I have 2x EVGA GTX770 Hydro copper. I realise that EVGA's warranty terms puts distros at a disadvantage. As long as there is no physical damge to the board, you can OC until the GPU die and still can RMA. You can change the stock cooler to your own cooler and when RMA, install whatever you took out and you're good to go.
The best partr about EVGA is their Classified series.... it comes with at least 2 BIOs. Bricked one and you can use the base BIOs to restore. Maybe that's the reason local shops don't stock them. You should see some of the crazy stuff the Ang mos do to the classified series.
Try that on other brands and you're better off banging a brick wall. Local distros will immediately tell no warranty void because the sticker is broken.The only drawback is that for EVGA users, we have to send back to Taiwan and what ever you buy, could be a RMA unit that was restored.