Leadtek versus eVGA

[JSD7878]

Can anyone give me some advice on either of these companies?
Secondly can anyone tell me if there are any difference between these 2 cards?
Thanks in Advance.

eVGA 640-P2-N821-AR GeForce 8800GTS 640MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card - Retail

Leadtek WinFast PX8800 GTS TDH GeForce 8800GTS 640MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card - Retail

 

[paparazi]

eVGA: the young upstart gaining a loyal fanbase due to the unique upgrade swap out it has been offering (not sure if that still applies) quality cards with good backup.

Leadtek: the established champion, always go the extra mile on cooling, usually with superior heatsink/fans.
Equally as good on quality.

Comparing both these cards: they appear identical, using standard clock speeds and reference cooler designs.
Leadtek has blinged their card up with a very nice anodised alluminium shield and cowling so given the closeness of the two I would go Leadtek if the price is the same.

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[JSD7878]

paparazi I will report back with temp specs once the Leadtek card arrives. Thanks as always.

 

[JSD7878]

Hi All,

Ok I was trying to install my new Graphics Card the Leadtek WinFast PX8800 GTS my computer reconizes it which is good, but when loading the drivers it does so but half way through this process it stops loading then my monitor goes to a black screen? Any ideas, I have tried to load them several times with the same results, and I did go to LeadTeks Website and I downloaded their latest drivers.

My thanks to all.

 

[spudnuts]

PSU? That card is quite heavy on power requirements (450watts with 12V 30amps). I just went from a ATI Radeon 9800 Pro AGP to a Radeon X1950 Pro and mine is doing the same thing.

I at least got the drivers loaded but when I go to play 3D games the game either drops out to the desktop, reboots, or freezes to a blank screen.

I had a Ultra Products 550Watt, 2 rail (17amps and 18amps). I'm upgrading to a ThermalTake Tough Power 750 (4 rails, 15 amps each). I havn't got the TT PSU in yet but i'll post if it works.

In the mean time, I would try disconnecting a few devices to see if that gives it alittle stability and for troubleshooting.

I've had a few Leadtek cards and have no complaints about them, one card i've had for 5 or so years and it still runs without problems.



Information Assurance,CCNP,CST

 

[JSD7878]

Thanks Spudnuts, this is at least an area to test.

 

[JSD7878]

As a test I went to CompUSA and purchased: Antec True Power Trio TP3-650 ATX12V 650W, then I retried to load the drivers for my LeadTek PX8800 GTS it stops half way through and my monitor goes to a black screen. So I don't necessary believe it has anything to do with my 2 month old Antec 500W PS.

Any other ideas?

 

[JSD7878]

So far Leadtek's customer is nonexistence, they don't have a 1-800 number but they do have a CA # that just rings and rings. So I think this card is doomed to be returned.

 

[paparazi]

You seem to be having all sorts of issues there JSD7878.
Did you properly uninstall all the ATI drivers before attempting to install the Nvidia card?
Use a driver clean removal tool to be sure.
And
Use the latest drivers from the Nvidia website as they are invariably newer than those on the Leadtek site.
Martin

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[JSD7878]

paparazi as per usual your right, your advice is always solid. I had not completely uninstalled some old drivers, I installed the drivers from Nvidia website which were indeed newer and the card is up and running perfectly, thanks to you. Didn't you want to know what the operating temp of this card was? How do I check that for you?

 

[paparazi]

Brilliant! I'm happy for you mate.

Right click on a blank bit of your desktop, go to Nvidia control panel and then onto 3D settings, you will then see "monitor Temperature levels"

If you leave the monitor on screen.
Cheers
Martin


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[JSD7878]

Ok the temps are CPU 41C -- System 42C -- GPU 64C

The GPU seems a bit hot? Is it ok?

 

[paparazi]

All I can say is: going on what people are reporting in the forums, mid 60's is typical, some users are reporting in game readings in the late 70's C.
As an observation, I don't see anyone posting problems with there 8800's due to temperatures, they all seem quite happy running at these figures, I guess time will tell if there are any issues but for now all I see are glowing reports with questions on temperaturers but with no particular problems.

Martin

We like members to GIVE and not just TAKE.
Participate and help others.

 

[hoog]

I am having the same issue as JSD7878. My new Leadtek PX8800 GTS TDH hangs on the driver instalation. It just drops me to a black screen. I tried all the suggestions above (removing old drivers, turning off virus scan, getting updated drivers from Nvidia, etc.) and I am really hoping for a solution. I have spent my entire day off fooling with this thing!

My motherboard is a 775Dual-VISTA and I am using a KDS 700p Monitor.

I really hope you can help.

 

[JSD7878]

hoog

Goto nvida.com download their drivers it will work then.

My best

 

[hoog]

First, thanks for the idea. I went ahead and formated my harddrive then installed windows XP home then downlaoded the driver from nvidIa.com and the same problem happend again. I sure hope you have another suggestion.

 

[JSD7878]

Very extreme choice to reformat and reinstall windows. When I was having trouble with this I downloaded the drivers from nvidia's website and those drivers worked for me. The sad part is do not expect any aid from Lead-Tek, my feelings on this is I will never buy another Lead-Tek product again, at least XFX has a 1-800# with a voice mail system that you can leave a message on and more importantly someone actually does calls you back. Lead-Tek has a long distance pay number that rings and rings and rings and no one answers it ever!

So my other suggestion isn't any less extreme, return the card and get a different make and model, I do not plan to hold this card long and I do not recommend anyone to buy this card.

 

[Jito463]

I've never tried calling Leadtek, but the one time I had a problem with the fans on an old FX5900 I used to have, they wanted me to send the whole card back instead of just sending me new fans. While their technical support may not be the greatest, I've always had good luck with their cards. Though I did go eVGA this last time for a 7950GT OC Superclock.

As for suggestions, try going into the BIOS and upping the voltage on the PCIe bus by .1 volts. The slight increase may help stability, and shouldn't adversely affect your system. I leave mine at a .1v increase without any problems. I used to run it at .2v back when I ran SLI, and it helped some stability issues I was having. Can't hurt to try.

 

[hoog]

Well, after many hours of frustration I gave up. Leadtek did contact me by email eventualy but it didn't help and even that was not done well. I popped in a a card from a differnt company and it worked no problem.

 

[JSD7878]

Lead-Tek actually responded, well hoog I guess you should feel honored. But as I suggested before something isn't quite right with this company or the card they have made or better yet both.