I’m looking at buying a used reference RX 6800.
I notice there are quite a few brands for the reference model (ASUS, MSI, Sapphire, etc) and wondered if any of them use better components for example. I would quite like lower odds of having coil whine if it’s related.
Just to explain my choice of card:
- Max 40mm thick
- Supported by Ollama
- No proprietary software when using linux
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Those aren’t reference models, the ones you named are called something like AIB or aftermarket cards. (Reference models are those made by GPU manufacturers)
Main differences between all are temperatures, clock speeds, build quality, and price.
They also have different “tiers” of cards using same GPU. Those of higher tier cost more, but have better coolers and higher clock speeds. The premium you’d be paying isn’t usually worth it, unless it’s a small amount.
Personally, I prefer Sapphire, PowerColor, or XFX for AMD cards.
For those three, my experience has been Asus - overpriced, Sapphire - great value, Gigabyte - optimised but close to manufacture performance. My target has always been a Sapphire Radeon because they’re cheaper than Asus, but not suspiciously cheap that they might burn your rig down. ASRock are a good choice too, typically above average price:performance.
Thanks. I’ll consider that. What makes you decide one manufacturer is better than another?
I just do a lot of scavenging on the internet for prices, overclockers’ findings (they’re usually knowledgeable on how close to stock the cards are), specs like clockspeed, reviewers’ failure rates (average score and trending complaint reasons give a fair idea of build quality) and YouTubers’ gameplay comparisons with intensive games to see real-world framerate generation. Brands might change over time, so its always good to check again if its been a while, but generally their goals for modding GPUs stay the same.
If you are morally inclined, it’d also be prudent to do a quick background check on the brand for ethically terrible actions, like when was the last time they were responsible for a village’s drought, people dying, supporting cruelty to others etc. You can rate a brand by not only their care toward their product, but also toward customers via support and success of RMA (returns for defects), and toward humanity as a whole. ASUS score low on the customer front.
