Halo 1 & 2 for PC
This topic has moved here: Subject: Off - Brand Video Cards
  • Subject: Off - Brand Video Cards
Subject: Off - Brand Video Cards
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Do off-brand video cards (BFG, PNY) run as well as name - brands like Geforce and ATI? I was just looking around on Newegg.com, trying to convince myself to buy a video card, and I see all these off-brand things that use the chipsets designed by the brand names, but install them on their own boards. These off-brands usually cost $20 less than the real thing. Is it worth it to pay the extra $20 for something I know is good, or will the cheaper one work just fine?

  • 08.28.2006 3:08 PM PDT
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I'm not sure, but off the top of my head, I would say there's a reason why ATI and NVidia are on top and are used nearly exclusively. I haven't heard of other brands of GPUs being used before, or what their results are (aside from the dreaded Intel Craptegrated)

Feel free to correct me, though.

EDIT: On second thought, I haven't heard of those two brands period.

[Edited on 8/28/2006]

  • 08.28.2006 3:18 PM PDT
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My old machine had an NVidia geforce 4 chip but the box said Chaintech. It was a good videocard until the heatsink fan desintegrated. A good idea would be to read the user posted reviews of the product to get a general idea of the quality. Or to google it if newegg doesn't have user posted reviews

[Edited on 8/28/2006]

  • 08.28.2006 3:23 PM PDT
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Sorry, but you're wayyyy offff in what you're saying.

Nvidia Geforce and Ati (soon AMD) Radeon are the two main architecture designs. Companies like BFG tech and EVGA take the designs and create the actual cards. Kind of like how Samsung designs the monitors, but Dell takes them and puts their name on it.

[Edited on 8/28/2006]

  • 08.28.2006 3:58 PM PDT
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Ok first of all these "off brand" manufacturers your talking about are referred to as 3rd party(i believe thats hte term). Anyway those "off brand" makers are generally better. They usually have higher speeds and higher benchmarks than the actual card manufactured by ATI. I think BFG is the company that puts out nvidias stuff under their name....maybe xfx but anyway the important thing to remember is those 3rd party cards are usually better.

  • 08.28.2006 4:24 PM PDT
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could not have said it better myself, this is for TMH

[Edited on 8/28/2006]

  • 08.28.2006 4:46 PM PDT

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I thought ATI and nVidia were the chipset makers and the other companies made the actual cards that use their chipsets.

  • 08.28.2006 4:47 PM PDT
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Igg's exactly right.

  • 08.28.2006 4:48 PM PDT
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We've been here since you left.
We left before you came.

With every single thing you buy, theres always the battle between name brand and store brand

  • 08.28.2006 4:49 PM PDT
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Whoops. Guess I should go back into the Room Of Ignorance for a few decades. Thanks for the help, though. I'm really inexperienced with this stuff, and just want to make sure i get the best-running computer for my money's worth.

  • 08.28.2006 5:15 PM PDT
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Posted by: ChAiRMaNWoW
Whoops. Guess I should go back into the Room Of Ignorance for a few decades. Thanks for the help, though. I'm really inexperienced with this stuff, and just want to make sure i get the best-running computer for my money's worth.

  • 08.28.2006 6:54 PM PDT
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I wouldent personally i would get a brand name for a Video Card. You already payling like more than $100 you might as well get a brand name that will probley be more reliable.

  • 08.28.2006 6:57 PM PDT
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PNY and all the other companies make cards off of Nvidia and ATI. Like my Gforce FX5500 is made by Norwood micro. If you get what I'm saying.

  • 08.28.2006 7:56 PM PDT
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Nvidia and ATi reasearch and develope the technology. They don't actualy manufacture many if any cards. You should look at the specs of the different manucfacturers. They use different quality and quantity or components, and change the clock speeds with every model. I've heard BFG has a warenty where you can melt your gpu with crazy OCing and still have it covered.

  • 08.28.2006 8:37 PM PDT
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fine overlook my post everyone.

But yeah, what everyone else said was correct too.

  • 08.28.2006 9:13 PM PDT
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Posted by: me15ter
I'm not sure, but off the top of my head, I would say there's a reason why ATI and NVidia are on top and are used nearly exclusively. I haven't heard of other brands of GPUs being used before, or what their results are (aside from the dreaded Intel Craptegrated)

Feel free to correct me, though.

EDIT: On second thought, I haven't heard of those two brands period.
Incorrect. Intel has seventy percent market share for graphics.

  • 08.28.2006 9:43 PM PDT
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Only because the gamers are the only ones buying graphics cards. Intel has a chip on every mobo from dell, which has a HUGE marketshare.

If you looked at only the people who actualy use graphics cards, nvida and ati are on top.

  • 08.28.2006 9:52 PM PDT
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aka lino4

Most of the PC issues posted here are the result of PEBKAC.

I've never seen much of a difference between card manufacturers, so I wouldn't really know. But then again, I've never bought a card for myself. I helped someone else pick out a card, it was a PNY and there were no complaints.

  • 08.29.2006 6:36 AM PDT
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PNY is good, BFG actually makes nvidia and ati cards lol, i think you are confused.

  • 08.29.2006 6:47 AM PDT
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I know i am
:S

  • 08.29.2006 8:20 AM PDT
Subject: Off - Brand Video Cards
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Posted by: Iggwilv
I thought ATI and nVidia were the chipset makers and the other companies made the actual cards that use their chipsets.



partially. Both companies also put cards out that they make....the whole card not the chipset. ATI sells cards under their name and I think nvidia puts cards out under XFX or BFG. I know they own some company i just forget which one. But yea the other companies make the cards too.

  • 08.29.2006 11:26 AM PDT