What are Reference Cards and Non-Reference Cards?

Hey everyone!

What are reference cards and non-reference cards? I've been searching online but can't seem to find a detailed explanation. How can you determine if a certain graphics card is a ref or non-ref one?

Thank you!

Reference cards are cards released by the graphics card partners (Sapphire, EVGA, Asus, etc) that conform (strictly) to the card specifications originally drawn up by the chip designers (Nvidia/ATI [AMD]) down to the PCB design and cooler.

The partners however are allowed to make certain changes to the PCB including but not limited to changing the cooler, redesigning the layout of the cards (thereby making card dimensions change) and such - the non reference cards.

Hope this helps.

Reference is exactly that, usually a static design that all the card makers partners must follow, a recent example of this was the GTX690 as reference as you will get.

Non reference will usually have higher then normal clocks(tweaked bios) maybe lower voltages, different components used(possibly more memory, better memory or even better Vregs/caps) and even something as simple as changing the cooler makes it non reference.

Generally when most folks say non reference they are refering to the cooler, most of the blower type fans are louder then need be, and the modified or non reference coolers are better in many ways.

So its kind of only a 2 way street, all made the same with a different sticker on it(reference) or different in one way or another(non reference)

Most non reference cards only change the cooler, the rest of the design is perfectly fine as is(Radeon 7870 as an example)

Look on the bit which slots into the PCIe slot. Usually a reference card will have AMD or Nvidia printed on it meaning it's their original board. Non reference cards will not have this.

eg.

Reference: Original board layout (for a GTX 680)

(notice the "Nvidia" on the bottom)

Non reference:

No Nvidia label.

There is some times when it's reference but doesn't have the label however:


Reference just means it uses the original board layout. Later on lots of manafacturers change the layout to either add components, or reduce the cost of manafacture, or to make it fit a different size or cooler.

yeah that is pretty much a reference board there as only a couple components were just added to the same pcb.

Thank you every one! I think I now fully understand the term, or at least have an idea.
Thanks again, I really appriciate it!