Which nVidia 260 GTX?

[MarkusP]

Hi All,

I'm just about to buy a GTX 260 (needs to be nVidia, and the 260 is the highest in my budget) I've never had a decent graphics card so I'm unsure what (if any) differences there are.

One problem is, my computer at the moment is pretty much silent (well, very quiet) and I really don't want to have too much extra noise. The 3 in my budget are:

896MB Asus GTX 260, 55nm, PCI-E 2.0
896MB XFX GTX 260 XT 55nm, PCI-E 2.0
896MB Gainward GTX 260 GS, PCI-E 2.0

I assume both the Asus and XFX use the standard PCB/cooler so will be similar, and support fitting of 3rd party cooling (e.g. Artic Cooling Accelero Xtreme GTX280 for nVIDIA GTX200) if I find the stock cooler too noisy. I think the Gainward however uses a modified PCB so the cooler can't be replaced easily (if at all)?

Which do you think would be the best to go for? Should the Gainward be quieter, or shall I just go for the cheapest (Asus)? Thanks.

 

[zmhaha]

regardless the cooler issue. you should always go with those major brands in the market like evga, BFG, XFX. i know evga and BFG offers life time warranty if you buy them from a authorized dealer and you gotta be the orginal owner.

 

[angelicvoices]

I usually buy EVGA because of the warranty and service. I'm not sure you can get EVGA in the UK.. I've never seen it sold there.

I dunno about Gainward but Asus and XFX are both ok brands. Just make sure you get the 216 core.

The XFX looks to be the cheapest, 55nm and 216 core: http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/896M...2xDL-DVI-I-HDTV-plus-FarCry-2-plus-FREE-Vouch I'd prob just get that one. That price seems really good compared to other sites too.