OEM vs Retail video cards, the difference?

[eden]

I know processor retail vs OEM, but what about cards? What do you get less in OEM? Do you still get the software and all that is needed to run it? And if it was say the Asus GF3 Deluxe, which comes with lots of stuff including 3d glasses, what is removed? (then it wouldn't be as Deluxe as it sounds...)

 

[Crashman]

OEM cards often include one full speed grade lower memory (such as 6ns instead of 5.5ns, 5ns instead of 4.5ns, 4 instead of 3.4), and are often clocked slower. This only affects certain companies, such as ATI. Sometimes you get all the software, sometimes you don't. Usually if the model number is exactly the same the card is exactly the same.

Back to you Tom...

 

[Smilin]

In OEM you'll get a card wrapped in a static bag, and a CD (which you will chuck because you are smart and downloading drivers from the net).

You'll also get whatever warranty the RETAILER (not manufacturer) decides to give you which will vary from place to place and is typically 30 days or so.

What you won't get:
Any games or other packaged software.
Tech support worth a [-peep-].

Unless something is bundled with a bunch of kewl software, just stick with the OEM.

 

[eden]

Damn so I do have V3 2000 OEM indeed. Good thing new cards are mostly in Retail, especially Asus ones for the GF3, I doubt any ass retailer would make the Deluxe version OEM, hehe imagine. I'd consider the Pure OEM, but Deluxe? HA!
Thanks anyway, I know more now...

 

[Matisaro]

In general nvidia oems are exactly the same as retail cards sans the games and bundled software.

ATI, however, has a nasty tendancy to ship oem cards which are slower than their counterparts, while still being marketed as the same, the moral implications of this are up to the reader to decipher.

~Matisaro~
"The Cash Left In My Pocket,The BEST Benchmark"
~Tbird1.3@1.5~

 

[HonestJhon]

that is screwed up!

-DAvid

-Live, Learn, then build your own computer!-

 

[Matisaro]

If you think that is bad, check out the thread ATI cheated to see what else they try to pull.

~Matisaro~
"The Cash Left In My Pocket,The BEST Benchmark"
~Tbird1.3@1.5~

 

[HonestJhon]

yeah, that is something else that sucks..
my friend, who had been a religious ati defender, just recently changed his ways. he said he would never buy an ati product because of all the problems he has had with his ati card, and noticed all the trouble free operation i had with my stealth, and my geforce2pro...
his problem was that his retail ati rage fury maxx would have problems in every system he tried. it would boot up with a blank screen...we got it to work on his old system, but that took a lot of work, and lots of web searches, and annoyances.
so when we built his new system with the k7s5a and an athlon 900, and it did the same thing, we just decided to chuck it...and we ended up trading it to my dads friend for a ride to fry's to buy a new video card. he ended up getting a geforce2 ti. and that thing went in without a hitch...just like my card.
my dad's friend has a p3 on an i815 mobo from asus...
considering that usually intel chipsets are quite stable, especially with intel chips... and very compatible usually, we thought that he might be able to use that instead of his built in video...and have better success with that. he has yet to try it. but i will keep everyone informed...
i didnt like that card anyways, because of that dual chip thing, it would sometimes "hickup" and that is dumb, since the two chips are supposed to give way better performance.

-DAvid

-Live, Learn, then build your own computer!-