Reference cards

[Lewiscpullan]

Should I buy a reference GPU? I was told not to by a pc shop they said that they arent that good cooling and performance wise is that true?

[minibois]

Should I buy a reference GPU? I was told not to by a pc shop they said that they arent that good cooling and performance wise is that true?

AMD reference cards are pretty infamous for running quite a bit hotter and louder.

I would suggest getting and AMD card by a different maker (like Gigabyte or Sapphire)

 

As for Nvidia, don;t know that much about those, but most of the time it's better to go for a different manufacturer one usually.

(But you are probably talking about an AMD reference card) 

[Lewiscpullan]

AMD reference cards are pretty infamous for running quite a bit hotter and louder.

I would suggest getting and AMD card by a different maker (like Gigabyte or Sapphire)

As for Nvidia, don;t know that much about those, but most of the time it's better to go for a different manufacturer one usually.

(But you are probably talking about an AMD reference card)

I am talking about a nvidia GTX 960

[Howhurl]

I wouldn't get a reference card for cooling issues only. Performance (non-overclocked) is basically the same with non reference ones. But here comes the overclocking scene; you'll need cooler temps for better overclocking and better stability overall, which makes the lower base clock and higher temps on the reference card very unattractive. If you can go with custom coolers on non reference cards (asus, gigabyte, and evga all have nice designs)

[minibois]

I am talking about a nvidia GTX 960

I personally would probably not recommend it..

Think the GTX 960 reference is pretty hard to get

[sgloux3470]

reference coolers are like stock CPU coolers.

 

They get the job done while being really loud and can't keep up with increased thermal output from overclocking.

 

The only time anyone should get reference cards is for huge multi GPU builds or for mITX builds.  

[beach_boy98]

It isnt the best cooling design ever but people buy it for the looks.

[thekeemo]

They are mainly for looks

As for cooling no.

Also have you considered a 280x

[IateMApoo]

Never buy reference cards unless youre going to liquid cool them.

[typographie]

Should I buy a reference GPU? I was told not to by a pc shop they said that they arent that good cooling and performance wise is that true?

 

That's technically true, although the "blower" configurations of the reference coolers have one advantage in that they vent waste heat out of your case. The higher-end third-party air coolers can generally keep the GPU cooler, but they circulate most of that heat around inside of your case. It's not a huge deal, but I'm just pointing out there are some pros and cons.

 

Nvidia's reference coolers, at least since the GTX 600's, are pretty decent. AMD's are functional but on very hot cards like the R9 290 and 290X they often hit about 90°C, and you generally have to choose between excessive fan noise or throttling. I'd recommend third-party air cooler whenever possible, but keep in mind that it's just one more reason why case airflow is important.

 

Additionally aftermarket liquid coolers designed for reference PCBs are easier to find, so that's another reason someone might go with a reference product.

[LegacyStijncat]

Should I buy a reference GPU? I was told not to by a pc shop they said that they arent that good cooling and performance wise is that true?

Partially, yes.

• The only good reference cooling I've seen is the Titan X's, but that costs $1000.

  Why go for reference cooling than? Simple, if you want to watercool, than you need a reference, unless you are a big DIY'er.

• Performance wise... Yes and no. Non-reference cards are most of the time factory overclocked, which means a slight improvement of performance. But, you can still manually overclock reference cards.