GPU brands differences ?

[dave28]

I know this info is online somewhere and i am going to look at reviews closer to the time i get a new card but i thought i would ask anyway, you never know things might have changed recently or whatever or someone is at a lose end and doesnt mind answering.....

Of course there are the FE editions but im more interested in the brands like MSI, Plait, Zotac, EVGA and others.

Are there significant differences between the brands, what are the best brands, is one more reliable than another, do they all have lower, mid and high end cards of various quality, what to look for in a card etc etc.... Anything else important to know.....

thanks in advance

 

[dave28]

The real question should be , which card are you after 3080,3080ti,3090, AMD ? Then people can tell you which model is good from which AIB, some AIBs have more than one model , one maybe really good another average.


A good example right now is to avoid the EVGA FTW3 cards as they have a design fault that bricks the card in time.

Was aiming for 3070 later this year, still find them pricey at the moment so im holding back

 

[dave28]

The main difference to worry about between brands is RMA location. MSI RMA for example, is based in Poland and you have to pay your own postage which is expensive when you insure it for the full price of the GPU.

That is a fantastic point that never even crossed my mind. Do you know what ones are UK RMA because that could decide it for me since im not keen on sending internationally if i can avoid it

 

[dave28]

Plus due to something starting with 'B' and sounding like exit, any brand whose RMA isn't in the UK will mean having to fill in custom forms.
In theory warranty returns should be VAT + import duty free both ways, but there have been horror stories.

Yeah i hear you, an added thing that can go wrong / delayed / cause a sudden headache

 

[dave28]

Gigabyte are UK based.

I'm not sure who else is UK based. EVGA used to be UK based but I believe the Germany office deals with returns these days.

thanks i will remember that, UK based ones will be a priority. im very glad this was pointed out to me at this stage