different makers of vid cards

[Dogtown]

ok after reading alot of info on here about vid cards i think i understand them now but there are some many different makers of the same cards . Can they all be trusted ? 

[titanic3]

Different fans and heatsinks, some are better, most are the same. Some overclock their cards for you already. Tbh, it's nothing to worry about. Some heatsinks will be larger than the others, so you might have to worry about that if you have a small case.

[Rob52240]

There is a huge difference.  Let's say it's like snowblowers here.  You can get any brand you want but they are all powered by either Briggs or Tecumseh.   Even though there is commonality with engines we should all assume that the Ariens blower is going to be a lot better than the Craftsman model because all of the other components matter too.

Aside from the CPU they are all different and vary considerably in quality.

Stay away from stuff made in south korea and china.  They skimp on everything all the way down to how much copper and even the quality of the copper they use to make their circuits.  Companies from these two countries are frequently busted for fudging their numbers in order to meet specs.  Even the well trusted Samsung corporation routinely has trouble with the EPA because they like to lie about their specs in order to sell you a fridge that's just as small as a whirlpool model, but offers more capacity because they barely use any insulation in the chassis and then waste a ton of electricity.  They'd rather pay the fine and win by selling more of them.

[Dogtown]

thanks guys

[MrRiplEy[H]]

thanks guys

Read reviews of different models. Usually they'll mention if the card is too loud or has some other problems. I'm not a believer on paying premiums on computer hardware. I've always used the cheap options and yet my computers have lasted long enough to be handed as giveaways years later for a 'second life'.

The only exception to this rule is laptops. I've had absolutely horrific experiences with cheap laptop models. I'm never going to buy one again. For wifey we got a 1600USD laptop this time. I hope it will last longer than the Compaq she had before (2 or so years).

[cattb]

Build of card ( been said), customer service and or tech support of company, and warranty of card.

[zack1234]

Pick a card and put its specs on here and you will get a proper appraisal from those who have experience if it

[Dogtown]

There are just too many freaking choices but i think i have it narrowed down to a few ....128 bit ..192 bit ...256 bit ..someone said a card will bottleneck if not at least a 256 bit ...dont really understand that...i also have seen cards that are 1024mb 320 bit instead of 1 or 2 gb and 128 to 256 bit ....whats the best for this game ?????????

[Rob52240]

There are just too many freaking choices but i think i have it narrowed down to a few ....128 bit ..192 bit ...256 bit ..someone said a card will bottleneck if not at least a 256 bit ...dont really understand that...i also have seen cards that are 1024mb 320 bit instead of 1 or 2 gb and 128 to 256 bit ....whats the best for this game ?????????

I'm running a 5 year old videocard with 1GB of vidmem.

I can run hi res crap with the candy on so long as I'm not near a huge mission or enormous furball it runs nearly constant 60fps.

A ghi or chuwie mission will knock it down to 30.

[Bizman]

I can't say about the bit depth, you may have heard right about that though. But what I do know for sure, is that 1024 mb is exactly 1 gb if that helps with the math.

Tom's had this clarifying answer in a thread:

128 bit and 256 bit are referring to the width of the GPU's Memory Bus.
It is one of three items that define the Memory Bandwidth, the other two being the type of RAM and the speed of the RAM.

Just because a GPU has a wider memory bus does not mean however that it has more memory bandwidth.

Combining what you've been told and what I've just learned, the 1024mb/320bit might be a good choice, if the memory modules are of the fastest type. Currently, the GDDR5 is the newest type, the Memory bus widths varying. The speed of the RAM is measured in MHz. So when choosing between similar cards from various manufacturers, the best one memory wise would be the one with GDDR5 memory modules having the biggest numbers both in memory bus (bit depth) and speed (MHz).

[Dogtown]

ty i was wondering what GDDR5 was about ....my eyes r hurting from looking at all this info and all the vid card that r out there lol....What is Fermi ? some of the cards have this in () ...the length of some of these cards are 9inches ...will they fit in a standard computer case ?

[MrRiplEy[H]]

ty i was wondering what GDDR5 was about ....my eyes r hurting from looking at all this info and all the vid card that r out there lol....What is Fermi ? some of the cards have this in () ...the length of some of these cards are 9inches ...will they fit in a standard computer case ?

Fermi is for GPU assisted scientific calculations etc. It has no value for gaming.

[Bizman]

...the length of some of these cards are 9inches ...will they fit in a standard computer case ?

I'm just assembling and installing a rig for a young fellow. He thought he would get a custom built computer, but got a pile of components. The Asus Gf GTX680 was too long to fit into the Antec Sonata, so I had to take a measuring tape with me and do some shopping. Luckily the local shop had a suitable case, a Cougar Volant. It is a "standard" computer case, a midi tower, although the package mentions "support for longer gaming graphics cards up to 12,5"". All measurements are available by the manufacturer; if not, the poor documentation should get you warned.

[ebfd11]

Dogtown

Try the EVGA series of video cards, they have a solid product and great customer support. I currently have a EVGA rig, custom built,

i7 3450 Ivy bridge

EVGA Z77 FTW Motherboard

Dual EVGA 570 HD vid cards in SLI configuration

I had problems at first with the MB so i called EVGA and they were extremely helpful with me and helped me through my lack of knowledge. I didn't realize with this MB you have a separate 6 pin for the additional pci slots to work. Other than that I love my rig.

My next purchase might look like this..


EVGA SuperNOVA NEX1500 Classified Power Supply


Fully Modular

So just like all things do comparisons and go from there.

LawnDart

[MrRiplEy[H]]

My next purchase might look like this..

(Image removed from quote.)
EVGA SuperNOVA NEX1500 Classified Power Supply

(Image removed from quote.)
Fully Modular

So just like all things do comparisons and go from there.

LawnDart

Don't...

Quote from hardocp review:

The Bottom Line

The EVGA SuperNOVA NEX1500 Classified Power Supply is a huge power supply and huge disappointment. It isn’t that this unit just doesn’t do one thing well; it is the fact that it doesn’t do much of anything well after promising us the moon and stars. "No compromises" remember? For instance, when the unit would run (which wasn’t all of our tests so it has already gone into the fail heap there) the voltage regulation was the worst we have seen from 1500W+ power supplies, the DC Output Quality had weird load specific issues, and it was insanely loud seemingly just to offend the ears along with your good sense. This is without getting into the more subjective problems of the cables which are an insane mess to deal with, the random handle protrusion, the not including the software that is supposed to let you fix some of the problems from the factory, and the fact that EVGA has mislabeled the 12v arrangement on the packaging as well as the housing so you have to have the Rosetta Stone and the manual to figure out what goes where. Then there is the price, at $449.99 you are better off purchasing any of the other 1500W power supplies we have reviewed than the EVGA SuperNOVA NEX1500 Classified. Maybe not including install screws was a hint at something?

"No compromises" is right, and that is exactly what you should not do with your hard earned cash, but that is exactly what EVGA has done with its name on this product.