What brand 8800GTS to buy?

[edged]

So many choises and close to same price?
im helping a friend who want to but a 8800GTS..

Did you get the help you needed? Man this thread got jacked.

If you're still looking or have problems and need to try a different brand, I can suggest BFG if you live in the states. They are the main brand I recommend to people looking for NVidia cards, because of their outstanding RMAs.

Personal example:
A 128MB 5900 dies, they send back an ultra.
A Friend:
His 7900 OC dies, they send an 8800 GTX.

Not exactly what I would call a "normal" service

I've dealt with a lot of different companies and while those others like eVGA or XFX are pretty good, those examples I gave here are not an uncommon circumstance for BFG (just search a few forums).

I suppose also it would depend on what your friend wants. An example of each of those companies:
---
eVGA:
The ONLY company I know of that let's you use a non-reference cooler (3rd party HSF) on their cards and NOT lose warranty!
XFX:
They feature a "double lifetime warranty" for their cards, which means you can sell your card to someone else - and they still have lifetime warranty!

So in conclusion it depends on what you want

Those would be my top three picks for NV-tier manufacturers:
BFG, eVGA, XFX

Just in case anyone else were to ask this question, hope that helps

(At times I wish one of those companies dealt ATI cards, given there are really no more BBA cards unless you're very lucky.)