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steve_666
May 9, 2008 1:57 PM
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quick question:
when buying a videocard does the brand really matter?
i had a quick look for the 9600 GT and found these brands:
Galaxy, MSI, Gigabyte, Inno3D, Leadtek, eVGA, XpertVision
which is better?
Comment made about the PC Authority article:
Gigabyte Nvidia GeForce 9600 GT, is new ultimate mid-range card?
The 9600 GT redefines the mainstream graphics market, offering high-end power at a mid-range price. At this price we want one.
What do you think? Join the discussion. |
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geller
May 9, 2008 3:18 PM
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Rarely. Check out most magazine comparisons, the benchmarks are all in the same ballpark if it's the same GPU. What's important is:
- GPU type (ATI/Nvidia, model #)
- accessories/cooling
- bundled software in pack (sometimes there are great game promotions)
Gigabyte, Leadtek, MSI have good reps. |
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.:Cyb3rGlitch:.
May 9, 2008 7:30 PM
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I'd go for the cheapest, or for great value, the Palit branded 9600GT. |
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Josh Collins
May 12, 2008 11:46 AM
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Steve, geller hit the majority of it on the head.
That is, if the product follows the reference design than the products will be much the muchness. What will then distinguish the good value from the wallet destroyers are changes such as increase clock speeds (pre-overclocked), bundled software (games, DVD player apps, cables etc), warranty period and coverage, cooling solution and if the brand has really gone our on a limb, then the product may sport a non-reference PCB and/or higher quantity of memory.
The changes can be positive, negative or just simply useless. For example, putting 1024MB of memory on a card with a 256-bit memory bus is just useless - proven in the Gainward 9600GT 1024MB review in issue #89 of Atomic.
When it comes to brand preference, there are certain brands that command respect above others. Some such brands include XFX, EVGA, Sapphire, Powercolor, ASUS and GIGABYTE. There are other brands such as Gainward/Palit (same parent company) and GeCube that come up with good value redesigns.
In regards to the 9600GT my personal preference would be to either go with a 1st tier NVIDIA partner (XFX or EVGA) or one of the big 2nd tier vendors (ASUS or GIGABYTE would be my preference for this category). Look for a bundle that offers good value in terms of performance to the dollar and any bundled software.
If you're looking for a well performing 9600GT solution, I'd suggest checking out the GIGABYTE GV-NV96T512HP as it sports higher than reference frequencies (e.g. 720MHz core rather than the reference 650MHz), is constructed on a custom PCB (often cheaper) and uses a passive cooling solution while not inducing heat related issues so common to such heatsinks. For more info, check out the review on page #49 or issue #89 of Atomic - should be on sale at news agencies this Wednesday.
Note: a 2nd tier company does not mean they are of lesser quality. What it means that they do not specialise in a single corporations GPU solution and will also often redesign the PCB etc.
So, for example XFX and EVGA are 1st tier partners for NVIDIA and therefore only produce NVIDIA based products and do not redesign PCBs etc, therefore only producing reference design solutions. The 1st tier partners get the products first from NVIDIA and therefore are generally the first in the channel with products available for sale.
On the other side there are 2nd tier companies. This group still produce high quality products but often also produce the competing GPU, in this instance ATI based product, and/or redesign the PCBs for custom solutions of a given GPU.
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steve_666
May 12, 2008 2:36 PM
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thanks guys great advice.
I thought as much when it comes down to it. The main reason i asked is because everyone reviews Asus, Gigayte and MSI i just wanted to know more about the cheaper brand names, I go for an OEM version. I guess its just like home brand stuff, its still made by the big guys just labelled different. |