Hi,
Good to hear, it makes sense intuitively. It was surprising that these two similar Gigabyte card designs behave so differently.
https://www.gigabyte.com/Comparison/Result/3?pids=6705,6706
So the display signal loss (screen going black) for 1 to 10s is nothing to worry about during the scan?
It isn't unusual that it picks up 2 to 4 times per scan OC values (freq./Voltage pairs) that would be out of spec and throw the fit off then?
A card that would have been driven hard would not behave like this, would it?
Also, I found the performance of the Gaming model underwhelming in comparison with the Windforce, which was unexpected (and seemed suspicious). The main draw towards the Gaming OC model is a slightly better cooling unit and slightly larger trio fans, which lend to lower temp and in theory, improved boost mode OC (about 30MHz from the factory according to specs in the link above). My HTPC/VR case is compact and the little more efficient air cooling for about the same price would help towards quieter and lower temp operations.
As I mentioned in my emails, it was cheaper because it was a like new-used item, and considering the economics, and that it is covered with warranties (from Amazon and Gigabyte), I made the plunge. The irony is it seemed it'd be a clear cut decision to return the Windforce model. Of course, with such big sticker price, I have been second guessing myself since the bargain is not all that much less than prices new with a promotion this past week - and it does not include the two NVidia Bundle games (more curious than hardcore games). A reason to decide which to return is easier if there is a suspected hardware issue.
Stress benchmarking testing and OC Scanning seemed like a reasonable approach. Buying used new computer part is tricky.
Thank you for your input,
D
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