Brand preference?

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entropism

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I know this will mostly be opinion based, but I wanted to ask anyways:

I recently tried ordering an MSI 1070 Gamer X off Microcenter, and it was out of stock. They're honoring the price and replacing it with a different model 1070. They originally offered an Asus Strix at the same price:

https://www.asus.com/us/Graphics-Cards/ROG-STRIX-GTX1070-8G-GAMING/

I asked about possibly subbing in another brand, and they mentioned the EVGA FTW2 and SC Gaming 1070s were available, along with the Zotac Amp! (not extreme).

Keep in mind, this card is complete and total overkill for what I'll be using it for. Most likely WoW and HoTS at 1440 or 4K.

As far as noise, temps, and reliability/warranty, what would you guys pick? I normally would say the EVGA FTW2, because I know EVGA is awesome with warranty, but I know they had heat issues when the line was first released? I'm completely unfamiliar with the Zotac brand, but visually it's the most attractive card. From what I was reading the Strix seems to be the coolest/quietest of the bunch.

So... Throw your opinions at me.
 
I used to like BFG because of the warranty, but those are ... well, no longer.

I went to EVGA after that, again because of the warranty. You have to watch the model for them, they have a lot of different SKUs of the same card, and not all have the same warranty (or build quality).

Since I've become an Asus Strix lover. Those are some nice cards, but they do command a premium. If they are offering that one to you, and you don't need a blower-style shroud for your case, I'd jump on it.
 
No, I'd prefer a non-blower style. Those 4 were available, they're getting back to me as to offering it at the price I paid (which was the MSI, open box, and at a fairly deep discount). The Strix was the initial offer, but I was trying to see if I could get the FTW2 out of it.

And yeah, specs of the rest of my system are in the sig. Going into a Corsair Carbide 400R case. So all the cards should fit.
 
I have the STRIX model that they offered you. Absolutely no issues with it.
 
Avoid the Zotac AMP! Edition as a friend of mine has the 1080 version and it's a serious heater and throttles. If it isn't the AMP! Extreme don't bother. I've got the AMP! Extreme and I love it! Monster cooler and clocks pretty good while remaining cool. Gaming temps don't go past 60c and i barely hear the fans. Out of the others, I would go with either EVGA or the Strix.
 
entropism said:
I know this will mostly be opinion based, but I wanted to ask anyways:

I recently tried ordering an MSI 1070 Gamer X off Microcenter, and it was out of stock. They're honoring the price and replacing it with a different model 1070. They originally offered an Asus Strix at the same price:

https://www.asus.com/us/Graphics-Cards/ROG-STRIX-GTX1070-8G-GAMING/

I asked about possibly subbing in another brand, and they mentioned the EVGA FTW2 and SC Gaming 1070s were available, along with the Zotac Amp! (not extreme).

Keep in mind, this card is complete and total overkill for what I'll be using it for. Most likely WoW and HoTS at 1440 or 4K.

As far as noise, temps, and reliability/warranty, what would you guys pick? I normally would say the EVGA FTW2, because I know EVGA is awesome with warranty, but I know they had heat issues when the line was first released? I'm completely unfamiliar with the Zotac brand, but visually it's the most attractive card. From what I was reading the Strix seems to be the coolest/quietest of the bunch.

So... Throw your opinions at me.
Click to expand...


MSI is good
EVGA is good too
but the card is only as good as the Nvidia drivers or current WIN 10 OS.

I wish I got a Gaming X for the DVI port alone not wiling to sell my Founders Edition for a 120.00 loss on ebay after fees ect..
 
For reliability NVIDIA is hard to beat. ASUS is a close second in my experience, replacing BFG after they went extinct.

The warranty on EVGA hardware is very good, though, but you're going to need it as I've had the worst track record with their video cards as far as reliability is concerned.

I've put video cards from Gigabyte in PCs I've built for other people due to performance per dollar compared to other brands, but have had no personal experience.

I have not had or used any video cards from MSi, as they always seem to be overpriced compared to the competition.
 
I tend to go with MSI since Kepler and they have been solid performers and reliable, but like Armenius mentions I am really not keen on how they have been pricing their models more recently.
That said a friend purchased the Armor 1070 model (usually go for the upper models with Twn frozer type) and it is still very well built and quiet, no problems so far.

Cheers
 
Ended up that the Strix they were offering as a replacement was used. Said no.

I ended up uh... persuading... the manager to pricematch an EVGA 1070 FTW2 to a best buy Superclocked. So I got the FTW2 for $410 out the door.

Other option was the Strix OC for $560 or the Zotac Amp! for $500. Fuck that noise.
 
Here in Europe the different manufacturer warranty schemes don't come into play much so I pretty much choose based on the metrics of cooling vs noise. For example I had two Gigabyte 970s that were really nice and quiet, tried a Gigabyte 980 Ti and it was noisy as hell so I returned it and went with MSI which was quiet again. At the moment I would put my money on ASUS and MSI if I were buying a new card. From EVGA the only cards that interest me are the AIO watercooled ones.
 
entropism said:
Ended up that the Strix they were offering as a replacement was used. Said no.

I ended up uh... persuading... the manager to pricematch an EVGA 1070 FTW2 to a best buy Superclocked. So I got the FTW2 for $410 out the door.

Other option was the Strix OC for $560 or the Zotac Amp! for $500. Fuck that noise.
Click to expand...


They were trying to play that dumbass move. Glad you got the FTW2! Hopefully the one you got isn't a heater as alot of the EVGA cards.
 
Honestly, the only game I play is WoW, and right now I'm at 1920x1200, soon to be either 1440 or 4K. This thing isn't going to be stressed much at all. Really it's complete overkill, but I had the chance to sell an RX480, and with the money I got from that + $40, I got the 1070. Was a no-brainer.

Still, I would have preferred the MSI Gamer X when push came to shove.
 
entropism said:
I know this will mostly be opinion based, but I wanted to ask anyways:

I recently tried ordering an MSI 1070 Gamer X off Microcenter, and it was out of stock. They're honoring the price and replacing it with a different model 1070. They originally offered an Asus Strix at the same price:

https://www.asus.com/us/Graphics-Cards/ROG-STRIX-GTX1070-8G-GAMING/

I asked about possibly subbing in another brand, and they mentioned the EVGA FTW2 and SC Gaming 1070s were available, along with the Zotac Amp! (not extreme).

Keep in mind, this card is complete and total overkill for what I'll be using it for. Most likely WoW and HoTS at 1440 or 4K.

As far as noise, temps, and reliability/warranty, what would you guys pick? I normally would say the EVGA FTW2, because I know EVGA is awesome with warranty, but I know they had heat issues when the line was first released? I'm completely unfamiliar with the Zotac brand, but visually it's the most attractive card. From what I was reading the Strix seems to be the coolest/quietest of the bunch.

So... Throw your opinions at me.
Click to expand...

Honestly, having used all of these brands before, I would go with ASUS. I used to be a huge EVGA fan, but their support and engineering is nowhere close to what it used to be.
 
entropism said:
Honestly, the only game I play is WoW, and right now I'm at 1920x1200, soon to be either 1440 or 4K. This thing isn't going to be stressed much at all. Really it's complete overkill, but I had the chance to sell an RX480, and with the money I got from that + $40, I got the 1070. Was a no-brainer.

Still, I would have preferred the MSI Gamer X when push came to shove.
Click to expand...

I play everything @ 1440 with everything maxed out. Very happy with my card. Using a 43" HDTV as my pc screen. More than enough.
 
entropism said:
Honestly, the only game I play is WoW, and right now I'm at 1920x1200, soon to be either 1440 or 4K. This thing isn't going to be stressed much at all. Really it's complete overkill, but I had the chance to sell an RX480, and with the money I got from that + $40, I got the 1070. Was a no-brainer.

Still, I would have preferred the MSI Gamer X when push came to shove.
Click to expand...

As someone who plays WoW at 1080P with the rig in the sig, WoW sometimes struggles when everything set to max level in certain situations.
 
Asus every time for me.

Their electrical power engineering seems to be the best in the industry, both for mobos and gcards. Unfortunately, with modern chips like Pascal, that doesn't actually translate to an advantage anymore, so you're best off simply going for the best deal or a card with a quiet cooler if that's a concern.
 
EVGA is my #1, Asus/MSI #2

When it comes to cards I won't buy anything other then these 3.
 
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spine said:
Asus every time for me.
Click to expand...

I've avoided Asus since I got a tablet from them. I had it for 12 months, and it was stuck in RMA hell for 10 of those months. Fucking ridiculous. That was my main concern if the video card went bad, since Microcenter doesn't do replacement plans on video cards anymore.
 
Evga period. 24/7 phone support and an american will answer the phone!! Enough said.

Plus you wont void your warranty id you remove the cooler to change the goop or add a water block! They dont mind as long as you dont cause physical damage!
 
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After years of always rocking ASUS everything, I'm an MSI convert. I've just been really happy with their quality and support.
Never had a Corsair video card, but my rig consists of a Corsair PSU, CPU cooler, RAM, and case.
 
eclypse said:
Evga period. 24/7 phone support and an american will answer the phone!! Enough said.

Plus you wont void your warranty id you remove the cooler to change the goop or add a water block! They dont mind as long as you dont cause physical damage!
Click to expand...

This right here. Period. The. End.

I only buy EVGA and have been since BFG went under.
 
Comixbooks said:
MSI is good
EVGA is good too
but the card is only as good as the Nvidia drivers or current WIN 10 OS.

I wish I got a Gaming X for the DVI port alone not wiling to sell my Founders Edition for a 120.00 loss on ebay after fees ect..
Click to expand...

That is true of any GPU - even the integrated stuff from Intel and AMD. I went MSI this time (coming from refurbished EVGA); however, that was due to stocking issues with the two EVGA options I had been considering (I had purchased from Amazon); that I have an MSI motherboard was actually irrelevant (trhough it DOES mean I can use the same utility - Live Update 6 - to keep both mobo and GPU firmware updated. I use Afterburner to handle the monitoring chores - I'm not overclocking at all currently.
 
I'm not brand loyal, as long as the warranty is over 2 years I'm fine, I usually upgrade every generations big chip. If I was recommending to someone who needed a card to last them years I would say EVGA and MSI, had a great experience with both of them in the past. I had a MSI GTX 480 die and they replaced it quickly. I believe they even cross shipped back then, not sure if they still do anymore though, I needed to ask for it. EVGA also has great customer service and cross shipped a Titan Black replacement when mine was artifacting badly.
 
Lots of love for asus in here, and ill agree that their products look and feel quality(Crosshair VI aside) Rma department is sketchy af. Lol proceed with caution I do own alot of asus stuff tho, but my latest graphics card purchase was evga.
 
Yes, all the horror stories of ASUS RMA is in the back of my mind whenever I purchase an ASUS component but I've been lucky in never having to RMA an ASUS product. I'm sure my brand-loyalty would be a tad different if I were to experience it for myself.
 
Algrim said:
Yes, all the horror stories of ASUS RMA is in the back of my mind whenever I purchase an ASUS component but I've been lucky in never having to RMA an ASUS product. I'm sure my brand-loyalty would be a tad different if I were to experience it for myself.
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I owned g71gx and g73 rog laptops and never had to rma them lol pretty amazing, but those 2 items could have ruined them for me forever
 
EVGA (for warranty) MSI Gaming X (for cooling and looks, IMO). Though, I've owned pretty much all the brands, and the only one I've ever had an issue with was ASUS.

And if you ever need to need to RMA to ASUS, good effin' luck (based on my own experience; I'm sure results vary).
 
Pny had a year less warranty i think when i was looking this time around, so id definitely make sure on that 2 vs 3


Edit: or maybe you didnt get the 3rd year if you didnt register... Either way, thats silly
 
Also PNY changed there policy on using water blocks.. now voids warranty. Evga don't care!
 
waderunner said:
EVGA (for warranty) MSI Gaming X (for cooling and looks, IMO). Though, I've owned pretty much all the brands, and the only one I've ever had an issue with was ASUS.

And if you ever need to need to RMA to ASUS, good effin' luck (based on my own experience; I'm sure results vary).
Click to expand...
EVGA's iCX lineup is BRILLIANT! Ihad Gigabyte's Xtreme Gaming 1080 before I changed it to FTW2 due to the size and while Xtreme was hell of a card with amazing cooling and silent fans, this smaller 2-slot and dual fan FTW2 is amazing in terms of build quality and cooling performance.
 
I don't care much for brand. Not sure it really makes any difference. I just get whatever is available at the most reasonable price. I've had evga, zotac, pny, and msi over the last few generations.
 
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