Graphics Cards - Which Manufacturer?

Provided the card uses the same GPU, same memory with all the same clock settings, then, yes, you should get the same results - unless the card specifically says its an overclocked model, in which case, it should get more than the standard reference design.

But basically, many cards are just that - they're branded versions of either AMD or Nvidia's reference design cards. (On a number of occasions, we have received reference design cards direct from AMD or Nvidia and when the retail versions appear, they look no different - well, apart from the stickers.)

There might be some minor differences in speed but they're likely to be within the error of measurement (meaning any differences are likely to be too small to measure accurately, whether they're just random or actually due to the card).

The trick is checking whether it's a reference design card or not. If it looks like the standard design, it should perform the same. If it's a different design, all bets are off... :)

As for card quality/reliability, I'm not going to give you a guarantee every card will last as long as every other one. However, I'll put it this way - I buy on price and I'm not going to pay a premium to get a big-brand name on the box...

Cheers, Darren.

Darren is definitely spot on there-if the clock settings and memory are the same they should perform exactly the same-but manufacturers tend to slap on their own versions of fans and other cooling enhancements. They might also give you a factory overclocked model-which essentially means they have already overclocked your card for you-to a point. And this should give you an adequate boost in frames per second. Maybe 10 fps, depending on how much they overclock it.
So if you aren't so sure about tinkering it yourself,then a pre-overclocked could be worthwhile. They also usually come with bigger and better fans and other cooling fancy schmancy, which can reduce temperatures to 20 degrees cooler, especially the MSI Twin Frozr II models-they are awesome.
One point to make is that some companies can put a premium on a product-but that could mean longer warranty. So you should do some research here and there-it will be a good investment. Try to compare stores and remember to check the details on the product. This will usually show you the specifications of that particular model.

Hope this helps,
Valk

P.S. one might add that there is no point on paying for a premium for a longer warranty when the card is going to be outdated in 3 years. But, a longer warranty usually means the actual product is of better and sturdy quality, and that the manufacturer is assuring you that it won't have more issues compared to a card that has a warranty of only one year. ;)

I agree with Darren stating about "brand names". There are many big name brands out there, but have cheaper counterparts.

Take my network card for example. I paid $49 bucks for a TP-Link 300 Mbps PCIE card with removable antennae. I had seen others for near double the price and they do exactly the same thing.

So basically, it pay's to have a bit of attention to detail, therefore, getting a better deal, and you usually get 12+ months of warranty.

Brendon.

Again, as Darren said, if the memory, clock etc is the same, then they should all be roughly the same.

However...in regards to longevity, it all comes down to experience. I have only had one graphics card die on me in my life. As a result, I will never buy XFX again. While it may be just natural selection or they may have taken a reference design and just re-badged it, etc, the fact they only provide a 1-year warranty here while they provide a lifetime warranty in the US does not sit well with me. Of course, "does not sit well with me" is the polite version for it bloody well $#%@&! me off! :)

Oh, and Brandon, in regards to that TP-Link. Yes, the TP-Link is half the price of other products, but there is a reason for that. I wanted to know the reason why they were cheaper than everything else, so I tested it out a couple of years ago on a Dell Latitude D620 / D630.

The built-in Wi-Fi, the Netgear and D-Link adapters all showed full reception and all transferred at the same speed. The TP-Link, on the other hand, only showed half reception and half the transfer speed. I guess that's where half the cost comes from???

FYI - all were connected on the same laptop, all at the same distance / height / angle to the router, and all using the Intel configuration utility built into Windows.

I am by no means a electronics or computer technician but when it comes to graphics cards i believe there is a difference between performance and reliability between different manufacturers from my experience over the years including much of todays consumer hardware. I am excluding the GPU and memory of the graphics cards as they seem to be quite well designed now days but i do question the other components utilized.

I base this assumption on the sourcing of parts by these individual companies as well as where the manufacturing takes place of the components utilized such as capacitors/diodes and other circuitry as well as the sweatshop mentality that still seems to exist even today in some particular countries where some of these assembled components come from to our shores.

For example a RB Electrolytic Capacitor rated at a thermal temp of 85 degree Celsius at a rated voltage is not the same as one rated at 105 degree Celsius at said voltage. I have witnessed RB Electrolytic Capacitors leak and burst their outer cap off like a space shuttle launch due to heat and pressure build-up basically caused by the electrolytic fluid within boiling off. The same can be said for component values and voltages if under rated. As far as i am concerned there are consumer rated components and then there are the industrial rated components, and we all know which will last longer.

We also have too take into account the climates in different countries that this hardware is going to be utilized in be it computers/amplifiers/stereos and all forms of other consumer hardware products. Cramping components into a miniature utility case without some form of ventilation flow over it will certainly shorten its lifetime rating especially if the components used are under rated and we live in a tropical country with climate extremes.

Admittedly this is not so evident today any more as it has in previous years gone by due to newer technologies and manufacturing processes in what i call a sterile air-conditioned factories where everyone wears white cover-alls,gloves and face masks which prevents a lot of air-bourne debris and unwanted chemicals from entering the product while being manufactured which may well extend its lifetime.

A bit off bad luck there with the XFX graphics card Carlos and i understand your reasoning. I have had the same happen with other brand-names. I suppose i can state that i have been lucky as i still use what everyone else would call antiquated equipment dating back too 2004-2008 using XFX graphics which have performed flawlessly and still perform well today, but then i am not much of a games player and mainly use the older products for internet surfing and media so generally they don't run at full load.

All in all, this is just my view and opinion. Cheer`s all.

Frank n St31n :).