In reply to
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I've seen a lot of postings about the HIS Ice-Q Excaliber. I notice a lot of people praising this card, but how is it in comparison with the Hercules? I can afford either one, I just need to know which of these are better for 3d gaming.
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Honestly, there probably isn't a whole heck of a lot of difference in the card itself, in my opinion. One of the articles on that digit-life site I linked above said most of the pcbs are made in the same factory, (except for asus's 9800xt I think all of the 9800xt's are).
<A HREF="http://www.digit-life.com/articles2/radeon/r9800xt-2.html" target="_new">http://www.digit-life.com/articles2/radeon/r9800xt-2.html</A>
"This is obviously a copy of the reference card. Although earlier all RADEON 9800 PRO based cards were made at the same factory, released with ATI's part number and then sent to ATI's partners, Hercules's cards had their own peculiarities (blue textolite, copper coolers on GPU and memory chips). Now all RADEON 9800 XT based cards except those for ASUS are produced at the same factory, and the partners only attach their stickers."
(interestingly enough though, in that same digit-life article they said it was the fasted 9800xt they had tested. Which I can't quite figure out if they have the same core, same memory and are made in the same place.)
I think generally the companies with better reps/more quality control either get the "pick of the litter" and/or use the best parts(hence their good reputation, he he)
Hercules has a top notch reputation from what I read. They made their card with the blue pcb and that uber cool looking blue led fan. That fan alone is a nice touch assuming you have a case where you can see it and you care about stuff like that in the least. The price is right on that herc too. Only thing is I haven't seen any ratings on the vendor. I would have to research them before I would buy from them. The fact that it is a bare card is not such a big deal to me (assuming it is packaged properly of course). Unless a card comes with a game or other software you actually want or will use it could just be more junk anyway. If that is a genuine herc card same as the retail version and that company will stand behind it and so forth, I would say that deal is hard to beat.
That is low-end 9800pro price for a high-end 9800pro card.
from <A HREF="http://www.digit-life.com/articles2/radeon/herc-r9800-r7500.html" target="_new">http://www.digit-life.com/articles2/radeon/herc-r9800-r7500.html</A> :
"Hercules is the oldest videocard maker (though it changed much since 1999 when the bankrupt company was taken up by Guillemot). The good old Dynamite and Terminator trade marks sank into oblivion, and now Hercules's cards are produced under the 3D Prophet trade mark (earlier this mark belonged to Guillemot). But Hercules' quality is still the highest today. Although the most part of cards are produced by its partners, each card is then carefully tested by the guys from Hercules. Besides, the company never just buys & rename OEM products. All Hercules cards are unique - the company either produce them itself or places orders with third parties."
For example, apparently, sometimes for cost reasons or otherwise the more advance 9800xt memory or core might show up in a 9800pro card. I guess the manufacturer could actually design it to be a beefier performer or he could have more xt memory and/or core chips laying around than pro chips and need to make some pro cards asap. Or it could be just simpler to use what he has at the time. However, honestly I wouldn't feel confident trying to flash a $200+ video card for a few more fps. I am sure either of them rock. The digit-life articles show close ups of the memory on the vid cards if you take a look.
The HIS excalibur ice q-platinum has the best out of box cooling solution on it I have seen. It won a Tom's hardware editor's choice award. Also, according to a digit life review the company was founded by four Christian's:
"HIS, or Hightech Information System, is a Hong Kong company which has its production facilities in China. Its history of foundation looks very interesting. As it's written on its site, four Christians who were computer enthusiasts as well founded the company in 1987 to praise God. They were the first in the world to have such lofty ideas. As you can see the company has been working for over 15 years already, and it has become one of the strongest companies in Hong Kong." also from the digit-life site
Here is a link to a thread I started:
<A HREF="http://forumz.tomshardware.com/hardware/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=401816#401816" target="_new">http://forumz.tomshardware.com/hardware/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=401816#401816</A>
With more detailed links on this page:
<A HREF="http://forumz.tomshardware.com/hardware/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=401816#401816" target="_new">http://forumz.tomshardware.com/hardware/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=401816#401816</A>
with follow up comments by a couple of jackasses but there are always a few in every crowd, I suppose.
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