1st Party or 3rd party VGA ?

[TidusTheCoolest]

VGA (Graphic Cards) that being macnufactured by the original maker (ATI & nVidia) is cheaper when compared by the 3rd party (MSI , Gigabyte , ASUS , Abit) . But is their quality the same ? ATI's own Radeon 9600 Pro retails at U$ 146 but Hercules's retails at U$ 207 ? Why U$ 61 difference ? nVidia's own GeForce FX 5600 retails at U$ 118 , but MSI's retails at U$ 152 . U$ 34 difference ?

Can somebody tell me cause of the difference ? Are they differ greatly in term of performance ? Or it just because the bundle of items they give with the card ?

[aviationwiz]

Where are you finding cards that are built entirely by nvidia? I was aware that only nvidia designs are used in 3rd party cards, I never knew there was a first party nvidia card.

[TheWizard]

Actually, it entirely depends on the manufacturer and the vendor you are buying it from. Yes, you will find the Hercules Radeon 9600 Pro for more than ATI's own Radeon 9600 Pro, but that's because Hercules is a high-end manufacturer with the reputation to back it up. If you want a more cost-efficient card, take a look at Sapphire's Radeon 9600 Pro, it will be cheaper than ATI's own Radeon 9600 Pro. The Hercules and ATI models probably have faster engine and memory clocks than the Sapphire model. Also, the Hercules and ATI models may have more bonus features (i.e. faster RAM, more input/output connections, etc).

[TidusTheCoolest]

Can anybody point me to ATI's Radeon 9600 Pro review ? I couldn't find ATI's 9600 Pro review .

[manni]

Can anybody point me to ATI's Radeon 9600 Pro review?

Yes.

[jedimc]

wat about powercolour or visiontek vga cards they should sell the ati card

[hjs]

check beyond3d.com for reviews. (or digit-life)
And please do youre self a favour and don't get a nVidia at this point.

Check all the dx9 reviews (HL2 also at b3d) the R9600Pro is faster then the FX 5900Ultra in HL2!!
And check the story about the new 51.* drivers over a Tom.
nVidia is doing nasty things in trying to keep up with ATI.

Brands? Get the cheapest there are all made in the same factory !!

[blakerwry]

From what I've heard Saphire actually makes ATi branded cards for them. I know for a fact that Saphire was the first 3rd party reseller of ATi cards.