I haven't seen green since ...

[Zenoth]

The last NVIDIA (one of two in total) GPU I owned was a GeForce 4 Ti-4600, I believe somewhere in 2003, and a I also had a GeForce 4 MX440-SE (isn't that for 'sucky edition' ?). Then I moved to ATi (thanks to an outstanding $80 rebate) with a wonderful Radeon 9600 Pro. And since then up to this day I was happy on the red boat. But I'm ready for change, which might be temporary, but seems to be necessary.

I am here to ask for guidance for a lost consumer who doesn't know much about quality brand names for GeForce cards. I know the names themselves, but I don't know what they are synonyms of, such as XFX, BFG and so on. I will get myself a GeForce 8800GTS 640MB, if mentioning the model matters.

Which brand do you guys suggest ? And why ?

If any of you want to render the thing simpler then you can always just point me at a "roundup" review of different brand names somewhere on the web if you don't feel like typing out the reasons yourself, I don't mind that, I just want to make sure that my first NVIDIA card since 2003 isn't a lemon due to the actual brand which would have been known for selling and promoting issues more than the actual product. I have had a bad experience with Power Color back then when I bought my first 9800 Pro, and I had to RMA that thing two times before I decided to change to Sapphire, which I never regretted trusting since. It's that kind of mistake I don't want to live again.

So any input, information, suggestions, personal experiences examples, etc, would be highly appreciated.

Thanks for your time.

 

[PhatoseAlpha]

IIRC, XFX has a double lifetime warranty. BFG also has at least a lifetime warranty, possibly a double like XFX. eVGA seems to have a lesser warranty and some less the ideal warranty support, but they have the step-up program.

 

[swtethan]

eVGA has a lifetime warranty.

 

[Zenoth]

Ok, that's great.

Hmmm, what about, say the cooling solution, does that change from a brand to another ?

Anything else than Warranty that I should be looking for/be aware of ?

 

[Extelleron]

I would definately go with the eVGA 8800GTS 640MB @ newegg for $329.99 AR. eVGA is great and they do have the step-up program, though I'm not so sure the 8900's will be out within 3 months.

Personally I'd wait a few weeks to see what the HD 2900XT looks like on newer drivers but that's up to you. You're not going to be disappointed with the 8800GTS.

 

[swtethan]

Cooling wont change much, just the outer plastic heatsink casing (foxconn i think has a different case). All the others have the same cooler.

 

[n7]

Seems the top three cards for warranty are XFX, eVGA, & BFG.

Then again, Leadtek, MSI, & others aren't bad either afaik.

 

[Captante]

EVGA gets the edge over everyone else because overclocking & swapping out the factory HS/fan are both covered under their lifetime warranty, they have very good customer service, plus they offer the step-up program & for a small charge they'll do an overnight-shipped advance RMA if you need warranty replacement.

BFG has very good customer service & also a lifetime warranty, but swapping the HS/fan or overclocking voids it.

XFX customer service is a notch below the other two & swapping the HS/fan or overclocking still voids your warranty, however if you sell the card the second owner is still covered by the transferable lifetime warranty.

 

[Zenoth]

Great, looks like it'll be eVGA then (I called at my local store and the vendor can order those).

Also, as you guys can see in my signature, my X1800XL is cooled by a Zalman cooler. I bought it to reduce heat, but mostly to reduce noise from the fan of the default cooler. That Zalman solution is extremely silent, and I would feel bad gaming again with something noisier than it, even if the GTS cooler isn't as noisy as the default X1800XL's solution.

I looked at their web-site, and I was quite shocked to see that they have absolutely nothing compatible with the GeForce 8 series, only G70 and G60 and lower. I am very surprised and disappointed by that. So do you guys know any other third-party cooling solution makers around with products for the GeForce 8 ? I really want to install a third-party solution, or at least consider it, but first I need to know which makers do make such solutions for G80 other than Zalman.

 

[s44]

Thermalright HR-03+

 

[Zenoth]

Thanks !

 

[Captante]

Originally posted by: Zenoth
Great, looks like it'll be eVGA then (I called at my local store and the vendor can order those).

Also, as you guys can see in my signature, my X1800XL is cooled by a Zalman cooler. I bought it to reduce heat, but mostly to reduce noise from the fan of the default cooler. That Zalman solution is extremely silent, and I would feel bad gaming again with something noisier than it, even if the GTS cooler isn't as noisy as the default X1800XL's solution.

I looked at their web-site, and I was quite shocked to see that they have absolutely nothing compatible with the GeForce 8 series, only G70 and G60 and lower. I am very surprised and disappointed by that. So do you guys know any other third-party cooling solution makers around with products for the GeForce 8 ? I really want to install a third-party solution, or at least consider it, but first I need to know which makers do make such solutions for G80 other than Zalman.

The reason you don't see all that many aftermarket cooling solutions for the 8800GTS/GTX is that the included HS/fan is very quiet & effective so they arn't really required.

I suggest you get the card & try it as is before spending any additional money on a replacement air-cooling solution ... the only way I'd bother upgrading it would be to go back to water-cooling.


Edit: I have an EVGA 8800GTX

 

[Zenoth]

Yes, thanks for the advice.

I was indeed planning to do just that. Get myself the card, see how it performs, first, see how noisy or not it is, and then take my decision.

However I am making this thread in advance, so that *just in case*, if I ever want to buy a third-party solution I will know what to do, what to buy and how to install my stuff. So far the best solution seems to be Thermalright's HR-03 Plus, but I need a fan that isn't included in the package for that solution, and I am still searching for a silent fan, yet effective enough at air-flow, a balance between both points would be perfect. I have seen reviews of a certain "Tornado", I believe from Vantec, and it looks to be very effective but at a great cost, which is loud noise, I don't want that.

So, I'll keep looking for the fan, if anyone has suggestions go ahead and let me know ! Thanks again all.

 

[nullpointerus]

If you need a fan, AT heatsink reviews have been advocating a certain kind lately--I don't remember what it is.

On the cheap side, Yate Loon 120mm (~$4 + shipping) are decent and quiet.

 

[yacoub]

In a week or two I'll probably grab an eVGA 8800 GTS 640MB if the price hits $325-330 w/o rebates.