05-27-2015, 07:23 AM
I never said reference designs cost more -- I said they cost more to manufacture. And the chipset manufacturer dictates the price, therefore the profit margins are very slim. This is why several OEMs (such as Gigabyte and MSI) only ever run one batch of reference design cards.
The fact that OEM cards often are just as expensive, or even more expensive, than reference design cards tells you what kind of markup OEMs apply to their designs. They are a fraction of the cost to produce, yet they command just as much (if not more) money than reference design cards due to their flashy (and largely superficial) fan and shroud designs and fancy marketing names. Because of this high markup, we can get some seriously absurd discounts on OEM design cards. Yet we almost always have to pay nearly full price for reference design cards, even when ordering straight from the manufacturer (usually a $20-25 discount is all we can squeeze out of them.)
If an OEM deviates from the reference design, then it's not a reference design card. It's an OEM design card. They would not be allowed to use the reference design shroud & branding on the card, they'd have to design their own shroud. Otherwise yes, it would be a breach of contract.
The fact that OEM cards often are just as expensive, or even more expensive, than reference design cards tells you what kind of markup OEMs apply to their designs. They are a fraction of the cost to produce, yet they command just as much (if not more) money than reference design cards due to their flashy (and largely superficial) fan and shroud designs and fancy marketing names. Because of this high markup, we can get some seriously absurd discounts on OEM design cards. Yet we almost always have to pay nearly full price for reference design cards, even when ordering straight from the manufacturer (usually a $20-25 discount is all we can squeeze out of them.)
If an OEM deviates from the reference design, then it's not a reference design card. It's an OEM design card. They would not be allowed to use the reference design shroud & branding on the card, they'd have to design their own shroud. Otherwise yes, it would be a breach of contract.