Introduction
After the “Double 11” shopping festival, it is uncertain how many netizens have unknowingly boarded various unknown “pirate ships”.
Currently, determining whether a computer component is a “generic brand” is not as simple as it was a few years ago. There are many “new forces” emerging, and while there are many generic brands, there are also quite a few derivative product lines from well-known brands, which can confuse consumers.
In short, for beginners, it’s best to avoid unfamiliar brands.
CPU
Due to the high technical content, there are almost no “generic brand” computer CPUs in the world (excluding simple circuits and microcontrollers). Intel, AMD, and Zhaoxin are the top three manufacturers of X86 general-purpose processors globally (you can simply understand that X86 processors can be installed normally and are fully compatible with standard conventional Windows operating systems). Zhaoxin (domestic) originated from VIA. Domestic Longxin, Huawei Kunpeng, Feiteng, and Shenwei are desktop processors based on ARM, LongISA, ALPHA, etc. Although they are not mainstream, they occupy a certain share in professional fields and generally need to be used with systems like Linux.
Mainboard
In the past 15 years, generic motherboards have flourished, and many generic brands have a development history even older than some readers present. Motherboards are generally divided into first, second, and third tiers, but this only applies to common retail brands; many brands do not retail (only OEM), and you cannot classify them as generic brands.
We classify so-called first, second, and third-tier brands mainly based on brand influence, actual product usability, whether they have independent R&D and production capabilities, and the playability of high-end products. Both first-tier and quasi-first-tier brands possess these characteristics. ECS was once a first-tier retail brand on par with ASUS but has since fully transitioned to OEM business (like the mid-to-high-end boards of Colorful now); Pegatron is the OEM factory specifically handling ASUS’s OEM business; Wistron is related to Acer.
Due to the low technical content in manufacturing ordinary motherboards, it is basically possible to assemble them as long as you have the chipset (they can even copy PCB schematics from each other), so generic motherboards are everywhere on Taobao, including brands like South China Gold Medal, Jingyue, and Fire God Revolution. This is also why the chips on generic boards are often strange, as most are salvaged from some discarded motherboards (including discarded server motherboards).
Additionally, just because you are unfamiliar with a brand does not mean it is a generic brand. Brands like Shengqi (ASUS), Supermicro, Advantech, Taian, and Fujitsu are not generic brands and even have a high level of authority in specific fields.
Graphics Card
As another major type of add-in card, the situation with graphics cards is similar to motherboards; they can be assembled based on the core chip using the reference design, so generic graphics cards are also everywhere on Taobao (recovered mining cards), and netizens have even made diagrams.
Both NVIDIA and AMD have their own “core” partners, with NVIDIA’s partners called AIC and AMD’s called AIB. Brands outside these two lists are generally considered generic brands. However, due to OEM and private labeling situations, some brands that are not on the AIC/AIB list may still sell legitimate graphics cards, such as Tongde and Boneng, which are OEMs. Some are sub-brands whose parent companies belong to AIC/AIB, so their products have legitimate core sources.
The term “core” partner also implies that graphics card cores are produced by NVIDIA or AMD. Partners like ASUS, MSI, Gigabyte, and Sapphire purchase the cores from NVIDIA or AMD and then process them onto PCBs to create complete graphics cards, which is another layer of meaning behind “core” partners.
The reliability of generic graphics cards is difficult to describe; many early ones rose to prominence by leveraging the trend of “renaming fake cards” (e.g., GTS450 rebranded as GTX680 or GTX970). Some directly rely on salvaging various OEM boards, replacing stickers, and changing cooling modules, so it is generally not recommended to touch them. The core sources of generic graphics cards vary, but they are mostly salvaged from old cards, refurbished old cards, or secretly purchased surplus cores from partners, which explains why generic brands often produce outdated graphics cards or motherboards. Additionally, generic manufacturers often lack PCB design capabilities, making their graphics cards prone to failure.
Mechanical Hard Drive
Western Digital, Seagate, and Toshiba are the only mainstream consumer brands currently available; other brands have long since disappeared. Of course, there are also some OEM-branded Western Digital and Seagate hard drives sold under Hikvision, which is quite absurd. These types of OEM products should not be allowed for retail, especially since their prices are even lower than those of original manufacturers. This is akin to Lenovo or Dell removing the “intel” logo from Intel processors and replacing it with Lenovo or Dell before selling them at lower prices (or simply repackaging).
In other words, Hikvision can source from Western Digital and Seagate and then sell at lower prices while providing warranties (this is key), making Hikvision a charitable enterprise.
While mechanical hard drives may not be generic, refurbished ones are quite common.
Memory
Currently, DDR4 memory is hitting historical lows, so purchasing generic brands is not very meaningful, and the actual proportion of generic memory is quite small. If you want something affordable, consider brands like Guangwei, Asgard, and Pioneer.
Consumers with higher budgets actually don’t need to read this article… Generic memory tends to follow a low-price route, but generic motherboards and graphics cards also produce mid-to-high-end products.
Case and Cooler
These two product categories are not directly related to performance, so people don’t pay much attention to brand names. Generally, you get what you pay for with coolers; those very cheap 6-heat pipe coolers may only perform at the level of a standard 4-heat pipe cooler at the same price, and they may be rough in workmanship and have high fan noise. Entry-level four-heat pipe coolers from brands like Thermalright, Deepcool, and Coolermaster are not expensive, with many priced under 70 yuan, making it unnecessary to choose generic 6-heat pipe models.
Power Supply
The power supply is also a case of getting what you pay for; something priced at 79 yuan for 500W (excluding second-hand) is definitely stuffed with a cement block for weight. While it is true that some second-tier brands can offer 400W power supplies for 99 yuan or even less during JD promotions, the quality of these products is generally average and only suitable for users with low power requirements. Users with dedicated graphics cards are still advised to choose products priced above 0.4 yuan/watt (this value is for entertainment reference only).
Previous Links:
How to Avoid Pitfalls When Choosing Computer Components: Episode 1 – How to Choose a CPU?
How to Avoid Pitfalls When Choosing Computer Components: Episode 2 – Upgrade Suggestions for 10th Gen and Ryzen Users
