Should I trust XFX?

[Viper87227]

In the next week or so, I am going to be ordering a 7800GTX. Initially, there was nothing to really set any brand apart. Art on the heatsink doesnt matter, as the card would be watercooled. For that same reason, stock clocks doesnt really matter. Also, warrenty clearly does not matter since I will be voiding that anyways. PCB is all referance, so again, no difference there. Originally I was just going to do it based on the bundle, however the game of choice right now is BF2, which I have anyways, so no matter there. I believe the leadtek had POP:WW (have it) and chaos theory (want it) so that was the clear choice. Then however, this new XFX card popped up, and its got one thing none of the otehr cards have. That metal support running along the side of the card. I am not sure waht their intention was in having it there, but I know it would work well for me. The wieght of the tubes in watercooling can provide a risk to bending the card, expessially if your using thick sided anti-kink tubing. I figure the metal support would come in handy there, so I was going to get that. However, I am quite aware that XFX has released some pretty problematic cards in teh past, which makes me leary. Being that I will have no warrenty, I want a card that will last. Can anyone perhaps vouch...would the fact that all the cards are still just nvidia referenace cards mean that I would be safe going with XFX, and be insured to get a well built card? Has anyone else had problems with the XFX 7800GTX?

 

[tranCendenZ]

XFX's main problems are when they deviate from reference in cooling (i.e. on the XFX 6600GT boards). When they use reference design (i.e. XFX 6800/6800GT/6800U) things are fine.

The XFX 7800GTX uses the reference cooling design so it should be fine.

 

[spaceman]

yeah xfx is decent for sure and they have the step up program to boot.

 

[Viper87227]

yeah xfx is decent for sure and they have the step up program to boot.

The step up program, while nice, is really just about as effective as the warrenty the card will carry. I can't exactly step up a watercooled card, and to swap the stock cooling back on would be dishonest. Step-up wouldn't be a selling point in the least.

XFX's main problems are when they deviate from reference in cooling (i.e. on the XFX 6600GT boards). When they use reference design (i.e. XFX 6800/6800GT/6800U) things are fine.

I thought they had an issue with poor build quality. Capacators falling off or something like that. I know PNY had some issues with that, but I thought perhaps XFX had the problem too. Anyone have more info on this. Although, I suppose that wouldn't matter anyways, since again we are talking all reference cards here.

 

[tranCendenZ]

I thought they had an issue with poor build quality. Capacators falling off or something like that. I know PNY had some issues with that, but I thought perhaps XFX had the problem too. Anyone have more info on this. Although, I suppose that wouldn't matter anyways, since again we are talking all reference cards here.

Nah, XFX was excellent for the 6xxx series, with the exception of their crappy 6600GT custom coolers. XFX's reference 6800/6800GT/6800U cards were great. PNY had the capacitor falling off problem, but that was due to poor packaging that was knocking off the cap not the board itself.

P.S. - I've seen pics of the XFX 7800GTX without the rail, so you might want to verify that the card you're getting does indeed have it - often multiple versions of a card are released near launch, with the less fancy ones being released first.

 

[Warrior]

I can't exactly step up a watercooled card, and to swap the stock cooling back on would be dishonest..

i dont get that... when a card dies.. and even if its not your fault ( espesially) if it is under warrenty ( dont care about coolers..) i want it FIXED.. they think we cant take a cooler off right and all that BS>. i want my card fixed.. i have RMAed about 2 cards with both had aftermarket cooling on them that i replaced with stock that the frying of them was not my fualt.. it just happined ( the 68GT wasnt even OCed..) When a product goes bad and its within the time of warrenty.. i want it fixed... its their problem.. dishonest?.. who cares.. its their fault it happined... and i know some people are stupid and fry theirs out of not putting cooling on right and OC too much.. hea.. w/e.. that would be dishonest.. but if the card just STOPs working.. dead.. and you didnt cause its death... how is it dishonest oh your part?

 

[tranCendenZ]

i dont get that... when a card dies.. and even if its not your fault ( espesially) if it is under warrenty ( dont care about coolers..) i want it FIXED.. they think we cant take a cooler off right and all that BS>. i want my card fixed.. i have RMAed about 2 cards with both had aftermarket cooling on them that i replaced with stock that the frying of them was not my fualt.. it just happined ( the 68GT wasnt even OCed..) When a product goes bad and its within the time of warrenty.. i want it fixed... its their problem.. dishonest?.. who cares.. its their fault it happined... and i know some people are stupid and fry theirs out of not putting cooling on right and OC too much.. het.. w/e.. that would be dishonest.. but if the card just STOPs working.. dead.. and you didnt cause its death... how is it dishonest?

It's dishonest because the warranty on the product covers the product only using the cooling the manufacturer put on the board and only at the stock speeds. Whether it was your fault or not, the warranty does not cover operation under any cooler except the one the card came with. Virtually any piece of consumer electronics loses warranty when you mod it because there is a good chance you can mess it up.

 

[Viper87227]

i dont get that... when a card dies.. and even if its not your fault ( espesially) if it is under warrenty ( dont care about coolers..) i want it FIXED.. they think we cant take a cooler off right and all that BS>. i want my card fixed.. i have RMAed about 2 cards with both had aftermarket cooling on them that i replaced with stock that the frying of them was not my fualt.. it just happined ( the 68GT wasnt even OCed..) When a product goes bad and its within the time of warrenty.. i want it fixed... its their problem.. dishonest?.. who cares.. its their fault it happined... and i know some people are stupid and fry theirs out of not putting cooling on right and OC too much.. hea.. w/e.. that would be dishonest.. but if the card just STOPs working.. dead.. and you didnt cause its death... how is it dishonest oh your part?

It is dishonest because taking off the stock cooling voids the warrenty. I would be wiling to bet that if you went to RMA your card, and told them you installed aftermarket cooling, they wouldnt take it back. Slipping the stock cooling back on, and leaving that information out would be straight up dishonest. I don't care if your overclocking or not, or if the death of the card was the fault of your modifaction or not, you still voided your warrenty by installing it. If they were aware of the modifaction then its a different story, but not telling them is dishonest no matter how you look at it.

For example, I had an X800XT, which I naturally watercooled, and overclocked. One day, completly random, there was some serious artifacting going on as early as the post screen. Had I physically done anything wrong to the card, no, but I still voided the warrenty. When I contact sapphire, I was very clear the the person I emailed that I had replaced the cards cooling with a waterblock and was overclocking the card. She told me that if I reinstalled the stock cooling and the card still did not work, they would honor a replacement. I was honest, and they honored my RMA. I could have just not told them and been guarenteed and an RMA...but I wasn't going to cheat my way to a new card.

I am not sure how the customer support is at XFX, but I highly doubt its anything near that of Sapphires. I doubt they woudl take a modified card back. Certainly if the card had a problem I woudl attempt to, but I would be honest in the situation and expain I was watercooling the card.

That said....I would appriciate it if the issue was dropped. Many threads in the past have turned into stupid flame wares over ethics and such, and from there get locked. I would rather not have my thread filled with crap, and I would very much like it if it remained unlocked. If anyone wishes to discuss this matter further, a PM would be much more appriciated.

 

[Russ]

ok, I'm not gonan say anything on the ethics question. I agree that it always gets out of hand.

---

I trust XFX as much as I trust BFG. I am watercooling too, so as with you the bundle is the most important thing (well, after the price). There are two XFX 7800s, a 490/1300 and a 450/1250. I would get the 450/1250 because it comes with a gamepad and I want one for my NES and SNES emus. I don't really care about getting BF2, which comes with the other one (and the eVGA one). However, now I am not getting either. Why? Well, price. ZZF has a MSI 7800 for $549 shipped. And it comes with Chronicles of Riddick, one of the few games a 7800 can't run well at full settings (including res). You can always sell it of course.

 

[Viper87227]

ok, I'm not gonan say anything on the ethics question. I agree that it always gets out of hand.

---

I trust XFX as much as I trust BFG. I am watercooling too, so as with you the bundle is the most important thing (well, after the price). There are two XFX 7800s, a 490/1300 and a 450/1250. I would get the 450/1250 because it comes with a gamepad and I want one for my NES and SNES emus. I don't really care about getting BF2, which comes with the other one (and the eVGA one). However, now I am not getting either. Why? Well, price. ZZF has a MSI 7800 for $549 shipped. And it comes with Chronicles of Riddick, one of the few games a 7800 can't run well at full settings (including res). You can always sell it of course.

I did evaulate both those cards. The thing is, I already have a gamepad (xbox controller) so that is of no use. I figured in monitary value, the bundle with BF2 made more sence. I would probably give it to a friend or something .

On the MSI....Riddick is indeed a good game, but once again I already have it. I suppose the price is right, but I really do like that support bar. I think if I am already spending that much, its worth the extra money to protect my investment.

 

[yogiB]

There are two XFX 7800s, a 490/1300 and a 450/1250.

This puzzles me. I checked XFX website but there was absolutely no information about a card rated at 490/1300. Even NewEgg doesn't list such a card. So far, I've only seen it at ZZF as a special order. What's the deal with this? Why doesn't even XFX list it?

 

[thelostrican]

http://www.xfxforce.com/web/product/listConfigurationDetails.jspa?productConfigurationId=16997

 

[Filter]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814150104

 

[Warrior]

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1497498&Sku=P450-7803&SR

 

[yogiB]

Goodness Gracious! How on Earth did I miss all those? Where was I looking??? Hello??

So, can we safely assume that, at stock, this XFX will outperform the BFG 7800GTX? In this light, is there any reason (other than warranty) to buy BFG?

Thanks a bunch for the links.

 

[Viper87227]

Goodness Gracious! How on Earth did I miss all those? Where was I looking??? Hello??

So, can we safely assume that, at stock, this XFX will outperform the BFG 7800GTX? In this light, is there any reason (other than warranty) to buy BFG?

Thanks a bunch for the links.

The only reason would be the warrenty. I think the performance difference would be negligable enough that if you really wanted the 24/7 suport and lifetime warrenty, the $20 more is worth it. Since neither of those matter to me, I will save $20 for the slightly faster stock card.

 

[Russ]

yea, it's not like XFX has 0 warrenty.

Yes, the XFX will be better b/c it is the same card clocked faster.

 

[xdkimx]

i jus got my xfx oc 490/1300 a few hours ago looks very solid 2 me and they packaged it very well (they used at least 3 boxes) originally i ordered a bfg but it came 2 me in such poor quality i had to rma it, the area where u mount the screw was bent inwards as if someone tried to force the card in and the plastic covering the heatsink was all scratched up not that the bfgs are bad jus the 1 i happened to get was

 

[Warrior]

i beleive XFX is the lowenders of the brands... you wouldnt buy a ECS for the same stuff on the board as a ASUS.. youll pay 20-40 more for the asus.. cause of the brand.. and well we all know they rock.. but im sure both boards are good in their own way.. and im not placing model numbers to this stament as the fact i was pointing out the brand names and brand names only... i beleive ive read enough about XFXs problems that i wont buy their products... and im getting tired of seeing XFX on the front pages of newegg and ZZF because they are the cheapest deal.....

my 2cents: .. i would get the BFG just cause of the great reputation they have.. and its just not this forum.. its all over!!.. BFG cards ( reference or not) are just kick ass cards...
I for one dont own a BFG or never had.. the reputation that BFG represents sells the product by itself

 

[ir0nw0lf]

yeah xfx is decent for sure and they have the step up program to boot.

When did XFX start offering a step-up program? I know eVGA has a step-up program and I thought they (eVGA) were the only one.

 

[ohgod]

I use a XFX 6800GT in my current rig and it works flawlessly, I plan on buying from them again when I get a 7800GTX.