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.