7870 Sapphire v Gigabyte v ASUS

[benboo]

Hi guys

its my first time building a budget gaming and little video editing pc with a $1000 budget

i've chosen all the other parts, except the PSU.

i've decided to get the radeon 7870 but i cant decide which brand i want to get.

Sapphire @ $249
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=19778


Asus @ $265
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=21635


Gigabyte @ $249
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=19740


from research sapphire seems like the stronger card, the Asus is relatively weaker out of the box but can oc higher while costing $16 more, and the Gigabyte being the same price as the Sapphire could easily overclock to similar stats as the Sapphire.

i've never owned any mid to high end computers so im not sure about the durability and shelf life of these parts.

Asus and Gigabyte are 2 brands im relatively more familiar with, while im a complete stranger to Sapphire, though i have read some very positive feedbacks.

The warranty is one of the very few things keeping me from walking out with a Sapphire. 2 years on the Sapphire, 3 years for the Asus and Gigabyte.


help me decide guys!

 

[admbautista]

Asus may have have the stronger card in terms of cooling and noise. But They tend to cost more. Just like in your situation. Sapphire cards are like counterpart of evga-nvidia for ati cards. So I could say they are a trusted brand just like other brands. With regards to gigabyte. I can't say much because If I were to choose from sapphire and gigabyte with same price, ill definitely go sapphire.

So with that, My only option would be sapphire or asus. Both card will be great for you. Sapphire cooler is also cool but tend to produce more noise than asus, but not that much. It is just that asus is really quiet.

So It will really comes down to your budget and warranty perception. If you think the $15 cost for a additional year for warranty is worth it, then go with asus. If you want to save that $15 then go sapphire, both will perform great.

 

[benboo]

thank you for the feed back

i've been using lower end 100-200 gpu in the past, in the past 10 years ive used to computers roughly 5 years per computer. they tend to just die out of the blue or just become so slow and outdated that i rather just by a new pc all together which is my current situation, how ever my graphic cards never died on me. since i wasnt able to play games on high settings, i think there was a lot less strain on the GPU.

but with this new pc that im building, ill probably be using it more heavily, so my real question is would more strain on the gpu reduce its shelf life significantly? if it is not something major i think ill just get the sapphire, and safe that $16 towards a ssd!

 

[admbautista]

Okay, for me, all cards will live to the day that they are really outdated and need to be replaced. Unless you really made a crap of your card and OC it too much and stuffs. But if your just a casual gamer, gaming at highest settings but no OC, or casual OC. then don't worry with life expectancy. Your just unlucky if you'll have a bad card from the start.

 

[benboo]

ahhh ok that clears it up, ill go with the sapphire then.

thanks!

 

[benboo]

Best answer selected by benboo.