Does it matter who makes the video card?

[gwilks98]

Ok...so someone please tell me....besides warranty, would there be any difference between video cards if they use the same chipset and different board manufacturers. Here's why I ask: I go to best buy looking for a video card. I see Ati Radeon 9000Pro 128mb for 150. I see an "asylum" geforce4 4200 ti for 200. I figured I would rather spend 150 on the radeon with a known company.


Well....I'm not real happy with it's output in 3D games. I'm thinking about buying a geforce4 4200 ti online for the same price. At googlegear, I can get the geforce on an Abit board for 150 (retail) instead of going to best buy and paying the markup.

Oh what to do, fellow apexers?

[sbp]

A GF4 Ti4200 will be faster in games than a Radeon 9000 Pro.

"would there be any difference between video cards if they use the same chipset and different board manufacturers." Most of the time it won't matter since videocards makers use the reference design.

[gwilks98]

Thanks, DF, but what about the difference between an asylum card and an abit card, both carrying the same geforce chipset?

[Cantacuzene]

If you're getting a 4200 your best bet is to get a Gainward or Albatron. They are the best two ti4200s and they are either the same price or less than their competitors.

[Showtime]

Pay $30 more and get the 4600 from new egg.
(over the ti 4200 for $200)
-jel:halo:

[attgig]

Originally posted by DarkFury

Like I said before... all of the chipsets are the same (and they all can use the same reference drivers produced by Nvidia.), however I do understand "brand name loyalty" and it's effects in relation to making a purchase decision.

Personally, I am somewhat brand loyal... and unless those "off brand" cards were siginificantly lower priced than the "leading brand", I personally wouldn't buy one.

And by "lower priced"... I'm talkin' about at least a 30 - 50% lower price. But if the price were the same in the example you gave above, I'd definitely pick the Asus over the Asylum just based off of past experiences with Asus products. :D

aiight DF, help me out here...
I'm looking at the ATI 8500 LE's, and the cheap one's i'm finding is the "sapphire" brand ati 8500 LE 128mb for 90 bucks (white box), 100 bucks for retail boxed.

i can't even find the 8500LE's that are manufactured by ATI anymore.
also, retail? or whitebox?

place i'm looking at is:
http://store.yahoo.com/pcmemory-stores/atirad8500le2.html

thx

[attgig]

Originally posted by DarkFury


Ok... if you want an "ATI" OEM Radeon 8500 LE 128MB... the cheapest I see it for is $90 plus free FedEx Shipping at Xtreme Gear (http://www.buyxtremegear.com/atiradeon8500.html)

BTW... "Sapphire" being a 3rd party distributor pretty much gets the license to build the 8500LE (light edition)... while ATI chooses to build the "full blown" 8500. I dunno if ATI even markets the 8500LEs anymore... they've pretty much moved on to bigger better things.

Well here's a lil review I found about the Sapphire 8500LE... They seemed to have liked it. Enjoy http://www.hardavenue.com/reviews/sapphireATi2.shtml

thanks for the quick reply...
but that said..
let's say you're getting the 8500LE 128mb version...which one would u go for?

a oem ati? or the sapphire one?

do u trust the 3rd party maker or do u stick with the oem?