GFX brands

[slayerza]

Hi,
I am looking at upgrading my gfx card to somthing more recent (currently NVidia GeForceFX6200 128Mb). Im looking at the GeForce8800 range. My question is this which brands should I avoid and also since I prefer silence is there a good card with passive cooling?

Thanks
Slayer

 

[saffakanera]

Hallo daar Slagter! Ek spog so lekker met n xfx 8800gt kaart in my eie rekenaar op die oomblik, baie stil, baie goed verpak ook, meeste van die 8800GT reeks is beskikbaar met die speletjie "company of heroes", om jou kaart se woema bietjie te koester!

Goeie name wat ek sal voor kyk as ek jy is, is Evga, XFX, en natuurlik ASUS met hulle bekende en woedende vinnig EN8800GT TOP kaart, maar passop vir die oorgevleulde kaarte, hulle kan dalk n bietjie swaar op die oor as ook die beursie wees!

Sterkte met jou soektog! Ek gaan bietjie verder 7de Laan kyk, want ons almal weet alle Suid Afrikaners praat moes so!

 

[milomak]

seeing as it's this guy's first post is it the natural assumption that someone speaks afrikaans or do you happen to know him?

 

[Necuno]

i would also vote 8800GT awesome card, XFX my choice of brand though

 

[11masoodt]

i think all are the same, except some r factory OC and some aren't, GFX in signature, no probs with this one

 

[iDenTiTy]

i would also vote 8800GT awesome card, XFX my choice of brand though

100%. I have an 8800GTS XXX, and I've never been happier.

Look for cards with a very good warranty system, and if possible a trade up programme. Try stick to big names; ASUS, EVGA, BFG, XFX, Gainward and Gigabyte.

Im in love with XFX, warranty is good, and so is the workmanship.

 

[stefan9]

100%. I have an 8800GTS XXX, and I've never been happier.

Look for cards with a very good warranty system, and if possible a trade up programme. Try stick to big names; ASUS, EVGA, BFG, XFX, Gainward and Gigabyte.

Im in love with XFX, warranty is good, and so is the workmanship.

The trade up programs are useless for us here in SA because they don't apply to us. They only apply in certain regions.

Personally I like EVGA,XFX and BFG and also look out for the Gainward golden sample they are specifically selected to clock very well.

 

[proximiti99]

Get any brand, all the same. Why do you want passive cooling? If you're planning to oc yr system I suggest get the XFX ad edition, gud cooling but active

 

[The_Techie]

XFX is an awesome brand, haven't had any problems with their products at all

 

[cyberarmy]

The trade up programs are useless for us here in SA because they don't apply to us. They only apply in certain regions.

Personally I like EVGA,XFX and BFG and also look out for the Gainward golden sample they are specifically selected to clock very well.

I think also the double owner or life time warranty only applies to US customers.

 

[Glordit]

I think also the double owner or life time warranty only applies to US customers.

Only aplies to "Select" area's
Also since you have a 6200 is it AGP or PCI-e?
As for brands, they all basicaly the same, Just different PCB/Little extra speed or Larger Cooler

 

[slayerza]

Hi everyone,
Thanks for all the quick replies. It would seem as if the XFX looks like a good contender at the moment and the gigabyte cards look good aswell. The only reason I am / were looking for passive cooling is the noise issue. Few of my buds have actively cooled cards and the things are damn noisey, but after having a look at the xfx cards poor quality is my last concern...

@saffakanera
hoekom 'n afrikaans reply? As dit 'n raai skoot was cool, of ken jy my dalk? Die slagyster vertaling is ook nogal skerp!

Cheers
Slayer

 

[Ekhaatvensters]

Hi everyone,
Thanks for all the quick replies. It would seem as if the XFX looks like a good contender at the moment and the gigabyte cards look good aswell. The only reason I am / were looking for passive cooling is the noise issue. Few of my buds have actively cooled cards and the things are damn noisey, but after having a look at the xfx cards poor quality is my last concern...

Nvidia produces the actual GPU, then the PCB (physical board and most of the layout) is also supplied by them and the card's RAM is almost always the same.

The different brands literally put a sticker on the card these days, they might also charge you more if they overclock the card or include a bundle which is usually useless unless you want the game.

I wouldn't pay more for any brand over another in SA seeing as none of the warranty or trade programs apply here.

If you want a silent solution then it is finally something that the brand does, but you are limited for choice so it hardly matters. You'll probably only find one or two passive 8 series cards.

Gigabyte is terribly overpriced and you are paying for nothing unless they make a big deal out of it, i.e. Custom cooling or RAM, but both are fairly rare.

 

[proximiti99]

Nvidia produces the actual GPU, then the PCB (physical board and most of the layout) is also supplied by them and the card's RAM is almost always the same.

The different brands literally put a sticker on the card these days, they might also charge you more if they overclock the card or include a bundle which is usually useless unless you want the game.

I wouldn't pay more for any brand over another in SA seeing as none of the warranty or trade programs apply here.

If you want a silent solution then it is finally something that the brand does, but you are limited for choice so it hardly matters. You'll probably only find one or two passive 8 series cards.

Gigabyte is terribly overpriced and you are paying for nothing unless they make a big deal out of it, i.e. Custom cooling or RAM, but both are fairly rare.

AFAIK nVidia supplies the GPU, controller chips and the PCB layout. The various suppliers stick on ram, a PCB and cooling

 

[slayerza]

So you are suggesting that I go for the cheapest card, regardless of the brand since the perks that the brand offers are not honoured over here in SA. This offcourse leads to the question of the warranty that is claimed by the specific supplier over here.
Does the local supplier honour some sort of warranty and if so is this a typical repair warranty or a simple swop out?

 

[stefan9]

So you are suggesting that I go for the cheapest card, regardless of the brand since the perks that the brand offers are not honoured over here in SA. This offcourse leads to the question of the warranty that is claimed by the specific supplier over here.
Does the local supplier honour some sort of warranty and if so is this a typical repair warranty or a simple swop out?

Yes the local retailer/supplier will honour the local warranty be it 1 or 3 years. But the lifetime warranties offered by some of the brands will in most cases not apply here.

I believe EVGA might be an exception since Foxcomp ( the local supplier) claims something about a 10 year warranty on their website.