[SOLVED] RTX 30 series questions

[OccupyKerbin]

I'll be replacing my 8 year old rig very soon and want to build my new rig with a 3090. My usage would be mostly on Flight Sim 2020, and a few other non-competitive games I enjoy. I've never bought a GPU at launch and just have a few questions:

1. I'm reading about bots buying up all the stock. Will it even be possible for me to get one from the Nvidia web store on launch day?
2. Does Nvidia usually have a limited production of their Founders Ed. cards?
3. The cooling looks pretty good from Nvidia. Are 3rd party manufacturers really expected to have superior cooling on their cards?
4. I'm not interested in OC'ing the card, so the Founders Ed. is fine with me, but are 3rd party cards expected to be vastly faster than the Founders Ed.?
5. Traditionally, 3rd party cards would perform better than Founders Ed. and thus cost more. Do 3rd party cards cost A LOT more, or just "somewhat" more than the Founders Ed. price?

I understand no one has a crystal ball to answer perfectly, but your best experience is appreciated. Much has changed in the GPU world since I bought my GTX 650 in 2012 so any help & advice would be great!

 

[Phaaze88]

1)Yes, if you're lucky. If they run out, there will be more later, so no big deal.
2)Yes. If they run out, there will be more later, so no big deal.
3)This can go both ways, as the vendors have their cards price segmented; the cheaper models in the product stack tend to have the worst cooling capabilities, with the more expensive models having the best - but there have been fails, even at the high end.
4)No. Typically users get them for better out of the box cooling and aesthetics. Typically, users get FE models because they're going to liquid cool them anyway; those models are guaranteed a binned chip, plus getting a compatible water block for the PCB is less of a headache.
5)How's that one saying go, "Your wallet's the limit?", or something like that?
-cheaper than FE
-similar to FE
-a bit more than FE
-a lot more than FE
They vary; All depends on how far($$$) you're willing to go.

 

[OccupyKerbin]

1)Yes, if you're lucky. If they run out, there will be more later, so no big deal.
2)Yes. If they run out, there will be more later, so no big deal.
3)This can go both ways, as the vendors have their cards price segmented; the cheaper models in the product stack tend to have the worst cooling capabilities, with the more expensive models having the best - but there have been fails, even at the high end.
4)No. Typically users get them for better out of the box cooling and aesthetics. Typically, users get FE models because they're going to liquid cool them anyway; those models are guaranteed a binned chip, plus getting a compatible water block for the PCB is less of a headache.
5)How's that one saying go, "Your wallet's the limit?", or something like that?
-cheaper than FE
-similar to FE
-a bit more than FE
-a lot more than FE
They vary; All depends on how far($$$) you're willing to go.

You make good points. I also didn't realize that 3rd party cards come in a lower performance category, compared to FE. A guaranteed binned chip is nice too. I guess I'll just have to try my luck on launch day.