Does the brand make a difference?

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slugger_2003

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jan 30, 2007
Messages
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I am looking at either getting one of the new r600 when it's commercially available or a 8800gtx. What I'm wondering is whether or not the brand of the card makes a difference? Like if it's EVGA or XFX etc...
I'm not building it myself so it should be coming with a warrenty anyway. Just looking at the fact it appears to be the same card..with different branding but some are noticeably more expensive than others.

Thanks
 
not really, unless they are special "OC" or "XXX" editions.

In fact, i think ALL 8800 series cards are actually made by the same factory, then the manufacturers put their own stickers on them.
 
Most ATI cards are produced by one company, and few companies produce NVIDIA cards too. At least starting out, all G80 cards were produced in the same factory by Flextronics.
 
Even though it is true that most Nvidia (and ATI I assume) cards start from the same place...the different companies add their own cooling solutions, overclocking and voltage levels. Not to mention different warranties and levels of customer service..
 
I really like the EVGA video cards. Best warranty and the 8800GTS overclocks like mad. I have mine at 670 core and 1980 memory. This compares to a stock 8800GTX at 575/1800. :)
 
knowing that I can do anything short of beating my evga with a hammer and still be able to rma it is nice.
 
/agreed. They're the only one that I know of that *officially* allow overclocking and changing heatsinks. It's also nice to have their forums to go to in case of issues, and know they will respond (not shut them down ala a competitor in the 7900 f*ck-up). They were alot more responsive to my issues, and replacing bad cards (TWICE), than (eg) PNY back when I had a ti4200.
[edit]Example: I finally got sick of RMA #1 cards problems not too long ago, and Jacob Freeman had no problems issuing me a cross-ship immediately, even though officially, they ended the policy (for the 7900 owners) a while back. Whether I'd buy an eVGA mobo again, I'm not so sure - they totally dropped the ball on BIOS updates for the NF41.

Others, like XFX may unofficially allow it (o/c & HSFs), but CYA really. About the only thing they don't cover is the physical damage, or volt-mods..But, IMO if you're willing to do such a thing, you should be willing to fork up the cash to replace it in case of a disaster.

I really only see two choices (in the NV camp). eVGA for their liberal warranty policy (and step-up program), or XFX for the double warranty (meaning you sell the card, owner #2 is covered). Sure there's plenty of good players in the NV card race, but seeing as they're all (pretty much) made in the same factory (thus will end up being the same o/c-wise etc) -- the end decision (for me) is between:

a)price
b)warranty policies (eVGA, XFX and BFG the only ones I know of that have 'lifetime' policies to varying degrees of course)
c)maybe stock cooling upgrades (ie: most 7900gt AIB partners used the shitty reference sinks) + what effect it may have on the bottom line price..Although this particular point is kind of moot, since G80 has a far better stock setup than the 7900gt's ever had.
 
How do you figure?? You are not buying their product from any source that have a secure business relationship. Thats it.. not a lot of difficult thought to figure it out. Bottom line, I would rather purchase it from newegg, ZZF, etc, etc vs. Ebay "Sealed". You CANNOT guarantee a product from there. I am not slamming those who sell, purchase, auction, merchandise from there, but from a business standpoint, you cannot blame them for such, and thats what they are, a business.

If you really must save 20 bucks or so.. fire away. Nobody will stop you. Speaking for myself, I'd rather spend that, and have a proven "lifetime" guarantee that many people here can, have, and do vouch for. If you don't like it, purchase from another vender, XFX, BFG, PNY, and so forth.
 
Not to me, and to be honest i have better experience with PNY brand then EVGA. All my PNY cards overclocked better than EVGA.
 
annaconda said:
Not to me, and to be honest i have better experience with PNY brand then EVGA. All my PNY cards overclocked better than EVGA.
Click to expand...

I've owned three or four PNY cards and they all overclocked well. Then they all died within six months.

Screw PNY.
 
I've had many brands from both nVidia and ATI. The two I would say that were the most rock solid were Sapphire and ATI itself, however they're also the most expensive. I've never found one brand to actually PERFORM better than the other though. But since warranty is such a huge issue when it comes to vid cards these days, I'd definitely go with the company with the best warranty/return policy, no question.
 
Happy Hopping said:
EVGA has the worst customer service, warranty in history. Make sure you don't have any heart problem before you click this link:

http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1149121
Click to expand...

eBay is the dark back ally of the internet. I don't know how you people expect a company to warranty something you bought from the man in a trench coat. If its a real business on ebay buy it from their website. They don't have one? It's just the trench coat wearing man saying, "Hey, I'm legit man you can trust me".
 
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