Why is EVGA so well rated?

[TheTrueGamer]

I was recently browsing NewEgg for my (potential) video card upgrade to GTX 580's, and it came to my attention that GTX 580's from EVGA are not only the Best Reviews, but also Most Reviews. This applied to a plethora of other Nvidia cards as well. I just came to wonder, why is this so? They use reference coolers from Nvidia in almost all of their designs so what separates them from other video card manufacturers that use more specialized coolers or the standard reference cooler?

Just looking for other people's two cents.

(Not a hate thread, I possess 2 EVGA GTX 470's as well and I love them)

 

[Dougx1317]

They are well known for making quality products, providing excellent support, and standing behind their warranties. The ratings on Newegg can only tell you so much. You should read them to see if their are any specific problems. But the average number of eggs means less. Not everyone writes reviews. People with bad experiences are more likely to write reviews, and some people don't even know what they're talking about.

 

[TheTrueGamer]

The only problems I read so far about the GTX 580 was that they do get hot, but I read that with other GTX 580's (excluding Sparkle's version) so I'm sure it's not EVGA's problem.

I'm just surprised they achieve such well rated products with the stock reference coolers.

 

[Dougx1317]

I would trust their reputation and professional review sites more than a bunch of computer illiterates on Newegg. I'm not sure how they got the reputation that they have, but do you have any complaints about your GTX470's?

 

[17seconds]

I'm wondering the same thing. I know there are definite differences in warranty, accessories, etc., but what about component quality for reference cards? It seems the "usual suspects" when people make recommendations are EVGA, MSI, and Asus. I would like to know if there is something fundamentally different about their quality versus others for reference designs. Palit, for example is often put down for low quality. I'm wondering if there is anything to that, or if the forum is suffering from a bad case of "groupthink" where the same thing gets repeated so much, people start to believe it and repeat it themselves.

 

[Helltech]

Good support and warranty, I think those are the main reasons, becuase they don't make the best non-reference (usually don't even) coolers. So yeah...

 

[TheTrueGamer]

@Doug, no, I just wanted that extra boost in performance, that's all. Although they did run a tad hot for preference (although I know this is for most GTX 470's) so I put AOC PCI Coolers right next to them and dropped them ~10C.

@Matto, I don't think that's the case, the high rating apply for most of their video cards and I'm including "Verified Owners" reviews as well. But I do agree with you, there must be some fundamental difference between EVGA opposed to other video card manufacturers when it comes to their products whilst using REFERENCE coolers . (Build quality wise)

 

[Dougx1317]

I paid a $10 premium on my XFX 6970 because of the lifetime warranty. And Diamond was very nice about replacing my last video card (4890). Things like this is what gets companies good reputations. I had an ECS motherboard break under warranty, and I couldn't get ECS to replace it. There's a reason why ECS is a Not recommended.

 

[JackNaylorPE]

The double lifetime warranty they offer is I think what attracts most people to it. But ya don't get it unless ya register the card w/i 30 days. My personal experience however has not been good. Having bought a factory overclocked card, it is unable to get even 10% of the way between the reference speed to its advertised speed. The build has all top end enthusiast components and all EVGA is willing to do is RMA the card over and over again and provide replacement cards that have the exact same failing. Temperature is not the problem, PSI is top end, voltages measured, graphed and stable but every card has the same failing .... no crashes, game just shuts down saying the driver stopped functioning ... windows wiped and reinstalled, no change.

 

[TheTrueGamer]

So the general consensus is that EVGA built it's reputation on excellent warranties and support.

 

[Helltech]

Pretty much, and the fact you rarely hear people complaining about the build quality.

 

[Dougx1317]

Oh, I didn't realize that I had to register my XFX card within 30 days to get the lifetime warranty. I guess we'll see how friendly their support is when I call tomorrow. It has only been about 45 days. I hope I can still get the double lifetime since I specifically paid a premium for it.

 

[JDFan]

Oh, I didn't realize that I had to register my XFX card within 30 days to get the lifetime warranty. I guess we'll see how friendly their support is when I call tomorrow. It has only been about 45 days. I hope I can still get the double lifetime since I specifically paid a premium for it.

If its not registered within the 30 days they give a 2 year warranty instead of the double lifetime -- Hopefully they'll make an exception if you contact them.

 

[Dougx1317]

Yeah, I'll call them tomorrow when their offices open. For almost $400, I would hope that they make an exception on my card. I guess this will be a good test of how forgiving XFX's support team is. I'll let you guys know how it turns out. I guess I should have read the fine print.

 

[andy5174]

The double lifetime warranty they offer is I think what attracts most people to it. But ya don't get it unless ya register the card w/i 30 days. My personal experience however has not been good. Having bought a factory overclocked card, it is unable to get even 10% of the way between the reference speed to its advertised speed. The build has all top end enthusiast components and all EVGA is willing to do is RMA the card over and over again and provide replacement cards that have the exact same failing. Temperature is not the problem, PSI is top end, voltages measured, graphed and stable but every card has the same failing .... no crashes, game just shuts down saying the driver stopped functioning ... windows wiped and reinstalled, no change.

Same goes for Corsair (especially PSU).

 

[blackhawk1928]

I was recently browsing NewEgg for my (potential) video card upgrade to GTX 580's, and it came to my attention that GTX 580's from EVGA are not only the Best Reviews, but also Most Reviews. This applied to a plethora of other Nvidia cards as well. I just came to wonder, why is this so? They use reference coolers from Nvidia in almost all of their designs so what separates them from other video card manufacturers that use more specialized coolers or the standard reference cooler?

Just looking for other people's two cents.

(Not a hate thread, I possess 2 EVGA GTX 470's as well and I love them)

Never ever ever ever ever take Newegg Reviews seriously...the reviews are people who have absolutely no idea what the hell they are talking about and are simply dumb...or people who give bad reviews because the product is expensive. And secondly, people with bad experiences are more likely to post reviews then people with good experiences. If you get a product and everything goes perfect...would you bother reviewing it?...not many people do. But if your product is bad...i bet you'll be running to computer waiting to review the heck out of it.

 

[mirrion]

Never ever ever ever ever take Newegg Reviews seriously...the reviews are people who have absolutely no idea what the hell they are talking about and are simply dumb...or people who give bad reviews because the product is expensive. And secondly, people with bad experiences are more likely to post reviews then people with good experiences. If you get a product and everything goes perfect...would you bother reviewing it?...not many people do. But if your product is bad...i bet you'll be running to computer waiting to review the heck out of it.

This^^

One rule about customer service is that the only vocal customer is the angry one. It's typically the vocal minority. New Egg's reviews have to be looked at in the big picture, to be of -any- use at all:

If 100 out of 500 reviews said the item has a specific issue (e.g. DoA) it'll tell you something. But it would mean more like 3-5% are having trouble, as opposed to 20%. And possibly even less than that, perhaps if the item is not super easy to install (like a motherboard where the uninitiated might manhandle it). So, take it with a grain of salt.

 

[17seconds]

So is everyone agreeing that the quality of stock/reference cards is the same between different manufacturers?

 

[JDFan]

So is everyone agreeing that the quality of stock/reference cards is the same between different manufacturers?

There are differences in the assembly methods and some companies do a better job of placing the correct amount of thermal paste\tape and keeping it in proper contact with the heatsink etc. so usually have fewer problems. And some companies are better about taking care of things if something does go wrong instead of trying to place blame on the end user and not honoring the warranty. So it does make a difference which company you buy from at times.

 

[Dougx1317]

If its not registered within the 30 days they give a 2 year warranty instead of the double lifetime -- Hopefully they'll make an exception if you contact them.

When I contacted XFX, they informed me that they did not strictly enforce the date. They told me that the lifetime warranty applied as long as the product was registered within the first few months of ownership. This is how good reputations are earned. When my 4890 Diamond card went bad, it took 2 months of fussing with Diamond's support before they finally honored the warranty. Companies like XFX are just more friendly and supportive when/if their products fail.

 

[JDFan]

When I contacted XFX, they informed me that they did not strictly enforce the date. They told me that the lifetime warranty applied as long as the product was registered within the first few months of ownership. This is how good reputations are earned. When my 4890 Diamond card went bad, it took 2 months of fussing with Diamond's support before they finally honored the warranty. Companies like XFX are just more friendly and supportive when/if their products fail.

Good to hear ! -- and you are correct that is the sort of thing that helps a few of the companies gain a higher reputation -- a lot of times it is not the cards that do not have any problems that gain higher praise for a company but what they do when a problem arises and how they handle that.

 

[TheTrueGamer]

Best answer selected by TheTrueGamer.

 

[Maziar]

This topic has been closed by Maziar