Why does AMD & Nvidia Make Reference Cards

[stan92]

Why does AMD & Nvidia Make Reference Cards? whats the purpose? they are hot and loud? and how does the aftermarket like sapphire and asus make their cards? or is the pcb and components made by amd then asus and sapphire etc buy the cards and put their own coolers etc on them???

[Volbet]

Usually a partner make the graphics card PCB based on Nvidia's or AMD's design. Some companys then goes out and makes their own PCB design.

 

The reference designed cooler is there becuase it's the cheapest way of keeping the card cool. They are loud and runs hot, but they areøt meant for overclocking or overvolting.

[stan92]

ok, @ what does for reference mean? does it mean they are built for testing or????

[XzzDSA]

Simply to showcase their product.
 

[stan92]

also @Volbet when you say "Usually a partner make the graphics card PCB based on Nvidia's or AMD's design. " what do you mean? who is the partner?

and can someone give me an example of two cards with different PCB designs, also would the PCB design change the performance of the GPU?

[stan92]

thanks @XzzDSA so they are showcased because they look good correct?

[NinjaStyle013]

They exist as the base for companies to build off.

[M-ursu]

Usually a partner make the graphics card PCB based on Nvidia's or AMD's design. Some companys then goes out and makes their own PCB design.

 

The reference designed cooler is there becuase it's the cheapest way of keeping the card cool. They are loud and runs hot, but they areøt meant for overclocking or overvolting.

[hehehehhehehehe]

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Do you just use that as your default answer now?

[M-ursu]

Do you just use that as your default answer now?

Yes, if someone have posted perfect answer

[iAsuno]

AMD and NVIDIA make the cards. they are the ones who research on it, create the technology. they are the brains behind it. partners like ASUS are the ones modifying it. they make new PCBs and design better coolers. every partner modifies or improves the card and then sell them to consumers.

[XzzDSA]

thanks @XzzDSA so they are showcased because they look good correct?

You can say that yes. And as others have mentioned the design of the pcb and components is more like a blueprint for others to use or "edit" so to speak.

The cooler design is all for showcase though.

[Volbet]

also @Volbet when you say "Usually a partner make the graphics card PCB based on Nvidia's or AMD's design. " what do you mean? who is the partner?

and can someone give me an example of two cards with different PCB designs, also would the PCB design change the performance of the GPU?

Usually a custom PCB design features better power delivery. It can also be very exotic thing like the Asus Hot Wire or different power inputs. This usually mean that a custom PCB card can run a higher overclock, but that is not guaranteed. 

Here is a comperison between a custom PCB and a reference PCB GTX 680

 

Reference                                                                                                    Custom

[squirrl]

ok, what does for reference mean?

 

ref·er·ence [ref-er-uhns, ref-ruhns] Show IPA noun, verb, ref·er·enced, ref·er·enc·ing.

noun

1.

an act or instance of referring.

[KaareKanin]

Why does AMD & Nvidia Make Reference Cards? whats the purpose? they are hot and loud? and how does the aftermarket like sapphire and asus make their cards? or is the pcb and components made by amd then asus and sapphire etc buy the cards and put their own coolers etc on them???

Reference cards are usually hotter and louder than non-reference ones, because if you would deviate from reference, why make it worse than what everyone else has the capability of? The only thing (to my knowledge) which is "made by" nvidia or amd is the die

 

ok, @ what does for reference mean? does it mean they are built for testing or????

As an example of how to make a good and functioning PCB that works as intended without. Same with the cooler. Everyone can make reference cards and have a good card, and then they can improve on the design by spending more on components and doing their own R&D

 

also @Volbet when you say "Usually a partner make the graphics card PCB based on Nvidia's or AMD's design. " what do you mean? who is the partner?

and can someone give me an example of two cards with different PCB designs, also would the PCB design change the performance of the GPU?

MSI, ASUS, Gigabyte, all of those are partners.

MSI and ASUS' 780s have different pcb design, MSI used nVidias reference design, ASUS made their own. 

Most guys make their own coolers to slap on the cards.

 

thanks @XzzDSA so they are showcased because they look good correct?

No, when nVidia or AMD launches cards, they'll need some cards to show off the performance and they'll need cards to send out to reviewers for testing, that kind of showcase. That's why you see guys like Linus having cards with no other branding on them. 

 

(These are reference made by nvidia or amd, but reference design can be used by all others)

 

Non-reference cards might not fulfill all the requirements set to the reference cards. Some might be longer (thus maybe not fitting inside a case) Some might not exhaust air out the back although that was the way intended by nvidia, some might take up more slots to accommodate the cooler

[Glenwing]

Reference does not only refer to the cooler, but the design and layout and componentry on the PCB.  Designing and sourcing a PCB on your own is a huge engineering undertaking, not all manufacturers have this capability, as it is an expensive process.  To keep prices competitive, NVIDIA and AMD both design reference cards themselves so that their vendors do not have to, and can purchase the reference models from NVIDIA/AMD and sell them for lower prices.  Some manufacturers still design their own PCB along with the reference model, to boast better overclocking capability, but these cards are typically sold at a much higher price to make up for development costs.  No manufacturer sells only custom PCBs.

[stan92]

thankyou everyone

@KaareKanin very good answer
@Glenwing please rephrase or reword "Some manufacturers still design their own PCB along with the reference model" and "No manufacturer sells only custom PCBs." please as i didnt understand these two sentences...

[stan92]

also would the custom PCB design's from ASUS etc change the performance of the GPU? and do these 'partners' use the exact same chip or do they create new chips based on the reference ones to fit their custom PCB's?

[stan92]

@KaareKanin please answer my questions:  
1. Would the custom PCB design's from ASUS etc change the performance of the GPU?
2. Do the 'partners' use the exact same processing chip or do they create new chips based on the reference ones to fit their custom PCB's?

[iAsuno]

@KaareKanin please answer my questions:  

1. Would the custom PCB design's from ASUS etc change the performance of the GPU?

2. Do the 'partners' use the exact same processing chip or do they create new chips based on the reference ones to fit their custom PCB's?

please use the edit function.

 

1. custom PCBs can affect the cooling and performance of a card. they design it for better power management and other things that most people don't know (i don't either)

2. they use the exact same chip. the partners buy these GPUs from AMD or NVIDIA and then they go and do whatever they want as long as AMD and NVIDIA allows them to.

[stan92]

ok thanks @iAsuno. What do you mean use the edit function? what for?

also when you say performance do you mean the custom card would get more fps in a game at same settings and clock speeds than a reference card???

[iAsuno]

ok thanks @iAsuno. What do you mean use the edit function? what for?

also when you say performance do you mean the custom card would get more fps in a game at same settings and clock speeds than a reference card???

you have posted for 3 consecutive times.

 

not necessarily. it really depends on the chip you get. not all chips are the same. some may be better than others.

[stan92]

@iAsuno ok better at stock clocks or do you mean some are better at overclocking?

[iAsuno]

@iAsuno ok better at stock clocks or do you mean some are better at overclocking?

Better overclocking. And cooling.

[stan92]

ok so no fps increase unless overlocked..