Value of higher end video card brands/advanced designs

[Eureka]

So, we have plenty of discussion about AMD vs Nvidia, about performance for price, most of which go in circles.

How about a different topic... between the same company, but different brands? How do we decide where the value of a GPU ends? For example, my traditional viewpoint is that up until the top-end GPU (7970/680), it is always more economic to get the cheapest possible brand of a single GPU, because any money placed into that same GPU can be put towards the next tier.

I remember hearing the opinion of a user on another forum who was adamant about getting higher quality brands. Something along the lines of saying paying $250 for a top-end 7870 was a better choice than getting a $250 Powercolor 7870 XT.

Where do we draw the line between putting money into a single tier? Would a $330 Asus 7950 still be a worthwhile, considering a XFX 7970 can be had for $350?

 

[Tweak155]

I just look at the warranty and buy the brand that is the cheapest with a reasonable warranty (3+yrs). Until I have a bad experience of my own with a company, forget the reviews. They can't stay in business by only accepting returns.

My 6870 is an XFX and my 560ti 448 is a Galaxy. So far so good!

EDIT:

The card should also have the features I'm looking for, such as dual fan (if I want it).

 

[Termie]

The value in a brand's name and unique design is three-fold:

(1) customer service/warranty
(2) overclocking ability due to PCB and cooler design (not accounting for getting a lucky chip, which isn't brand-dependent)
(3) cooler noise

For people who are going to run their cards at stock speeds, paying more for a "higher-end" brand doesn't make much sense, except in regard to noise. Probably the biggest difference between the various brands is in fact the noise produced.

For those interested in overclocking, and that should be just about everyone in this forum, and in particular, purchasers of this generation of AMD cards, brand matters a lot. PCB design, including the ability to unlock voltage, is of the utmost importance to hitting high overclocks, as is an effective and reasonably quiet cooler.

For instance, you can buy a reference PowerColor HD7950 for $275 on Newegg right now. I wouldn't jump on that item, despite it being the cheapest currently available. The 7950 needs an overclock to really tap its potential, and I wouldn't want to do that with the stock cooler. On the other hand, the Gigabyte HD7950, which has the cooler to allow high overclocks, reportedly may be voltage-locked, limiting its appeal slightly. So there are a lot of variables, but not everyone should be all that concerned about name brand.

 

[Eureka]

The value in a brand's name and unique design is three-fold:

(1) customer service/warranty
(2) overclocking ability due to PCB and cooler design (not accounting for getting a lucky chip, which isn't brand-dependent)
(3) cooler noise

For people who are going to run their cards at stock speeds, paying more for a "higher-end" brand doesn't make much sense, except in regard to noise. Probably the biggest difference between the various brands is in fact the noise produced.

For those interested in overclocking, and that should be just about everyone in this forum, and in particular, purchasers of this generation of AMD cards, brand matters a lot. PCB design, including the ability to unlock voltage, is of the utmost importance to hitting high overclocks, as is an effective and reasonably quiet cooler.

For instance, you can buy a reference PowerColor HD7950 for $275 on Newegg right now. I wouldn't jump on that item, despite it being the cheapest currently available. The 7950 needs an overclock to really tap its potential, and I wouldn't want to do that with the stock cooler. On the other hand, the Gigabyte HD7950, which has the cooler to allow high overclocks, reportedly may be voltage-locked, limiting its appeal slightly. So there are a lot of variables, but not everyone should be all that concerned about name brand.

But the appeal of the 7950 is it's sub-$300 entry price. If we hit $300 by going to a higher brand, is it still appealing?

When I say brand, I'm not just talking about the brand. I'm talking about going towards more advanced designs, with custom coolers and custom PCBs. An Asus DCUII card, for example, can easily cost more than the cheapest card of the next tier, but it comes with a better quality PCB and a high quality cooler.

 

[Termie]

But the appeal of the 7950 is it's sub-$300 entry price. If we hit $300 by going to a higher brand, is it still appealing?

When I say brand, I'm not just talking about the brand. I'm talking about going towards more advanced designs, with custom coolers and custom PCBs. An Asus DCUII card, for example, can easily cost more than the cheapest card of the next tier, but it comes with a better quality PCB and a high quality cooler.

Oh, I know, that's why I mentioned PCB and cooler design.

So the Asus HD7950 is currently $340 on Newegg: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...on%20HD%207950

The XFX HD7970 is currently $370AR on Newegg:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...on%20HD%207970

In this real-life comparison, I would never take the Asus. You're paying way too much of a premium for that cooler (and frankly, I really don't like three-slot designs). Even if it has more overclocking chops than the XFX HD7970, there's very little chance it could actually overtake the HD7970 when both are overclocked.

A tougher choice is something like the $290AR Sapphire model versus the XFX HD7970 for $370AR. I think I'd probably take the Sapphire.

 

[KingFatty]

Sometimes I ask myself how much it would cost to buy a separate after-market cooler.

If the "premium" card has an aftermarket cooler that adds more to the price than a separate after-market cooler,then I feel like it's not a good value.

So sometimes, the value of the card could come down to an unrelated thing like what the current price of aftermarket coolers happen to be. If suddenly there is a flood and all the factories for making aftermarket coolers get destroyed and the price of aftermarket coolers flies through the roof, then suddenly the premium video cards look like a better deal.