GTX 480- price aside, which brand would you choose?

AntaresDC · 06-02-10, 11:11 AM

Hi guys, I can currently choose between several different brands for the GTX480: Gigabyte, Asus, Gainward, Palit, POV ans Zotac.

They're close to each other in terms of pricing, with the Asus the most expensive... Is there any advantage choosing one brand over another?

My personal preference would go towards Gainward (heard good things about them in the past)... but on the Zotac I might be able to get a small discount.

Currently running a vanilla GTX 280 by Leadtek. Never gave me any problems.

Would any of those brands differ in terms of build quality or cooling performance or are they all coming from the same nvidia factory w/ the only difference being the stickers?

Thx!

06-02-10, 11:20 AM

Where are you located? No way you can get an EVGA? I recommend them for warranty and step up program.

If not - I think Zotac is the company that's rebranded Sapphire, who I understand has excellent customer service.

Performance wise I'm not sure you would see a huge difference between equally clocked cards.

**saturnotaku** · 06-02-10, 11:28 AM

Since the OP mentioned Gainward, I'm guessing he's located somewhere in the EU. If eVGA is not an option, I'd go with Zotac. My Zotac 9800 GT is working a treat as a PhysX card or, in the case of primary GPU failure, a backup.

06-02-10, 11:38 AM

Ah, didn't know Gainward was EU only.

CaptNKILL · 06-02-10, 11:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by grey_1

Ah, didn't know Gainward was EU only.

Yeah they left the US market a few years back.

Too bad, they made some pretty awesome tweaked cards.

My brother had 3 Gainward Golden Sample cards over the years. A Geforce 2 Ti, a Geforce 4 Ti 4400 (which I still have) and a 6800GT.

**nekrosoft13** · 06-02-10, 11:52 AM

all cards are made at the same factory(right?), so just find a company with best customer service/tech support.

for me thats EVGA.

AntaresDC · 06-03-10, 02:24 AM

Thanks for the replies. Yep, you're right, I'm located in Europe, so even though the EVGA is listed within online stores offers, it's not available... and don't know if it will be for some time.

I don't know much about Zotac... that's why I was leaning more towards Gainward. Those two have nearly identical prices.

I've seen the Zotac GTX480 in action - a buddy of mine works for the company that also brings Zotac in our market.

**Eltigre88** · 06-03-10, 08:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nekrosoft13

for me thats EVGA.

I second that!

Fotis · 06-03-10, 10:23 AM

I'd say go for the one with the best warranty cause almost all GTX480 are the same minus the sticker.

AntaresDC · 06-03-10, 10:37 AM

OK, things are pretty much settled - can't get the Zotac for a discount, so I think Gainward it is.

EVGA are yet to be seen on our market. There is also Asus that I can buy, but it's $50 more, which provides with voltage tweaking from the start.

Maverickman · 06-03-10, 11:00 PM

I have a Galaxy GTX 480 and am very happy with it. I used to buy BFG and EVGA. They're both very good. They're all basically the same cards except for the stickers.

**DiscipleDOC** · 06-04-10, 09:59 AM

I'm getting an EVGA GTX 480 in a few days....

06-02-10, 11:11 AM	#1
AntaresDC Registered User Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 27	GTX 480- price aside, which brand would you choose? Hi guys, I can currently choose between several different brands for the GTX480: Gigabyte, Asus, Gainward, Palit, POV ans Zotac. They're close to each other in terms of pricing, with the Asus the most expensive... Is there any advantage choosing one brand over another? My personal preference would go towards Gainward (heard good things about them in the past)... but on the Zotac I might be able to get a small discount. Currently running a vanilla GTX 280 by Leadtek. Never gave me any problems. Would any of those brands differ in terms of build quality or cooling performance or are they all coming from the same nvidia factory w/ the only difference being the stickers? Thx!

06-02-10, 11:20 AM	#2
grey_1 Guest Posts: n/a	Re: GTX 480- price aside, which brand would you choose? Where are you located? No way you can get an EVGA? I recommend them for warranty and step up program. If not - I think Zotac is the company that's rebranded Sapphire, who I understand has excellent customer service. Performance wise I'm not sure you would see a huge difference between equally clocked cards.

06-02-10, 11:28 AM	#3
saturnotaku Apple user. Deal with it. Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: The 'burbs, IL USA Posts: 12,502	Re: GTX 480- price aside, which brand would you choose? Since the OP mentioned Gainward, I'm guessing he's located somewhere in the EU. If eVGA is not an option, I'd go with Zotac. My Zotac 9800 GT is working a treat as a PhysX card or, in the case of primary GPU failure, a backup.

06-02-10, 11:38 AM	#4
grey_1 Guest Posts: n/a	Re: GTX 480- price aside, which brand would you choose? Ah, didn't know Gainward was EU only.

06-02-10, 11:52 AM	#6
nekrosoft13 I'm Geralt Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Chicagoland, once a year in Poland Posts: 24,364	Re: GTX 480- price aside, which brand would you choose? all cards are made at the same factory(right?), so just find a company with best customer service/tech support. for me thats EVGA. __________________ Windows 8 the next big failure, right after Windows ME

06-03-10, 02:24 AM	#7
AntaresDC Registered User Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 27	Re: GTX 480- price aside, which brand would you choose? Thanks for the replies. Yep, you're right, I'm located in Europe, so even though the EVGA is listed within online stores offers, it's not available... and don't know if it will be for some time. I don't know much about Zotac... that's why I was leaning more towards Gainward. Those two have nearly identical prices. I've seen the Zotac GTX480 in action - a buddy of mine works for the company that also brings Zotac in our market.

06-03-10, 10:23 AM	#9
Fotis Radeforce GTX7970 Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Greece Posts: 1,346	Re: GTX 480- price aside, which brand would you choose? I'd say go for the one with the best warranty cause almost all GTX480 are the same minus the sticker. __________________ Intel Core i7 920 @3.8GHz\|Corsair H50\|MSI X58 Platinum\|3x2GB Mushkin DDR3 1600 7-8-7-20\|Gigabyte Radeon 7970 OC 3GB windforce\|Samsung SSD 830 256GB/Intel SSD X25M 80GB\|Seagate Ext. 2TB eSata\|Corsair TX 750W\|Microsoft Wireless Laser Desktop 7000\|Silverstone Grandia GD-01 MX Black\|Dell UltraSharp U2412M\| Windows 7 x64 Pro

06-03-10, 10:37 AM	#10
AntaresDC Registered User Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 27	Re: GTX 480- price aside, which brand would you choose? OK, things are pretty much settled - can't get the Zotac for a discount, so I think Gainward it is. EVGA are yet to be seen on our market. There is also Asus that I can buy, but it's $50 more, which provides with voltage tweaking from the start.

06-03-10, 11:00 PM	#11
Maverickman Registered User Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: South Florida Posts: 527	Re: GTX 480- price aside, which brand would you choose? I have a Galaxy GTX 480 and am very happy with it. I used to buy BFG and EVGA. They're both very good. They're all basically the same cards except for the stickers. __________________ Core i7 2600 @ 3.7GHz EVGA GeForce GTX 780 Superclocked 941 MHz 1TB Seagate HDD 7200 RPM 32MB Cache 16X BluRay-RW drive Dell 30-inch U3014 monitor Dell speakers

06-04-10, 09:59 AM	#12
DiscipleDOC Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Alabama, Planet Earth Posts: 5,943	Re: GTX 480- price aside, which brand would you choose? I'm getting an EVGA GTX 480 in a few days....