What's so Special about GALAX Cards?

[jaysangwan32]

Hey guys,

I'm planning a 1080ti build and ideally wanted a white GPU to match an, overall, white/RGB build. Of course, the GALAX HOF and EXOC SNPR cards came up and I took a look at them.

I saw that these cards were selling for huge markups (often 100-200 dollars over even the high end ASUS ROG STRIX flavor of the card). Even so, these cards are all sold out, even in 1060, 1070, and 1080 variants as well.

So my question is why are people buying these cards and who are they for? Are people paying extra simply for the color or is there some benefit to their construction I am unaware of?

Thanks for the help!

[Techicolors]

AFAIK they're the only ones that make white PCB partner cards. and that new 1080Ti they have is the ultimate overkill

[DocSwag]

I know the HOF ones are extreme ones mostly meant for ln2 OCing. Which means the vrms are stacked and there are tons of features tailored to ln2 which also marks up the price. Same reason why kingpin cards are so expensive.

[Firecheetah13]

Premium is an understatement for GALAX cards.

[JaegerB]

3 minutes ago, jaysangwan32 said:

huge markups (often 100-200 dollars over even the high end ASUS ROG STRIX flavor of the card)

What?! Here in australia they're often the cheapest you can get...

http://msy.com.au/Parts/PARTS.pdf

[jaysangwan32]

6 minutes ago, Technicolors said:

AFAIK they're the only ones that make white PCB partner cards. and that new 1080Ti they have is the ultimate overkill

But they're so dang pretty... especially that huge HOF card. 

Do you know any other white shrouded cards on the market? I can't seem to find any..

Thanks for the help!

[jaysangwan32]

4 minutes ago, DocSwag said:

I know the HOF ones are extreme ones mostly meant for ln2 OCing. Which means the vrms are stacked and there are tons of features tailored to ln2 which also marks up the price. Same reason why kingpin cards are so expensive.

So is it safe to assume HOF cards are only practical for SERIOUS OCers?

Thanks for the help btw!

[jaysangwan32]

4 minutes ago, JaegerB said:

What?! Here in australia they're often the cheapest you can get...

http://msy.com.au/Parts/PARTS.pdf

Wow well you're very lucky! In the U.S., I can't find them at any retailer nor the actual site. Even then, they're ridiculously expensive.

The price we pay for pretty systems and high clocks..

[DocSwag]

Just now, jaysangwan32 said:

So is it safe to assume HOF cards are only practical for SERIOUS OCers?

Thanks for the help btw!

I would say yes, unless you're absolutely 100% certain you need a white pcb.

 

Considering that all 1080 tis oc about the same (2000-2050 MHz ish) it's not worth paying more after some point. I usually only recommend an SC2 max unless someone is going really overkill in which case I recommend a FTW3 (I go evga since their customer service is great). These cards are quiet enough that even when you oc them that high that the noise shouldn't be enough to bother ya.

 

So to me at least most of the more expensive cards make zero sense. I stick to sc2 usually and ftw3 sometimes, and sometimes recommend strix if someone wants rgb.

[JaegerB]

Just now, jaysangwan32 said:

Wow well you're very lucky! In the U.S., I can't find them at any retailer nor the actual site. Even then, they're ridiculously expensive.

The price we pay for pretty systems and high clocks..

Might be a bit crazy, but consider getting one shipped by PC Case Gear in melbourne. Their shipping costs are abhorrent for a large amount of parts, but one GPU shouldn't set you back too much. The EXOC Sniper White 1080 is only $633 USD at the moment...

[Leonard]

Most of the PCBs are "special" design targeting OCing, their cards have great build quality and cooling capabilities, i fear ASUS has caught up to them though. In the past, it was very easy to create/DL a custom BIOS for their cards which further increased the OC potential.On the negative side they had piss poor support in the past. If you unscrew the fans or air cooler you void warranty.

[Mehsaurus]

Because White PCB. Legit the only reason I bought 2 780Ti Hofs when they were still Galaxy.

[RGProductions]

They arent really sold here in NA

[Mooshi]

Wat

 

I got my Galax card near MSRP directly from them when desperate miners had 1070's inflated elsewhere. It was ironically the cheapest 1070 available when I bought it.

[xsimplyjosh]

13 hours ago, jaysangwan32 said:

Hey guys,

I'm planning a 1080ti build and ideally wanted a white GPU to match an, overall, white/RGB build. Of course, the GALAX HOF and EXOC SNPR cards came up and I took a look at them.

I saw that these cards were selling for huge markups (often 100-200 dollars over even the high end ASUS ROG STRIX flavor of the card). Even so, these cards are all sold out, even in 1060, 1070, and 1080 variants as well.

So my question is why are people buying these cards and who are they for? Are people paying extra simply for the color or is there some benefit to their construction I am unaware of?

Thanks for the help!

you are paying for a premium feature not on other graphics cards... would it matter much? thats up to you. for me it isnt.

i'd just get a graphics from a reliable source [eg Asus or EVGA i went with the former strix]...

 

that being said most galax cards cost cheaper than most reputable variants in  Australia with the HoF only being more expensive... but thats it literally.

[jaysangwan32]

On 8/19/2017 at 10:14 PM, JaegerB said:

Might be a bit crazy, but consider getting one shipped by PC Case Gear in melbourne. Their shipping costs are abhorrent for a large amount of parts, but one GPU shouldn't set you back too much. The EXOC Sniper White 1080 is only $633 USD at the moment...

Thanks for the link on the site! Unfortunately the EXOC Sniper white in the 1080ti (the card I require) is out of stock and I don't really wanna pay over $1k for the HOF edition.

I'll keep my eye on the site though!

[jaysangwan32]

On 8/19/2017 at 10:13 PM, DocSwag said:

I would say yes, unless you're absolutely 100% certain you need a white pcb.

 

Considering that all 1080 tis oc about the same (2000-2050 MHz ish) it's not worth paying more after some point. I usually only recommend an SC2 max unless someone is going really overkill in which case I recommend a FTW3 (I go evga since their customer service is great). These cards are quiet enough that even when you oc them that high that the noise shouldn't be enough to bother ya.

 

So to me at least most of the more expensive cards make zero sense. I stick to sc2 usually and ftw3 sometimes, and sometimes recommend strix if someone wants rgb.

My current (planned) set up has the 1080ti ftw3 icx. Will it stay quiet enough compared to the sc2 to justify the price?

Thanks for the advice regardless!

[DocSwag]

2 hours ago, jaysangwan32 said:

My current (planned) set up has the 1080ti ftw3 icx. Will it stay quiet enough compared to the sc2 to justify the price?

Thanks for the advice regardless!

SC2 is probably quiet enough, at stock it produced around 40 dB while keeping temps at about 40C above ambient, which is pretty decent. Heck at auto the ftw3 is a bit cooler but a bit louder too.

http://www.gamersnexus.net/hwreviews/2900-evga-1080-ti-ftw3-review-vs-sc2-gaming-x-xtreme-aorus/page-2

 

unless you really want the best sc2 is totally fine.