86 PCWorld OCTOBER 2019FEATURE GRAPHICS CARDS: REFERENCE VS. CUSTOM
longer. Many custom graphics cards also ship
overclocked from the factory. That combina-
tion lets many (maybe most) custom graphics
cards achieve higher out-of-the-box perfor-
mance than reference designs.
Given all that, and given that most people
have only a single graphics card in their PC (so
overcrowding isn’t a major concern), custom
graphics cards are usually the best option for
most people.
The quality of custom graphics cards
varies greatly depending on the vendor and
how much you want to spend. Custom
graphics cards range from more basic designs(go.pcworld.com/mbd) with stock specifica-
tions and decent coolers to monstrous
behemoths (go.pcworld.com/mbe) with
hefty overclocks and finely tuned everything.
Really high-end custom graphics cards can
demand significant price premiums. In
general, the more money you spend, the
more goodies you’ll get.
Like what? Even better cooling, for one.
You’ll find custom cards with one, two, or even
three axial fans, and some higher-end models
integrate closed-loop liquid coolers. Pricier
custom cards pack beefier heatsinks for better
heat dissipation, and some add extraEVGA’s GeForce
GTX 1660 XC.