Help!!! OEM, Retail and video cards...

[Guest]

Hi! I'm from Brazil, and I'd like to know what is a video card Retail and a video card OEM, what's the difference?

ALso, I'd like to ask you an oppinion about which video card I should buy. As I am in Brazil, I can only afford a video card that costs about U$140.

Thank you!
Alexandre
Belo Horizonte/Brazil.

PS. Sorry about the bad english.

 

[Guest]

If I'm not mistaken, the only difference is that one come with a box and the other doesn't. I know it sounds stupid at first hand but it's true (the company may also remove a couple of bundle softwares). You'll save money if you buy the OEM version (especially if you're interested in the card and doesn't care too much about what comes with it). Don't worry though, both have guarantee and they come with the instruction manual.

Hope this helps

 

[Guest]

Also, about your video card. What will be your primary use of it (ie dv, internet, graphic design, games)? It's important because if you're not into something which requires a lot of gfx processing you don't need the best card on the market.

 

[siliconjon]

OEM or Retail...well, that depends on the card. If you're buying a card strictly for graphics accelleration, then OEM will save you some bucks, as the extras that tend to come with those types are often useless and/or chaotic crap (usually). But if you're going to get a card for more diverse multimedia usage (such as video capture&editing), the bundled software is often a necessity (unless of course you know a good place to snag some warez or get some copies from some friends). But if you're going OEM, be sure to get a good warranty, as nothing sucks worse than a 30-Day warranty, and a 31-Day life span.


If I don't get my 90THz AMD Quadraplex system soon, I'm afraid I may just combust right here.

 

[knowan]

Usually, Retail gets a box, a manual, drivers, and various "extra's" such as 2 or 3 video games. OEM includes just the drivers. There's also the matter of the warrenty. Retail is handeled directly by the manifacturer and is generally 3 years. OEM is handeled by the store and is generally 30 days or 1 year at most (and if the store goes out of business before then then you are SOL). Other than that they are all the same. Same drivers and same actual card.

There is one exception, and that is ATI's Radeon 8500. The OEM versions are actually slower that the retail versions. The retail runs at 275/275 MHz (core/memory). The OEM runs at either 250/250 or 225/225.

I don't know what prices are like locally, but GeForce 3's should be cheep now. The ATI Radeon 8500 is just as powerfull as the GF3, and is about the same price. Don't get a GF4 MX. They are less powerfull than the GF3. A GF4 non-MX would be the best, but is out of your price range.

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Knowan likes you. Knowan is your friend. Knowan thinks you're great.

 

[siliconjon]

As for which type of card? The Radeon 8500's are down to $140 (that would be my pick for that price range), but I don't know how much shipping & import tax would be; that may put you over your budget. For about $10-20 cheaper, you can pick up a Geforce3 ti200. Gainward, Guillemot, LeadTek, Vision Tek, MSI, and Asus are my choice picks for Nvidia cards (way to narrow it down, eh Jon?)


If I don't get my 90THz AMD Quadraplex system soon, I'm afraid I may just combust right here.

 

[Guest]

Hi there,

at first, i'd like to thank you all for being nice with me.
I want a video card for playing games only, I'm not using it to edit videos, etc...

I hate my country!!!
U$1 = R$2,50, that's why a U$150 video card becomes too expensive for me.

I was thinking about the Geforce 4 MX 440, but your advice says no. So, I'll try to find some GF3. Ti200 is ok?

Thank you all.

Alexandre
Brazil.

 

[Crashman]

All ATI cards for quite some time have had the Retail version clocked higher than the OEM version. Their are a few other cards, such as the Visiontek GTS-V, that are also clocked slower. Read before you proceed.

What's the frequency, Kenneth?