Buying Rx 480 - Reference or AIB?

[Musclesturtle]

Hello.
This my first post after a lot of lurking.

So I have a question for anyone willing to share some insight. I am buying a new Rx 480 in a few days at my local Microcenter, and they have both the reference model, which I find much sexier looking than the AIB Sapphire version. They have the Sapphire Nitro 8gb version as well. From a lot of the benchmarks I've seen, the reference model does marginally better than the nitro in more than half of the major titles tested for some reason. Now that I think about i, the reviewers were more than likely supplied with engineering samples or something. I love the look of the sleek reference design, but
my only concern is, is the cooling solutions and the power draw. We've all heard about the PCIe fiasco with the reference models drawing too much and messing with mobos, due to the 6 pin. The Sapphire has the 8 pin and a dual fan radiator.
Any reference owners out there who can provide some first hand experience with these reference models? Did the driver update fix the power issues? Os this even a thing I should worry about?

Btw rig is:
Gigabyte 990fxa-ud3 AM3+
Raidmax 550w 80+ gold
Fx-8350 Black

 

[weberdarren97]

Please no swearing on the forum. Hopefully a moderator will remove "f***ing with mobos" without completely removing your entire post.

 

[weberdarren97]

As for the power draw issue, a driver update has changed power delivery methods and has solved the power draw issues previously seen on reference models. It is now safe to buy a reference model without having to worry about your motherboard.

Also, the problem mostly affected basic low quality motherboards. Your motherboard is a rather high quality model, I wouldn't worry about it even if I had installed an RX 480 before the issue was fixed.

It is worth noting that a lower temperature will prolong the life of the card. It's a difference between lasting 7-8 years vs lasting 10-12 years, but the Sapphire model will likely survive for longer because of its proprietary cooling system.

Does the local Microcenter have any other models of the RX 480?

Also, power supply is low quality. Please upgrade to a higher quality unit. I recommend the Cooler Master V series, Corsair AX/AXi/HX/HXi/RMi/RMx series and the EVGA SuperNOVA G2/GS/GQ/P2/T2 series of power supplies. For information on more brands and models, please see the Tom's Hardware PSU Tier List.

 

[Musclesturtle]

Thanks man. I knew the PSU was weak. Planning to buy a new one anyways. I edited my post to remove obscenities. I guess the Sapphire it is. I want this bad boy to last a while.

 

[weberdarren97]

Glad to help