Difference between 3rd party video card makers and chipset makers (ATI/NVidia)

[Tiusai]

Is there a SIGNIFICANT difference between the cards that ATI or Nvidia offer and the cards that 3rd party video card makers when it is the same chipset.
I.E. (i know i'm not great at explaining what i mean)
i dunno... errr Saphire radeon X800XL and ATI Radeon X800XL (does that make sense?)



... still learning -_-''

 

[Lonyo]

Not really.
Often AIB mfrs use the reference designs from ATi/nVidia anyway, so the cards are almost 100% the same (except for maybe a sticker on the heatsink).
Also, I *think* Sapphire might actually make the ATi boards for them, though I may be wrong.
Sometimes mfr cards may be different, such as using better components (faster RAM/better heatsink etc) to improve the card (and then market it as overclocked/extreme etc) and differentiate them from the rest of the market, but they should all pretty much be the same.

 

[TheStigma]

Short ansewer: no, there isn't.

The biggest difference you'l find is what they bundle with their cards, and what cooling solution they use (most use reference designs, but not all).

-Stigma

 

[Tiusai]

Thanks Guys 😀

 

[klah]

http://www.digit-life.com/articles2/video/g70-4.html

I have told many times that all Hi-End products, both from ATI and NVIDIA, are manufactured on a single plant, ordered by the chip makers; partners are offered ready-made cards, not chips. Only then, after some time (usually after six months) a number of large manufacturers start producing such cards on their own. Products on ATI RADEON X850XT/PE/PRO chips are never manufactured by ATI partners (all these cards are bought from ATI and sold by partners under their trademarks).