Are OEMs Flashing Excess Inventory of GTX 680s Into 770s and Re-Packaging?

[arh2o]

Yes, I know this is SemiAccurate, but I am genuinely curious if OEMs are actually doing this: http://semiaccurate.com/2013/05/14/why-would-nvidia-release-an-unlocked-gtx680-to-gtx770-bios/

Basically, Charlie is saying that for the excess of GTX680 inventory floating around, OEMs are taking apart the box, flashing a new bios on it, putting a new cooler on it, and re-packaging it with GTX 770 packaging. Does anyone have any information which makes this claim credible?

If this is indeed what OEMs are doing, hell, I might as well just buy a GTX 680 myself and flash that bios which is floating around the internet. I don't need a new cooler or a new retail packaging. If the card is literally identical with just a bios tweak for higher speeds, then why wouldn't anyone do this?

 

[Subyman]

Even if the OEMs aren't doing this, your last paragraph still applies. Its just a rebadged 680.

 

[arh2o]

Well, I think if that SA article is true, it indeed does prove that the GPUs are absolutely identical and a re-badge. 680 prices will be coming down with the release of the 7xx series. If you were Nvidia and OEMs, I would be keeping this secret under lock and key. How could they leak this bios which is floating around? Every 680 owner will be doing this flash. Every potential 770 owner will be opting to buy a 680 instead and doing this flash. No one in their right mind would be buying a pricier 770. It just boggles my mind that Nvidia didn't guard this more carefully. Looks like my next upgrade will be a GTX68...ahem, GTX770

 

[bystander36]

We don't know the prices yet, but if the costs are close enough, they may be worth buying. The 770 may have a much better cooler, if it has the same thing the 780's show to have.

 

[Insomniator]

I see nothing wrong with it as long as its cheaper.

 

[blackened23]

It appears MSI is doing this with the GTX 770. They are apparently releasing a "MSI Lightning GTX 770" which is practically a re-badged GTX 680 lightning with a newer BIOS. Since the 770 presumably has 7GHZ VRAM and up to 1.3Vcore, both of which the Lightning 680 already supported - it looks like a simple BIOS flash. WCCFtech has pictures of the new 770 lightning.

It should be better than a reference 770, I would think, since it has better components and with over-voltage can attain higher clockspeeds (many at OCN getting 1400+). Still, i'm not sure how to feel about this. At least the price is lower than the existing lightning 680? Shrug.

 

[Cloudfire777]

Only Charlie can make drama out of something as normal like rebadging.

Its been done in many years by both AMD and Nvidia.

 

[bystander36]

I might feel more comfortable with just slightly renamed cards, like 675's and 685's, though the 780 is based on a new chip, so I see that normal. Or they could do something like AMD's Ghz editions.

 

[arh2o]

If the prices are lower than the current price of a 680 then I agree, I see nothing wrong. But if they make the price higher than a 680 by $50 then forget it, ill do the manual bios flash myself.

 

[blackened23]

If the prices are lower than the current price of a 680 then I agree, I see nothing wrong. But if they make the price higher than a 680 by $50 then forget it, ill do the manual bios flash myself.

The 680 being 499$ I definitely don't see the 770 being more expensive. It will be cheaper, slightly.

 

[lagokc]

If you were Nvidia and OEMs, I would be keeping this secret under lock and key. How could they leak this bios which is floating around? Every 680 owner will be doing this flash. Every potential 770 owner will be opting to buy a 680 instead and doing this flash. No one in their right mind would be buying a pricier 770. It just boggles my mind that Nvidia didn't guard this more carefully. Looks like my next upgrade will be a GTX68...ahem, GTX770

It's not like they'd actually lose money. No one in their right mind would upgrade from a 680 to a 770. Also has it been confirmed the 770 is more expensive than the 680 or is it actually going to be cheaper? nVidia may as well just come out and say they're the same card and SLIing a 680 and a 770 is perfectly acceptable.

 

[lavaheadache]

Only Charlie can make drama out of something as normal like rebadging.

Its been done in many years by both AMD and Nvidia.

wtf? Surely you can't be serious...

 

[Cloudfire777]

What do you gain by flashing a 680 to 770?

 

[Kenmitch]

What do you gain by flashing a 680 to 770?

Nothing more than the gratification of knowing you can flash a gpu's bios most likely....Unless there is some kind of feature only available to the GTX7xx series of cards.

 

[Cloudfire777]

Ah I forgot that. You get GPU Boost 2.0 if you flash it to GTX 770

 

[Will Robinson]

wtf? Surely you can't be serious...

Sshh...its OKAY when NVDA do it.....it's clever marketing and sound business practice...

 

[chimaxi83]

Only Charlie can make drama out of something as normal like rebadging.

Its been done in many years by both AMD and Nvidia.

When was the last time Nvidia rebadged their previous "Mid Range™" to sell it as their new "High End™"? Where is the fanboy outrage, the lulz, the financial analysts, the stock experts, and our "the market decides" drone? Oh it's Nvidia doing it. Nothing to see here folks.