Gainward TI4200

[beerman]

Based on what I read on this forum, I recently purchased a Gainward Geforce4 TI4200 card. The card has performed flawlessly for me. I ran accross this on another forum http://www.excessivehardware.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=249&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0 and am wondering if I might regret my purchase somewhere down the line. Would be interested in hearing the experiences of other users of this card. Maybe the problems are from hardcore gamers and overclockers trying to push it beyond it's limits.

beerman

[Tuf]

I have seen instances of this being reported around the net. I haven't heard of any failure rates that high. That is scary if true. Gainward seems to make quality cards so I would think they would doing something about it.

If I were buying today I might look elsewhere or wait until the defective cards have been replaced. Abit makes some nice cards and I haven't heard of any problems with them. VisionTek cards are really cheap since they have shutdown but make sure the retailer you buy it from will stand behind it as VisionTek is no more.

[Tiretool]

Another thing you can do is purchase the 128MB version. I decided to get it, and haven't had a problem yet.

And also, let's put this into perspective... I totally agree with your feeling of "should I buy one of these?" based on the facts out there, but the problem with the faulty cards might be due to faulty components. And yes, Gainward should test every card they manufacture, but if they don't, and they get a batch of bad capacitors from a reputable source, Gainward ends up looking bad instead of the capacitor salesman. Fair? Absolutely not... but maybe it will improve the capacitor manufacturer's quality control methods and Gainward's "test it before you pack it up" methods.

[beerman]

I already bought the card and it seems to be working fine. I've read that somewhere down the line, 2months or so, is when they start acting up. Guess I'll keep my fingers crossed and look into buyextremegear.com's return policy if I have problems.

beerman

[RenegadeKing]

I think that guy is trying to scare people. I know a few people with Gainward Geforce 4 Ti4200s and they are fine. I can't imagine all those cards just not working like that right out of the box..