What is the big difference between gpu manufacturers?

[killr Kadoogan]

I'm in the process of purchasing a x1900xtx and I have noticed that some of the cards are significantly cheaper than others. I have always liked sapphire cards, but why are they so much cheaper than cards from VisionTek ($600 on newegg) and Powercolor ($500)? Is it a quality issue or what?

 

[tallman45]

Most are refernce design, some add different cabling and solfware options or cooling systems. Warranties vary greatly as well as customer support accessability and Upgrade programs.

As with anything in this world you get what you pay for , look at what you give up with the lower pricing

 

[akshayt]

For ati performance is identical, but as tallman45 said, warranty and all varies.

I would asy get 1900XT + good cooling solution and oc past 1900XTX speeds.

 

[killr Kadoogan]

thanks for the advice, i'll have to reconsider my options now

 

[dug777]

Originally posted by: tallman45
Most are refernce design, some add different cabling and solfware options or cooling systems. Warranties vary greatly as well as customer support accessability and Upgrade programs.

As with anything in this world you get what you pay for , look at what you give up with the lower pricing

Yeah, but in the case of Leadtek & Asus, they're often VASTLY overpriced, for no apparent reason

 

[imported_Truenofan]

you could get a x1900xt but you might get the 1.2ns ram, that being the case, you might not be able to oc as well as what you would like, get a x1900xtx and you will get the 1.1ns ram(i got lucky), with the 1.1 you can oc quite well, above the 800mhz range without stability issues.

 

[nitromullet]

Definitely, the big difference for ATI card manufacturers is warrantee/RMA and customer service in general. Also, none of them even touch the good NVIDIA manufacturers like eVGA and BFGTech with respect to customer service. However, you can sort of substitiute a manufacturer's warrantee by purchasing from a top quality retailer with a good return policy.

 

[Bull Dog]

Originally posted by: Truenofan
you could get a x1900xt but you might get the 1.2ns ram, that being the case, you might not be able to oc as well as what you would like, get a x1900xtx and you will get the 1.1ns ram(i got lucky), with the 1.1 you can oc quite well, above the 800mhz range without stability issues.

To date ALL X1900XT's come with 1.1ns ram.

 

[TheRyuu]

Originally posted by: Bull Dog

Originally posted by: Truenofan
you could get a x1900xt but you might get the 1.2ns ram, that being the case, you might not be able to oc as well as what you would like, get a x1900xtx and you will get the 1.1ns ram(i got lucky), with the 1.1 you can oc quite well, above the 800mhz range without stability issues.

To date ALL X1900XT's come with 1.1ns ram.

Maby there saying time/money by just using one type of ram on all X1900XT(X)'s. Maby the 1.1ns ram is speedbinned also.

 

[imported_Truenofan]

didnt know they all came with it.....my bad, lol. well then go ahed n get the xt and oc it. all i know is that i bought a x1900xt when they first came out(went from x800xl to x1900xt), and im loving it. more than ample power to do anything, but you have to have a half decent psu to run it, if your running a single card, a psu with half decent amp's on the 12v rails will run it(mine states 17 on both, but it'll push out 30 when it goes to 3d mode). i dont think manufacturers make a difference, but i heard the HIS x1900xt oc's well with its different cooler.

its a bit expensive(HIS), you can get one of the regular x1900xt's and throw on the zalman/accelero coolers and oc till you hit the top.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductCo...List=N82E16835186002%2CN82E16835118006

 

[Captante]

The best options for ATI cards: *(IMO of course!)

(1) Powercolor = Lifetime warranty on retail cards & good RMA support

(2) Asus = 3 year warranty & good RMA support, plus nice software options

(3) HIS IceQ3 = Much more effective & quieter cooling included but poor RMA support

(4) Sapphire = Great reputation for overclocking & very cheap - so-so RMA support

Powercolor gets the win because of their warranty, but the other 3 are too close to call... depends on whats most important to you.

Best bet for Nvidia:

EVGA = Lifetime warranty, step-up program, aftermarket cooling solutions & overclocking
DO NOT void your warranty!

 

[akugami]

Truenofan's point still stands though, sometimes a manufactorer with the same card model and in the same price point will use faster RAM. Not always but sometimes it pays to do a little research for those overclocking. Faster RAM can mean a little extra boost when voerclocking.