Best Brand? Does it matter?

jack54 · Oct 28, 2008

I'm going to Fry's to buy either the 9600GT or 9800GT tomorrow.
Does brand matter? Or just personal preference?
Which is general the best? Trouble free? Performance?

EVGA GeForce
BFG GeForce
PNY GeForce
XFX GeForce

I was leaning toward the EVGA GeForce

outlw6669 · Oct 28, 2008

EVGA would be top dog in my eyes.
Step up program and lifetime warranty.

XFX is also good.
They offer a double lifetime warranty.

BFG is decent but I personaly do not like PNY.

blashyrkh · Oct 28, 2008

Also check for various edition, like the toxic series from saphire or the Top Dog edition of BFG. These editions of the same card, can cost maybe 10-20$ more than the rest but they usually offer much better cooling and OC'ed Gpu and mem.

Shadow703793 · Oct 28, 2008

+1 for XFX, BFG, and EVGA. (EVGA has StepUp, and BFG has something similer).

+1 for special ED with better cooling.

rwayne · Oct 28, 2008

Why not get an EVGA 9800GT on newegg instead of Fry's? It would be a lot cheaper.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130384&nm_mc=EMC-IGNEFL102808&cm_mmc=EMC-IGNEFL102808-_-DesktopGraphicsVideoCards-_-L1D-_-14130384

Use promocode:EMCBACJDJ and get the NEW 55nm EVGA GeForce 9800GT 512MB Hybrid Power Edition PCI Express 2.0 x16 Video Card for $123.99

■PLUS FREE SHIPPING
■PLUS a $25.00 REBATE
■PLUS a free copy of Quake Wars Enemy Territory
(From what I understand Quake Wars ET is a really good game.)

Your final price after savings would only be $98.99

(BTW...I just helped a friend build his first PC 3 days ago. The EVGA 9800GT in his system is a great card. It ran World of Warcraft really well on high settings and the card was pretty much silent. I could not hear it at all over the case fans.)

hairycat101 · Oct 28, 2008

Doesn't EVGA have a lifetime warranty to the original purchaser if registered in the fist 30 days?

zenmaster · Oct 28, 2008

It does not even need to be registered in the first 30 days.
At least in my case. (Yes, the site said it did, but they did not quibble.)

I had an EVGA, never registered it until it failed about a year or so later.
The RMA process was a piece of cake.

(Note: I don't view the failure as an knock against EVGA.)

rwayne · Oct 28, 2008

zenmaster :

I agree. You can't hold EVGA fully responsible for the card dying. The Chip is made by Nvidia, not EVGA.

What I love about EVGA is the support they offer. On their website they have photos and the personal email addresses of their VP of marketing, director of sales, RMA managers.

http://www.evga.com/support/

They just go out of their way to serve the customer. Give you an lifetime warranty, offer you a 90 day step up program incase you are not happy with your original purchase. Plus their prices are really good.

I have never owned an EVGA card, but If I buy Nvidia again EVGA would be my 1st choice. They really work hard for your business, much more so than their competition. That is probably why they are Nvidia's #1 vendor.

zenmaster · Oct 28, 2008

Even if you don't go NVIDIA again, you may be able to go EVGA.
EVGA is planning on selling AMD/ATI as well in the future.

rwayne · Oct 28, 2008

zenmaster :

I don't think that is going to happen.

http://www.bit-tech.net/news/2008/08/02/evga-wanted-to-sell-ati-card/1

According to AMD, EVGA approached it with the intention of selling Radeon graphics cards but AMD turned them down. AMD's top brass casually told us yesterday that "[it] only needs eight partners" and that it doesn't want to damage the loyalty between them and itself after they've stuck by AMD through rough (HD 2900 XT) and the smooth (HD 4000-series).

Recently AMD has taken on Gainward Palit... no, wait, Gainward, as another partner but this was a strategic move for specific regions only.

AMD considers its world-wide coverage already sufficient and further saturating the market with yet another "sticker on generic product" doesn't do anyone any favours - with this sentiment we completely agree.

(Very) Unofficially, AMD said the only Nvidia partner it would want to work with was BFG in the States, but it couldn't see that happening either. Well, it all depends on how much profit margin Nvidia lets its board makers have in the future, otherwise they might see AMD or Intel's Larrabee become an attractive (or inevitable for survival) option.

jack54 · Oct 28, 2008

Thanks for all the replies. From what I've read above, I think I will go with EVGA.

I've used EVGA before with good results. I have a new EVGA 9400GT 1GB memory card now that was given to me from a friend. I am going to take it back where he bought it and exchange for a better card, such as a 9600GT or 9800GT. (and why I'm not going with newegg)

I would go with a better card yet, but I only have a Pentium 4 3:06 GHz and I getting a Pentium D cpu today (the max my mobo will accept) so it won't do me any good to get a better card than the 9600GT I'm sure.

Next year, I'm getting a newer mobo and duo core when the new cpu's come out and drive the duo core prices down. Then I can use the GPU there too.

I might as well add what I do with this desktop. I play only two games, Need for Speed 2006 & Flight Simulator 2004. I do a lot of PhotoShop and photo editing. I watch some movies and tv on the desktop too.... so even if I get a newer mobo and duo core, I probably don't need a better card than the 9600GT or 9800GT.

Thoughts?

jack54 · Oct 30, 2008

I ended up getting the XFX 9500GT 512 DDR3 GeForce. It's alot better than that 9400GT DDR2 card I had.

Here is my build:
http://1-4u-computer-graphics.com/Desktop-Build3.htm

Ever notice that the GPU cards always look fancy and nice until you put them in. Then you can't see a thing as they face down. All that fancy stuff for nothing. Anyways... I came up with a cool idea to show it by putting a mirror at the bottom. See the photos in the link above.

L1qu1d · Oct 30, 2008

BFG baby, 10 days more than EVGA for step up, and less of hassle, you send in only the card. PLus BFG tends to have more rebates than EVGA, so you can buy your card for a price, then get the Rebate, and still have the full value of the card to go towards your purchase

outlw6669 · Oct 30, 2008

jack54 :

Ouch.
Please tell me you can still exchange it for something better.
The 9500GT = 8600GT = a terrible gaming card.
The 9600GT you were considering earlier is more than twice as fast as the card you just got and the 9800GT is even faster yet.

Even so, good pics of the system!
Looks shiny

jack54 · Oct 30, 2008

outlw6669 :

OK, let me explain... first, in my earlier threads, I said I don't play games. Once in a while I play only two games, Need for Speed 2006 & Flight Simulator 2004. I do a lot of PhotoShop and photo editing. I watch some movies and tv on the desktop too.... So, I don't think I need a 9600GT.

The EVGA 9400GT 1GB memory card was given to me from a friend. I took it back where he bought it and exchange for a better card, the 9500GT 512MB DDR3 which is a LOT better than the 9400GT with DDR2. (and why I'm not going with newegg or Amazon) I could only do an exchange, not cash back as it was bought on my friends credit card.

The store I got this, FRY's Electronic, wanted $50 more for the 9600GT which I did want but didn't justify the cost since I don't play games.

Now if you guys still think I ought to spend the extra $50 I still might do it.

L1qu1d · Oct 30, 2008

I would say yes, even though you don't play games, teh 9600 GT is still a surer thing for the furture, I mean for an extra 50$ your doubling the power of the 9500 GT

Not only that but for stuff like Autocad (if you ever do similar things) the 9600 GT could benefit

, also you don't play games, but thats not period, if once a game came out that you really liked, and you wanted to play it asap, do you want 50$ to stand in your way????

My opinion is that for an extra 50$ you'd have alot happier future than with the 50$ in your pocket, and a 9500 GT in your system

jack54 · Oct 31, 2008

L1qu1d :

Well... first, this is my bedroom desktop and I just now sold it to a guy that works at Boeing who loved the website I made of it.
http://1-4u-computer-graphics.com/Desktop-Build3.htm
Got $700 for it, so I can build an even better one.

Now, my main computer can play games IF I wanted to:
http://1-4u-computer-graphics.com/Desktop-Build.htm

And I have a very good notebook too, a DELL XPS 1530m:
http://corvettec3.com/dellXPSm1530review.htm

See guys... I don't lack for firepower!

I plan to get a 9800GT with my new build.

L1qu1d · Oct 31, 2008

very nicely done

jack54 · Nov 1, 2008

jack54 · Nov 1, 2008

No opinions huh?

Best Brand? Does it matter?

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