Great review! I'm currently sitting on the fence regarding the Gigabyte option (
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GeForce_GTX_670_Windforce/4.html) or this MSI model. A few things are keeping me undecided (and to be honest I'm not even sure if they are quantitative enough, maybe I can be given some feedback):
1. The MSI model has 50% of the memory modules cooled (as half the modules are on the bottom of the board) / the Gigabyte model covers all modules with a heatsink.
2. The Gigabyte model has 6+8 PCIe power configuration (does it even realistically matter)?
3. The MSI model is already on "version 2" - I generally like this as it means that certain things have been either fixed or improved. Gigabyte is still version 1.
4. Military Class III vs Ultra Durable VGA. Essentially, from what I have read for a while, is that both are on equal footing here, and that the fluffy names and graphs are more marketing. Anyone have any perspectives on this?
I'm not a brand-sheep, but I've never had any issues with Gigabyte, whereas I don't really have experience with MSI. I know both are top brands, but how is MSI with pre and post warranty expiration customer service? Do they reply to emails? Can you reach a live person if you ever need to call them?. Thanks.