Extra £'s for OC out of the box; worth it?

[rogueblade]

(GTX 580)
Guys, is it worth paying the extra doe for an out of the box OC card? Why not just buy a stock card and OC it? They are much cheaper, no? Or am I missing something.

 

[Cleeecooo]

Not worth it.

An OC card is guaranteed that OC straight out of the box whilst if you OC yourself you aren't guaranteed that OC. I wouldn't bother with pre OC cards. Waste of money IMO (unless it is just only a few £ more for a decent OC)

 

[Clum]

Total waste of money. The OC levels of these cards are so low that every single standard card will be able to reach and exceed those clock speeds. I bought a standard card and run it at 950/1800/2200.

 

[rogueblade]

Thanks for the feedback, but looking at the GTX580s on OcUK all the 'nice' ones are OC'd out of the box causing them to be more expensive. There doesn't seem to be a 'stock' Asus, EVGA, Gigabyte or MSI GTX580.
All the 'stock' 580's are these no name brands that may not overclock well?

 

[varkanoid]

well there is the risk you take, pay extra for a probably decent overclocker or take a risk and buy a reference one.

IMHO its not worth it. If the reference 580's were not good overclockers there would be a thread on here about it and people telling you to steer clear. Unless you are not too bothered about the cooler the cheaper ones should be ok?

 

[rogueblade]

well there is the risk you take, pay extra for a probably decent overclocker or take a risk and buy a reference one.

IMHO its not worth it. If the reference 580's were not good overclockers there would be a thread on here about it and people telling you to steer clear. Unless you are not too bothered about the cooler the cheaper ones should be ok?

Cool, but how do you know those cheaper brands are reference cards? (Gainward, KFA2, PNY)

From my understanding, a reference card is one that will OC well.

 

[Clum]

Thanks for the feedback, but looking at the GTX580s on OcUK all the 'nice' ones are OC'd out of the box causing them to be more expensive. There doesn't seem to be a 'stock' Asus, EVGA, Gigabyte or MSI GTX580.
All the 'stock' 580's are these no name brands that may not overclock well?

Simple solution; buy elsewhere!

 

[MooMoo444]

Take the 580's for example, stock is 772mhz, most pre-OC's are like 785..such a miniscule increase that you wouldnt even notice it.

Just get a cheap one and DIY with rivatuner or MSI afterburner.

 

[Cleeecooo]

Cool, but how do you know those cheaper brands are reference cards? (Gainward, KFA2, PNY)

From my understanding, a reference card is one that will OC well.

a reference card is just one with standard design PCB and cooler
Has nothing to do with overclocking

 

[Dutch Guy]

Not worth it unless the OC card has better cooling and/or a better PCB design. (or the card is on offer and costs nearly the same)

I have one of the highest clocked GTX280's but that's because it was the same price as normal ones otherwise I would hae bought a stock card.