high-end FP shooter mind you) the details / graphic level by one or two categories revving smoothly, and the game runs smoothly and liquid even at a high number Present teammates. And revamp the quality of textures on very clear!
The fan of Gainward's almost silently - very pleasant. Is also pleasant that included an adapter to the usual 4-pin power cable interene for the 6-pin power connector of the card. The card is the two diaphragm-slots requires not particularly disturbing - in the size of today's graphics-cooler module is anyway hardly / no place in the top PCI slot, so you can dispense with the local panel lightly.
The power consumption at full load is compared to the 6600GT also lower the Netteilauslasung has fallen to me by about 6% in the shots (which should correspond to about 30 watts) - ergo, less heat, less power consumption, less wear and tear (?).
Résumé - benefits are clearly the relatively low price because a 15% faster 7800 GT (112 fps in Half Life 2) costs slightly 50-100 euros more similar it is a X1950X of Radeon. The Gainward is incidentally impressive noise - not even the cat my girlfriend complains more - and it is cheap. The NVidia graphics chips with a lot of games bsser harmony than that of ATI is .... hmmm matter of opinion.
The two friends of mine (like systems) after reviewing the performance of the same opinion were and the map instantly have brought an upgrade but see it as confirmation, hehe.
Disadvantages? Well, it's an AGP card, who is expanding his computer continuously modular this card probably not in the next generation motherboards with PCI Express slots installing können.Und yes, there are (still) faster alternatives, but if a 15% more frames 35-70% additional investment are worth? Since it is probably as with the gold-plated connectors in the audio sector - who's believes the need it .... But for an AGP system (processors with maximum 4 Ghz) was already almost overkill .....
And yes, there are no grand map "goodies" in - not a game, not free software, but to be honest, those who value the free Nachgeworfenbekommen of years old software ....