What do you think of Galaxy videocards?

HeXploiT · 07-21-2012, 12:49 AM

Looking at all the GTX 670's on newegg and this Galaxy is the highest rated one I can find with multiple fans.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814162109

Seems to have some great reviews but I'm just not familiar with the company.
Anyone have experience with them? Have experience with their RMA service?

blackened23 · 07-21-2012, 01:08 AM

I have used the 680 version of that cooler and I didn't like it. The temps actually get high, and manual fan is really not usable because it will get LOUD.....higher than 60% on that card sounds like a jet engine. So this leaves you in a pickle. At auto fan settings your card will get hot and you will enter thermal throttle threshold many times if you're benchmarking or playing without vsync. OTOH, if you try to fix that with manual fan your computer will sound like a jet. (that cooler at 70% is unbelievably loud, I was shocked)

Personally, i'd get something different IMHO. Possibly the MSI TF4 670PE or asus DC2T 670s........those are great cards IMO..

frozentundra123456 · 07-21-2012, 06:53 PM

It is only one card, so can't say too much, but the galaxy card I had ran really hot and the fan failed after only a couple of months. It was a low profile card though, so maybe that had something to do with it.

balane · 07-21-2012, 06:55 PM

I initially wanted one of those but veteran members here gently guided me towards the Asus, MSI or Gigabyte custom cooler cards. I went with the Gigabyte GTX 680 because of the help I got here and I'm super happy with it. I couldn't as for anything better at the moment. But, like you, I was initially attracted to the Galaxy cards myself.

Zap · 07-21-2012, 07:18 PM

I have a few Galaxy cards and none have failed, so I don't have experience with their customer service. I do like the ones with the dual fans, but don't like the ones with the single, removable fan. Those seem kind of gimmicky to me, and mine at least seems noisier than it should be, because instead of a single larger axial fan in the middle like those used on non-removable units, it is a lower profile fan that spins at a higher RPM.

AVP · 07-21-2012, 07:19 PM

I have a 460 gtx with that flip up fan. I hate it. One of the fins broke on me pretty quickly during cleaning, which made me wonder why they bothered with such a design.

Otherwise the card runs well, performs great. I wouldn't have a problem buying another galaxy card if their heatsink/fan didn't suck.

notty22 · 07-21-2012, 07:50 PM

Toms did a gtx 670 roundup, it's a clone to the KFA card in the charts, it tested as one of the quieter models.

Quote:

Sound Level

Speaking of acoustics, the Galaxy/KFA² card idles a little warmer than the other contenders at 38°C, but is able to run its fan very slowly as a result, generating no perceivable noise. Under load, its temperature is just a little higher than Nvidia's reference card. Its noise level appears to be similar to Asus' board, though it suffers from an extremely annoying high-frequency coil chirp. We contacted Galaxy/KFA² about this issue, which may be just a problem isolated to our test sample. A GeForce GTX 680 from the same manufacturer was louder overall, but lacked the chirping issue.

Zap · 07-22-2012, 10:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by notty22

Toms did a gtx 670 roundup, it's a clone to the KFA card in the charts, it tested as one of the quieter models.

Right. It is one of their dual fan models, NOT the single flip up fan model. Those are noisier. Like I said, I have no complaints about my Galaxy cards with the dual fans.

exar333 · 07-22-2012, 12:37 PM

It is VERY quiet and has been a great card so far. Recommended here...

HeXploiT · 07-22-2012, 12:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by notty22

Toms did a gtx 670 roundup, it's a clone to the KFA card in the charts, it tested as one of the quieter models.

Aaaaah. Was wondering why I didn't see "Galaxy" in the benchmarks and thought it had been left out.

blackened23 · 07-22-2012, 12:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ExarKun333

It is VERY quiet and has been a great card so far. Recommended here...

If you leave it on auto fan, sure its quiet. On high manual fan settings manual fan (which is what you want for heavy overclocks) it sounds like a freakin jet - this is a far different situation than the asus DC2 which is dead silent even at 80% fans, and those fans can run up to 3500 rpm...or the gigabyte windforce (which is pretty quiet at high manual fan settings, which gives you more OC headroom). Further, galaxy support is a joke, you can't even register cards on their website half the time because it is non responsive. With all this in consideration *I* would never get a galaxy card, when the competition offers something better at close to the same price. Thats just IMHO though.

HeXploiT · 07-22-2012, 12:55 PM

Well warranty service is a huge part of the equation especially when you're getting an advanced piece of hardware that you intend to abuse. I was impressed with the newegg reviews with some of Galaxies cards ranking among the highest with few or no negative reviews but in the past how many videocards I've had to RMA makes this an important factor. It looks like if they can just improve the warranty service and stand by their products they would be a high ranking manufacturer.

zaydq · 07-22-2012, 02:14 PM

Its only got 10 reviews where as the more popular brands are running 150+ reviews. Ofcourse the more reviews the chance of getting some bad ones come up. Also, considering the gigabyte model with the windforce 3x cooler is cheaper, i dont honestly see why you'd look at a sub-par brand.

On a side note, my friend purchased an Evga GTX 670 FTW with just the reference fan design and he's been happy with it. He hasn't bothered OCing it but it runs within its specifications and he's happy. Evga also has great customer service in North America. If you're looking for aftermarket cooling solutions though the Gigabyte card is hard to beat as its priced $30-$40 cheaper than other brands and it has a well accepted cooling solution to boot.