If you had to...

[Nalyk]

I've been a long time Nvidia supporter simply because I've always had good experiences with them. With the recent price drops making ATI cards especially cheap, and hearing recommendations for ATI GPU's vs Nvidia on Anand consistently for about 6 months I'm considering making the switch. Especially because I have yet to see any AM3 socket motherboards with an Nvidia chipset and I'm a fan of AMD processors.

So my question is this: If you had to buy a new ATI GPU which manufacturer would you choose and why? I'm looking for a company that offers a quality card for a good price with good customer service and warranty to match. For comparison my current GPU is an EVGA 9800GTX+

Thanks,
Nalyk

 

[TheMeanestGuest]

Well, for those qualifications I'd have to say your only option is pretty much XFX.

I've been hearing Visiontek has been.. difficult in regards to customer service and RMAs lately. Although this is only from two people, so maybe it's unsubstantiated.

 

[s44]

XFX

 

[Golgatha]

Originally posted by: TheMeanestGuest
Well, for those qualifications I'd have to say your only option is pretty much XFX.

I've been hearing Visiontek has been.. difficult in regards to customer service and RMAs lately. Although this is only from two people, so maybe it's unsubstantiated.

+1 for XFX in regards to warranty and customer service. For price and features though I like Sapphire and MSI very much also. I've never had to RMA a video card and they depreciate so fast in value that I normally don't take warranty into consideration at all anymore. To have the same video card for an entire year is a very long time for me, although it might happen this year since I paired a 2nd 4870 1GB with my older 4870 1GB.

 

[Denithor]

Another vote for XFX.

Double lifetime warranty (transfers to new owner if you sell the card) which covers overclocking and aftermarket coolers, excellent customer service, all for a small amount more than the other guys' cards? Yes please.

Compared to a company like Sapphire who charges you a fee for RMA service even if the card is defective? Hmmm...

Just remember to register your card within 30 days of receiving it otherwise I think you get a 1 or 2 year warranty.

 

[videogames101]

XFX, or Asus.

 

[imported_Scoop]

Cheapest.

 

[KingstonU]

I got an HIS 4870, cause they were the cheapest, have had it for a year now with no problems whatsoever, and it comes with a great little screw driver with a built in LED flashlight that is handy for everything

 

[reallyscrued]

Does eVGA make ATI cards? I had a 6800 made by them and it kicked the bucket a year ago, while it was still under the 3 year limited warranty. They got me a new card very quick.

But XFX, I guess any company that tout a full lifetime warranty is desirable.

 

[Nalyk]

Thanks guys, that's who I was leaning towards, but it's nice to have second opinions.

reallyscrued: As far as I know, eVGA doesn't make ATI cards anymore just nVidia

 

[PJABBER]

I would go for the cheapest one in my price range that meets my application/gaming/motherboard/CPU/PSU requirements. C'mon, with rebates and cash backs you can get a 4890 for $125 and that is a steal for ATI's fastest single processor GPU.

Warranties are great but anyone buying a resale will want to get a substantial price break no matter what the original price was.

If I'm buying for gaming I always consider the games bundle and how much I would pay for those separately. Unfortunately, most included games are of the bargain bin variety and aren't going to sway an opinion.

XFX - A good all around card with a double lifetime warranty for the constant upgrader as you just KNOW you are going to sell it off to get the latest and greatest right after you buy THE one.

ASUS TOP - Excellent quality build and excellent non-reference cooling, a splurge for OC potential

Sapphire Toxic and Vapor-X - Vapor-X cooling, another best bet for OC potential, another splurge

Best deal - MSI, HIS, who cares? Buy the cheapest, save $75 - 100+ and take your girlfriend/wife out for a night on the town. You might just get lucky!

 

[waffleironhead]

Over the years I have had good success with powercoler on a price/performance level. I have never used their rma service tho(never needed to).

 

[Avalon]

Used to use Connect3D until they stopped making cards (or just stopped shipping in the US), so now I use Visiontek. Wouldn't hesitate one instant to get an XFX when I upgrade and happen to choose an ATI based chip.

 

[thilanliyan]

I'd choose XFX or Gigabyte (my motherboard RMA went smoothly with them).

 

[Candymancan21]

I just go with the cheapest. $50 more for a lifetime over 2 year warranty doesnt make sense to me. In 2 years the damn thing is gonna be worth $50

 

[reallyscrued]

Originally posted by: Candymancan21
I just go with the cheapest. $50 more for a lifetime over 2 year warranty doesnt make sense to me. In 2 years the damn thing is gonna be worth $50

Yeah but sometimes they are within $5-10 of each other.

But yeah, it's a trade off I guess.

 

[Udgnim]

have a Visiontek 4870 512 (probably first generation) which hasn't shown any issues other than ATI drivers (which I think might be due more to defective system RAM)

I wouldn't recommend them though since their prices are so much more than their competitors for the same product

 

[faxon]

depends on the features offered on the card. if i want the quietest operation without changing out the coolers, sapphire's vapor-x cooler is the best there is in terms of stock cooling. if the manufacturer allows you to put on an aftermarket cooler w/o voiding your warranty, and the price difference is negligible vs buying a more expensive vapor-x card, i would probably go to XFX myself. my last 3 ATI cards have been sapphire though, and i am yet to have any issues with them. XFX wasnt in the ATI market when i bought them though, so my choices would be different were i to do it today

 

[Stumps]

Gigabyte....gigity gigity goo....

 

[MegaWorks]

XFX, I've used their RMA service and it was an excellent experience.

 

[jandlecack]

HIS, Gigabyte, ASUS, and lately Powercolor is pretty darn good - also Sapphire Atomic series.

I'm not a big fan of XXX, since they just use the stock cooling and overclock it via BIOS. Might as well do that yourself, every card can handle their mild overclocks.

 

[Soulkeeper]

I've had good experience with my HIS 3870 and two different XFX nvidia cards
those two are high on my list

 

[SlowSpyder]

I really like my Sapphire card, the Toxic and Vapor-x coolers are excellent. It seems like they push their non-reference cards a little further than the other manufacturers. But I've never had to use their RMA service and don't care for the $15 fee if I ever have to use it... it's just the principle of it I guess. But than again I've overclocked this card and technically voided the warranty, so that brings me to the next manufacturer...

XFX will most likely be my next AMD based card. It seems the vast majority of people are happy with their customer support. If only they'd make better non-reference cooler cards...

 

[Schmide]

Although XFX has great warranties, their quality control in my opinion is kind of lacking. They cut corners. ex 2 pin fan connectors.

I had to return my xfx 790 motherboard 3 times.

For ATI i like Sapphire.

 

[TurtleCrusher]

Bad question.

XFX. Id ATI still made cards, they would be number 2.