Gtx 680: where to buy, and suggested brands

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biggles

2[H]4U
Joined
Jul 25, 2005
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Live in CA so prefer out of state places (no newegg).

I think EVGA and MSI are the best brands, yes? Any brands to avoid? I don't know much about Zotac, Galaxy, and PNY.

Will be a nice upgrade from my Radeon 6870. 4890 and 6870 were my first AMD cards and they were mildly disappointing (small overclocks, older games not running correctly, driver crashes). Always used Nvidia prior to that. Looking forward to the switch back.
 
I went with Galaxy, because that's all New Egg had left at the $500 range. It's the first time I've ever gone with them, so I'm not sure what to expect.

As for brands, what you're really after is customer service and how they handle warrenties, should the worst happen. I can't imagine that the first round of cards have any real significant differences. Later on in a products life is where companies start to diverge. Some companies such as EVGA allow you to trade in cards should you have made a purchase mistakenly, or unknowingly, and wanted to upgrade. Some companies also differentiate themselves by having overclocked cards, or cards with more memory, etc. Typically the lesser known brands tend to stick with just the base models.

As to where to buy if you don't want New Egg? Tiger Direct and NCIX are usually hot spots in terms of computer component sellers.
 
MSI, Gigabyte, Asus, and now EVGA allow transferrable warranties - not sure about PNY and Galaxy. I'd try to get the best warranty possible, since the cards are otherwise identical.
 
Don't forget the stickers guys! Always take into consideration the artwork they slap on the heatsink shroud. I am looking at you Zotac... black and yellow? Really?
 
I emailed Galaxy a few days ago asking about their policy regarding transfer and if the warranty starts at manufacture date or purchase date. Product manager Andrew got right back to me and this is what he said:

"We don’t have a way to officially transfer warranties, but we don’t tie them to one person either. Anyone who can provide the original valid proof of purchase will be able to get their card replaced as long as it’s still within the warranty period. That being said, the warranty starts on the date of purchase, not on the date of manufacture. As a general rule of thumb, we do what’s fair and best for the customer when it comes to warranties or any other service issue."

So looks like a solid policy.
 
Sojuuk said:
Don't forget the stickers guys! Always take into consideration the artwork they slap on the heatsink shroud. I am looking at you Zotac... black and yellow? Really?
Click to expand...

Yeah, the PNY sticker is $30 because it's made from unobtainium!
 
Nytegard said:
I went with Galaxy, because that's all New Egg had left at the $500 range. It's the first time I've ever gone with them, so I'm not sure what to expect.

As for brands, what you're really after is customer service and how they handle warrenties, should the worst happen. I can't imagine that the first round of cards have any real significant differences. Later on in a products life is where companies start to diverge. Some companies such as EVGA allow you to trade in cards should you have made a purchase mistakenly, or unknowingly, and wanted to upgrade. Some companies also differentiate themselves by having overclocked cards, or cards with more memory, etc. Typically the lesser known brands tend to stick with just the base models.

As to where to buy if you don't want New Egg? Tiger Direct and NCIX are usually hot spots in terms of computer component sellers.
Click to expand...

Have heard that Tiger Direct charges the credit card even if item is not in stock. Heard they let you buy and it looks like item is in stock when really it is not. Is that true or a false rumor?
 
biggles said:
Have heard that Tiger Direct charges the credit card even if item is not in stock. Heard they let you buy and it looks like item is in stock when really it is not. Is that true or a false rumor?
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Yes they do charge your cc. I ordered something a while ago when it was in stock and then I guess they didn't have enough. Ended up waiting about a week to get my money back.
 
The PNY is in stock at Tiger Direct for $499. By the time tax and shipping is added it's $540. I'll wait untill newegg or Amazon have them in stock again.
 
do yourself a favor and bookmark this link

http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.ht...f_rd_t=301&pf_rd_p=1355316662&pf_rd_i=gtx 680

I know you're from cali....a $500 card with tax is close to $50...and it hurts! So that page lists all the GTX 680 from Amazon...keep checking on it, and as soon as its available, jump on it!

Oh yeah, Please stay away from Zotac as far as possible!! if you don't believe me, spend a few minutes just browsing their forums....you'll see what I mean
 
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Addy711 said:
I emailed Galaxy a few days ago asking about their policy regarding transfer and if the warranty starts at manufacture date or purchase date. Product manager Andrew got right back to me and this is what he said:

"We don’t have a way to officially transfer warranties, but we don’t tie them to one person either. Anyone who can provide the original valid proof of purchase will be able to get their card replaced as long as it’s still within the warranty period. That being said, the warranty starts on the date of purchase, not on the date of manufacture. As a general rule of thumb, we do what’s fair and best for the customer when it comes to warranties or any other service issue."

So looks like a solid policy.
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If you can PM me with the email, or at least the email to Zotac I'd like to get that information for this GPU warranty list. I think that may just bump up Zotac above a few brands which absolutely don't allow transferable warranties.

I've compiled a list of the warranties. This is the biggest way to differentiate the reference cards.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0ArCtGVODPUTtdEdEUjRiSFdyckZ1Q1dGNUI3bkd5R1E#gid=0
 
So Galaxy warranty basically requires a receipt, and anybody can RMA....good to hear
 
Avoid Tiger Direct. Not only do they NOT have the cards (you'll never get this out of them until you actually start the buying process), but they'll charge your card ASAP and then refund it later.
 
I recommend getting a EVGA if you can.

I would avoid PNY, due to their warranty policy.
If you buy a GTX 680, and it dies 2 years from now, then you could possibly be screwed if
a GTX 680 is no longer available in their product line.

Their "lifetime" warrany is defined as follows:
"Lifetime is defined as the lifetime of the product on the market. Outdated technology is not covered by lifetime warranty if the item is no longer available on the common market as a new product."

The full warranty link from their website is below:

http://www3.pny.com/support/media/F...21-bae0-e0a276b6b9f0/Lifetime Warrenty_v1.pdf
 
Cretin said:
I recommend getting a EVGA if you can.

I would avoid PNY, due to their warranty policy.
If you buy a GTX 680, and it dies 2 years from now, then you could possibly be screwed if
a GTX 680 is no longer available in their product line.

Their "lifetime" warrany is defined as follows:
"Lifetime is defined as the lifetime of the product on the market. Outdated technology is not covered by lifetime warranty if the item is no longer available on the common market as a new product."

The full warranty link from their website is below:

http://www3.pny.com/support/media/F...21-bae0-e0a276b6b9f0/Lifetime Warrenty_v1.pdf
Click to expand...

That is a big turn-off considering the tech refresh cycle. LOL
 
I have had experience with nearly all the top companies and eVGA is always the one that impresses me the most. Especially their forum presence, nice to see someone voice an issue on this forum and have a rep pop up almost instantly. The only real issue I have with them is a lack of interesting cooling designs.



I used this in another thread but it seems highly relevant to this one so here.
 
Evga of course. Epic warranty and awesome customer service.
I rma'ed a 9800gx2 last september and got a 470 superclocked+ as a replacement.
 
I'd like to mention that if anyone here on the forums ever needs help with their Galaxy card, just send me a pm and I'll do whatever needs to be done to get it taken care of. Always glad to answer any questions or hear any feedback or suggestions too.
 
Galaxy said:
I'd like to mention that if anyone here on the forums ever needs help with their Galaxy card, just send me a pm and I'll do whatever needs to be done to get it taken care of. Always glad to answer any questions or hear any feedback or suggestions too.
Click to expand...

That type of goodwill may be enough for me to try out a Galaxy card for the first time.
 
Galaxy said:
I'd like to mention that if anyone here on the forums ever needs help with their Galaxy card, just send me a pm and I'll do whatever needs to be done to get it taken care of. Always glad to answer any questions or hear any feedback or suggestions too.
Click to expand...

I will give you some points for forum presence too.
 
biggles said:
That type of goodwill may be enough for me to try out a Galaxy card for the first time.
Click to expand...

I second this too. Honestly I would have never looked at a Galaxy card, but if they have a Representative on the [H], then I'd give them a shot.

Now if only they'll come in stock sometime soon, my 470 GTX needs a new home. :(
 
I'd wait until EVGA releases their "AR" lifetime warranty ones if I could but either-way EVGA.
 
I got a PNY because it was the only one in stock. Not to worried about warranty, as I don't intend to OC. And if it doesn't work OOB, dell is good at replacements.

My old hardware gets installed in kids computers, which keeps them pretty current. So resale value is not an issue.
 
I've had 3 Galaxy cards, had to RMA one of them and they replaced it with a new one, hassle free. It was the only RMA experience I had with a graphic card and they are just fine.
 
ZoNe said:
I'd wait until EVGA releases their "AR" lifetime warranty ones if I could but either-way EVGA.
Click to expand...

How long does it take them to release the AR cards? Are all new releases like that for EVGA? They come out with standard 3 yr warranty first, then after some time offer the lifetime?
 
Galaxy said:
I'd like to mention that if anyone here on the forums ever needs help with their Galaxy card, just send me a pm and I'll do whatever needs to be done to get it taken care of. Always glad to answer any questions or hear any feedback or suggestions too.
Click to expand...

Nice! Galaxy is now on my future buyable list.
 
I want with galaxy from frys.com

they havent gotten any cards in yet so i ordered with them hoping they are the sweet spot to get the cards from in between newegg restocks (could be waiting til april) so i went with frys hoping they get their shippment on monday or tuesday then send out my preorder asap!

any ideas guys? ill try calling soon to confirm when they will recieve the cards, I havent been able to get an answer yet I dont think they even know but it has to be soon , evga galaxy asus nvidia all wouldnt screw over frys they must be getting soon.
 
Nauseous said:
They are pretty much all the same imo, except for the warranty.
Click to expand...

Most companies differentiate themselves from the pack after a while with non-reference pcb. Right now they are all the same but that wont last very long at all.
 
Nauseous said:
They are pretty much all the same imo, except for the warranty.
Click to expand...

Here is something I have heard about PNY that makes them less desirable than the other brands. They define lifetime warranty to be as long as a video card is being manufactured. Thus, if your card fails in 2 years and it is no longer being manufactured, you have no warranty. Contrast that with EVGA owners who have received newer model cards when older models have stopped working. Example, a gtx 470 fails, and EVGA replaces it with a gtx 570.

I do not have any first hand experience with PNY, but that is enough for me to avoid their cards.
 
Nytegard said:
I went with Galaxy, because that's all New Egg had left at the $500 range. It's the first time I've ever gone with them, so I'm not sure what to expect.
Click to expand...

I've owned 2 Galaxy Nvidia cards and both were top notch quality. Both were not stock designs either though and came with quieter fans and heatpipes. One thing I don't like about Galaxy, to get their extended 3 year warranty you have to scan and upload a copy of your receipt to them along with all your personal info. Too much hassle so I don't bother with the 3 year warranty.
 
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