Reference Card vs Non

[netsuJ]

What is the difference?

 

[ryguybuddy]

The cooler on reference cards are blower-style coolers and are usually used in low-airflow situations.

 

[Mac070]

Reference designed cards have one fan that sucks in air and blows it across the card, which is good for
smaller cases or a prebuilt pc. They are usually noisy and run a bit hotter then the aftermarket non reference cards.

I'd recommend the aftermarket card as it's usally much quieter and runs cooler with more features like a backplate or rgb lighting