factory overclocked cards

[Daemas]

any difference between standard reference cards and the superclocked turbocharged cards besides the cooling solution? I'm looking to watercool and overclock some cards but was wondering if I can just buy the standard reference card of if I need to buy the awesome cards. I realize that most of the price increase for those cards is due to the awesome cooling solutions (which I would be ripping off) and the factory overclock (which i would be zooming past a billion miles an hour). I know that some are touted as having sweet capacitors and chokes and such (those MSI cards come to mind).

Would save me quite a bit of scratch

 

[GotNoRice]

I think in at least some cases the cards are binned in order for them to find out which cards can handle a factory overclock. So to that extent you have a better chance of getting a good overclocker with a pre-overclocked card. Both of my 4870x2's are factory overclocked yet they both still use the stock cooler.

 

[Machine-code]

The overclock on most factory OC is so small that I wouldn't think they would need to bin the chips. I have an XFX 5850 Black Edition which has a stock core of 765 vs 725 for the standard. I am now at 930 but many people are just as high with the standard.

I think the factory OC is just a way for the manufacturer to make an extra 10% of pure profit (mine was same price as standard or I wouldn't have bought it). If you're going to OC anyway, I would just buy the standard and save a few $$$.