Best graphics card board manufacturer

[codeseven]

Once you decide on a graphics card(GeForce/ATI,ect.),does it matter what company manufactures the board its on? I've read that issues relating to cooling and board component quality can make a big difference in performance.Is there a board manufacturer(Leadtech,Gainward,ect.) that is known to make a better board compared to others?

 

[Rick]

A BIG difference is a bit of an overstatement. It's still the same chipset and in most cases, manufacturers stick as close as possible to the generic reference design.

Performance improvements are usually in the form of memory/core speeds and the memory itself. This can account for a noticable performance difference, but nothing dramatic.

 

[codeseven]

Makes sense,Thanks for the info Rick!

 

[Camel]

I've got a Leadtek GF3 TD and as you can see, they state 4ns memory chips. (also on the retail box), but they are in fact 3.8ns from Elite. (rated at 260Mhz). Doesn't really answer your question but is an example of a company going that little bit further.

 

[Cucumber]

Deciding which manufacturer to go for, really depends what you are looking for take for example the GeForce4 Ti.4600:

The one i have..PNY! This was fairly cheap as Ti.4600's go, and was designed for gamers exclusivly (which i am):
PNY Ti.4600
As u can see from the link, the package is Very basic

Then you have something like the Leadtek:
Leadtek Ti.4600
As you can see from the HOOOOGE heatsink, this is designed for overclockers.

So overall, some manufactures use higher quality/different components, e.g. Gainward using "Golden Sample" (components which can run at higher frequencies) ...but the main difference in manufacturer is what you get with it, software package, or occasionally extra cards...
..and perhaps the colour of the PCB