Question What is the deal with aftermarket graphics cards?

[SkrimbleMimble]

A buddy of mine recently bought an RTX 3090, but it took him a few months before buying it as he was waiting for the "right one".

In the end, he found what he was looking for, the SUPRIM X MSI variant of the card.

Does it really make a difference?

I've had friends tell me there is minimum gain between one card and another but if this is the case, why are some cards like the SUPRIM X sometimes 100s of pounds more expensive than another variant if they are the same card?

Was it a waste for him to wait like he did?

 

[WayneTech]

When new GPUs are released, ATI and Nvidia will create a reference version of these cards (sometimes known as founders editions) to demonstrate their technology and to set a baseline for performance. Aftermarket companies then take this flagship and customise it to their own design.

This is most noticeably aesthetic, different colours and different cooler designs but they also push the card further by altering the base clocks and memory clocks of the cards. More common around 2015, a lot of manufactures used to add VRAM too giving different variants of the same card to buy depending on your needs. Other cards might have additional display outputs and so fourth too.

So no, I wouldn't say it's a waste. The SUPRIM X is arguably one of the most luxury variants of the bunch. All comes down to needs and wants