What video card to buy

[Akula(old)]

Hey Folks,

I'm doing a full revamp of my system and in the market to buy a vid card and I'm REALLY confused. All these cards are clocked differently and come with different pretty looking boxes and what not, but I'm all about the bottom line and when push comes to shove, all of these cards appear to be absolutely identical.... For me, it means that I can overclock anyone of them to the highest specs listed on Newegg and still buy the cheapest one with no risk of damage to the card. If someone can please help me to decide that would be great because from where I'm sitting, it looks like I can get the cheapest one here (no matter what company it comes from) and still have the exact same card.

And BTW, sorry about the long URLs but I still don't know how to make it all look neat and tidy



Albatron

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ShowIm...d%20-%20Retail

Asus

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ShowImage.asp?image=14-121-003-02.jpg,14-121-003-03.jpg,14-121-003-04.jpg,14-121-003-05.jpg,14-121-003-06.jpg,14-121-003-07.jpg,14-121-003-08.jpg&CurImage=14-121-003-02.jpg&Description=ASUS%20EN7900GT/2DHT/256M%20Geforce%207900GT%20256MB%20GDDR3%20PCI%20Express%20x16%20Video%20Card%20-%20Retail

BFG

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ShowImage.asp?image=14-143-048-08.jpg,14-143-048-09.jpg,14-143-048-10.jpg,14-143-048-11.jpg,14-143-048-13.jpg,14-143-048-12.jpg&CurImage=14-143-048-08.jpg&Description=BFG%20Tech%20BFGR79256GTOCE%20Geforce%207900GT%20256MB%20GDDR3%20PCI%20Express%20x16%20Video%20Card%20-%20Retail

Biostar

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ShowImage.asp?image=14-141-024-02.jpg,14-141-024-03.jpg,14-141-024-04.jpg,14-141-024-05.jpg,14-141-024-06.jpg,14-141-024-07.jpg,14-141-024-08.jpg&CurImage=14-141-024-02.jpg&Description=BIOSTAR%20VP7903GT22%20Geforce%207900GT%20256MB%20GDDR3%20PCI%20Express%20x16%20Video%20Card%20-%20Retail

EVGA

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ShowImage.asp?image=14-130-015-02.jpg,14-130-015-03.jpg,14-130-015-04.jpg,14-130-015-05.jpg,14-130-015-06.jpg,14-130-015-07.jpg&CurImage=14-130-015-07.jpg&Description=eVGA%20256-P2-N564%20Geforce%207900GT%20KO%20256MB%20GDDR3%20PCI%20Express%20x16%20Video%20Card%20-%20Retail

GIGABYTE

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ShowImage.asp?image=14-125-012-02.jpg,14-125-012-03.jpg,14-125-012-04.jpg,14-125-012-05.jpg,14-125-012-07.jpg,14-125-012-06.jpg&CurImage=14-125-012-02.jpg&Description=GIGABYTE%20GV-NX79T256DB-RH%20Geforce%207900GT%20256MB%20GDDR3%20PCI%20Express%20x16%20Video%20Card%20-%20Retail

LEADTEK

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ShowImage.asp?image=14-122-243-02.jpg,14-122-243-03.jpg,14-122-243-04.jpg,14-122-243-05.jpg,14-122-243-06.jpg,14-122-243-07.jpg&CurImage=14-122-243-02.jpg&Description=Leadtek%20PX7900GT%20Extreme%20Geforce%207900GT%20256MB%20GDDR3%20PCI%20Express%20x16%20Video%20Card%20-%20Retail

MSI

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ShowIm...g%20-%20Retail

XFX

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ShowIm...d%20-%20Retail



So guys, aside from the price, warranty, fan and heatsink, what is the real difference???

Cheers and thanks :)

[LoD]

Re: What video card to buy

So guys, aside from the price, warranty, fan and heatsink, what is the real difference???

Cheers and thanks :)

Nothing, those are the only differentiating factors. Some might have slight overclocks by default, but thats the only physical difference, and something that isnt significant.

[Boon59]

Re: What video card to buy

a new card may not help much as your socket A CPU is very low and the BFG card i just looked at is pci express which wasnt out for socket A boards. you need to get AGP.
this is the kind of card your going to get as top of the range.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814143046

[WildLegba]

Re: What video card to buy

Boon is right, you need an AGP card I believe. FYI, AGP and PCI-E are two different formats for the bus/slot...where the card plugs into the motherboard. PCI-E has the potential to be faster but in current iterations they are roughly equivalent.

Other than that, most of the cards that are based around a given chip (i.e. Nvidia 7900GT) are pretty much identical. The differences are usually around service, warranty, bundled software, and the cooler unit that has been applied. Those that are overclocked versions also may have different specs and firmware based on how the vendor has clocked the chip.

One thing to consider: if you want a new graphics card right now and anticipate upgrading your motherboard or the rest of your computer within the next three months you should consider going with EVGA. They have a "step-up" program where you can send your card back and upgrade to a new/different card of equal or greater value for the difference in price between what you paid for your old card and the MSRP of the new card.

[Laike]

Re: What video card to buy

Basically the companies with the best warranties is BFG and eVGA. I'm a bigger fan of eVGA personally because the prices are waaay better, the overclocks are a bit higher,adn the warranty is life time, and I believe even covers non stock coolers. As long as there's no physical damage to the card, they will fix or replace it for you at no cost. So keep your receipt! Plus, the 90 day step up is an amazing deal

also, check if you're using agp/PCI-e, theres a big difference.

[Akula(old)]

Re: What video card to buy

a new card may not help much as your socket A CPU is very low and the BFG card i just looked at is pci express which wasnt out for socket A boards. you need to get AGP.
this is the kind of card your going to get as top of the range.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814143046

GUYS,

I'm doing a full re-vamp of my system. I guess I forgot to mention that lol