Best videocard brand for Nvidia/AMD GPUs

[sakete]

What do you guys view to generally be the best brands for videocards using either Nvidia and AMD GPUs?

And by best I mean, which ones are generally the highest quality, have the best PCB designs, best cooling implementation in terms of performance and noise levels and are the most stable?

I believe for AMD people generally prefer Sapphire. Any other brands for AMD that are considered good? I otherwise have no idea what's good for Nvidia.

 

[dogen1]

I think MSI and Sapphire tend to make the best coolers. Gigabyte and Asus are pretty close behind I believe. Don't know who has a better warranty between them though.

EVGA is pretty good for nvidia, but I'm not sure about the cooling on their cards.

 

[utahraptor]

Reference cards, go for best price as the brand does not really matter.

For factory OC cards or those with custom cooling/beefed up components I really like Gigabyte for their ultra durable tech http://www.gigabyte.com/microsite/98/html/technology-guide-ultra-durable-1.htm and MSI for their amazing lightning series of cards.

If you want the ability to swap your card for a new model that comes out by surprise in the next month after you purchase then EVGA is the way to go. Also EVGA seems to have the best customer support / community, but you pay a hefty premium.
http://www.gigabyte.com/microsite/98/html/technology-guide-ultra-durable-1.htm

 

[xthetenth]

It depends as much on the quality of the implementation of the cooler on that particular model as anything for open air coolers. Some are quieter, some cool better, and so on. Sometimes the implementation is a mess (see early EVGA 970s for an example).

 

[RussianSensation]

This question is not specific enough. For example, I would take MSI Gaming 970 over any EVGA GTX 970 but I would take EVGA Classified 780Ti over MSI Gaming 780Ti. Similarly, while Gigabyte's G1 GTX970 is excellent, that cooler isn't that great on a 780Ti resulting in higher noise levels than other competing coolers. Similarly, while XFX's HD7000 coolers were very poor, the new ones are much improved.

 

[xthetenth]

This question is not specific enough. For example, I would take MSI Gaming 970 over any EVGA GTX 970 but I would take EVGA Classified 780Ti over MSI Gaming 780Ti. Similarly, while Gigabyte's G1 GTX970 is excellent, that cooler isn't that great on a 780Ti resulting in higher noise levels than other competing coolers. Similarly, while XFX's HD7000 coolers were very poor, the new ones are much improved.

Thanks for the examples. I wasn't really up on last gen.

 

[aaksheytalwar]

AMD

Performance - Sapphire

Warranty - MSI

Overall - Asus, MSI

nVidia

Warranty - eVga

Overall - Asus, MSI, eVga

never go for reference cards except for water cooling.

 

[RussianSensation]

Thanks for the examples. I wasn't really up on last gen.

You are going to have different people preferring different brands. To be able to separate bias from objectivity, it's really necessary to look at round-ups of various cards.

R9 290s Round-up
http://www.computerbase.de/2014-05/amd-radeon-r9-290-290x-roundup-test/3/

GTX970 Round-up
http://www.computerbase.de/2014-10/nvidia-geforce-gtx-970-test-roundup-vergleich/4/

GTX980 Round-up
http://www.computerbase.de/2014-11/geforce-gtx-980-test-vergleich-round-up/4/

Temperatures, overclocking, performance and real world recorded videos of noise levels at 2D and 3D are all there!

 

[sakete]

You are going to have different people preferring different brands. To be able to separate bias from objectivity, it's really necessary to look at round-ups of various cards.

R9 290s Round-up
http://www.computerbase.de/2014-05/amd-radeon-r9-290-290x-roundup-test/3/

GTX970 Round-up
http://www.computerbase.de/2014-10/nvidia-geforce-gtx-970-test-roundup-vergleich/4/

GTX980 Round-up
http://www.computerbase.de/2014-11/geforce-gtx-980-test-vergleich-round-up/4/

Temperatures, overclocking, performance and real world recorded videos of noise levels at 2D and 3D are all there!

Great links, thanks! So for Nvidia on average ASUS/MSI/EVGA seem to be good performers, especially when taking into account noise levels.

For AMD it seems like you basically wanna stick to Sapphire.

I've only been asking because in June/July I expect I'll be in the market for either a GTX980 or the new R9 390/X. I'll of course wait for proper benchmarks for the new AMD cards.

 

[billbobaggins87]

This is more of a individual card question and answer. It can honestly change with each type. So look at reviews and see the top performer for your price range. Otherwise opinions are opinions and that's all you will get.

 

[xthetenth]

You are going to have different people preferring different brands. To be able to separate bias from objectivity, it's really necessary to look at round-ups of various cards.

Temperatures, overclocking, performance and real world recorded videos of noise levels at 2D and 3D are all there!

Very nice stuff. And yeah, it really is just about getting a consistent look at the various manufacturers and determining what fits your criteria best. Like I went with the 970 G1 because it's a heck of a card and I wanted to edge the top end of good price/performance territory, but someone else might want a quieter card in a more obsessively quiet computer (Mine's pretty quiet but when I'm gaming I've got enough airflow to mask any video card noise and keep fan speeds low, and I find airflow noise easily ignored when wearing a headset.) Mileage may vary and so does context.

Trying to figure out the best brand is a complicated, muddy situation and isn't really necessary when all you need to do is find the best card for your situation (or just ones that are good enough that they're on the list of what you'll buy the cheapest of).

 

[AnotherGuy]

Or go with the card that has the best reviews in newegg in the series that ur looking for. That is if those cards have been out for at least a month...

 

[PhIlLy ChEeSe]

What do you guys view to generally be the best brands for videocards using either Nvidia and AMD GPUs?

Well I assume Nvidia is #1 currently, then AMD will release and then they will be. Then 2 weeks latter Nvidia will release another Titan XYZ.............

 

[alexruiz]

A lot of people using AMD like Sapphire, but I personally say don't do it.

They are by far the most fragile of the AMD cards, and sometimes even something as simple as moving a PC and dragging it a little can kill the card. Shipping a PC with a big Sapphire card (R9 280 or bigger)? Consider it toast, card will die in transit.

I am partial to Powercolor, the turbo duo cooler is every bit as quiet and efficient as the Sapphire X, and you got a card that will not die if you stare hard at it. The revised XFX cooler for bigger cards is also very quiet, and the card can also take a beating.

So if you have no interest in sending a card for RMA soon, Sapphire should be at the bottom of the list.

ps. And don't get me started on the Sapphire rebates... a single rebate promotion for 5 months! Really? And that is not for one per SKU, is one item per promotion.

 

[futurefields]

A lot of people using AMD like Sapphire, but I personally say don't do it.

They are by far the most fragile of the AMD cards, and sometimes even something as simple as moving a PC and dragging it a little can kill the card. Shipping a PC with a big Sapphire card (R9 280 or bigger)? Consider it toast, card will die in transit.

I am partial to Powercolor, the turbo duo cooler is every bit as quiet and efficient as the Sapphire X, and you got a card that will not die if you stare hard at it. The revised XFX cooler for bigger cards is also very quiet, and the card can also take a beating.

So if you have no interest in sending a card for RMA soon, Sapphire should be at the bottom of the list.

ps. And don't get me started on the Sapphire rebates... a single rebate promotion for 5 months! Really? And that is not for one per SKU, is one item per promotion.

I've moved my PC with Sapphire 7950-3L at least 3 times with it installed inside. I've taken it out 3 or 4 times and reseated it when trying to diagnose issues with my PC. It sounds like maybe you had a bad experience with a card but now you want to implicate an entire brand despite others experiences?

Ooooook.

 

[Riceninja]

i also have a sapphire 7950 3L and its by no means fragile.

 

[Techhog]

A lot of people using AMD like Sapphire, but I personally say don't do it.

They are by far the most fragile of the AMD cards, and sometimes even something as simple as moving a PC and dragging it a little can kill the card. Shipping a PC with a big Sapphire card (R9 280 or bigger)? Consider it toast, card will die in transit.

I am partial to Powercolor, the turbo duo cooler is every bit as quiet and efficient as the Sapphire X, and you got a card that will not die if you stare hard at it. The revised XFX cooler for bigger cards is also very quiet, and the card can also take a beating.

So if you have no interest in sending a card for RMA soon, Sapphire should be at the bottom of the list.

ps. And don't get me started on the Sapphire rebates... a single rebate promotion for 5 months! Really? And that is not for one per SKU, is one item per promotion.

So, basically, you got one bad card from them and decided that they're all bad. I guess that means that I shouls say all PowerColor cards are bad overclockers, based on my 7950.

 

[chubbyfatazn]

snip

So how many Sapphire cards have you killed? If it's just one, fine, accidents happen. But no need to denigrate the entire brand based on your one experience. If you've killed more than one and you continued moving your PC as before... well, PEBKAC.

I've moved my PC with Sapphire 7950-3L at least 3 times with it installed inside. I've taken it out 3 or 4 times and reseated it when trying to diagnose issues with my PC. It sounds like maybe you had a bad experience with a card but now you want to implicate an entire brand despite others experiences?

Ooooook.

Yeah I'm with you. I have a 2L (pretty much different port layout iirc) and that thing's been moved inside a PC 3 times so far between Dallas and Austin. No issues. No precautions other than laying the case flat and making sure it couldn't shift around in transit.

I'm also having a hard time thinking what could make a (any) Sapphire card inherently more "fragile" than any other brand's. Heavier coolers don't count if you're flapping the card around like you were airing out your laundry.

 

[Subyman]

I've owned the EVGA ACX 970, MSI Gaming 970, Gigabyte G1 970, and an Asus Strix 970. The EVGA was by far the worst with the other three being extremely well made and comparable to each other. If I had to choose a favorite among them it would probably be the Gigabyte G1. It simply has more cooler and a higher quality feel than the others, but that is nit picking. As for warranty, MSI or EVGA are hands down the best. Gigabyte is average with Asus being lackluster.

All round for nvidia, I'd have to choose MSI. I used to say EVGA, but they dropped the ball on the 9xx series big time.

For AMD, I'd lean toward a Sapphire card, but MSI/Gigabyte/ASUS all rank among the same again.

 

[xthetenth]

If EVGA puts out a competitive cooler, they'd get my nod on the strength of their warranty. Their early 900 series coolers weren't competitive though, so I have a Gigabyte G1 that I quite like.

 

[alexruiz]

No, no single experience, in fact, too many that it gets frustrating. Would love to say it is a misfounded claim, unfortunately it is not.

A total of 4 HD7950 and 3 HD7970s made by Sapphire (2L and 3L) gone bad on my watch. Almost all of them stopped working after the PC got moved one way or another. The worst of them, however, is the one that just quit in the middle of a game. No other brand has done that to me.

So 7 Sapphires gone bad of aprox 20 I owned. Pretty high percentage considering that most of their HD7950s / HD7970s at some point developed issues. I have owned more Powercolors than Sapphires, similar PSUs, similar treatment, and only 2 gone bad at some point (Both of them HD7970 with the swirl cooler, nice and quiet, but flimsy. The turbo duo cooler in the newer ones is in a different class)

Oh, and for those you claiming that the Sapphires are not fragile, have you owned others brands, or have even had the chance to hold a card with the same GPU made by someone else? Compared to the powercolor turbo duo (metal backing plate), the Sapphires R9 280 / R9 280X feel flimsy but you need to have held both of them to make a valid comparison. As flimsy I mean not only more PCB sag and bend, but also more torsion in the cooler (less rigidity ) The XFX R9 280 / R9 280X, while not a metal backing plate, it is very sturdy in the cooler.

In the past, one of our resident AMD haters even posted a chart with the video cards most RMAed. At the top? Sapphire HD 7950. I don't remember the exact number, but if you invoke certain resident AMD haters, one will chime with a link to the chart. The RMA process should also tell you something, send those Sapphires HD7950s for RMA, you get a refurbished card, which leads me to believe they have a lot of them...

There you have it, while 40+ or so video cards don't provide rigorous proof, it sure amounts to more statistical significance than just owning one or 2. So those of you with Sapphire HD7950 still alive, consider yourselves lucky.

 

[Shehriazad]

Well...not sure about entire Lineups...but I currently have 2 favorites.

Asus' Strix designs...always solid, never had any sort of problems, also: Backplates.
Palits' Passive designs...work well where appropriate and look nice.


I got burned with Gigabyte and MSI myself a few times...but that's just personal bad luck...doesn't change the fact that I am not really looking much at their cards anymore. A Windforce 770 had 2(!!!) of its fans die within the first week of use and RMA took 2 1/2 months. On the MSI side I had some "Gaming" branded cards in the past...I hear that their "Lightning" is very great...but never got around trying that after I had so much trouble with their other cards...but then again...I consider this bad luck as RMA rates for those 2 companies low.

 

[futurefields]

If EVGA puts out a competitive cooler, they'd get my nod on the strength of their warranty. Their early 900 series coolers weren't competitive though, so I have a Gigabyte G1 that I quite like.

EVGA redesigned the cooler, you can read about it here:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814487088

 

[xthetenth]

EVGA redesigned the cooler, you can read about it here:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814487088

Yes they did. The cooler that isn't one of their early 900 series cooler is competitive, and were I not buying the card then I would likely have gone with the EVGA. The whole competitive cooler -> recommendation is a general thing.

 

[loccothan]

As for AMD -> Best are IMO:

XFX (making only Radeon) :thumbsup:
Sapphire (making only Radeon) :thumbsup:
Then ASUS Ares class
then rest of the pack

As for nV ->

Power Color PCS+ :thumbsup:
ASUS ROG Poseidon
EvGa SOC or WC :thumbsup: