Best GTX 970 Version?

woozor · 10 Nov 2014 at 11:58

Which is the best GTX 970 to buy?

Is there much difference between the cheaper ones like inno3d compared to msi gigabyte evga etc?

opethdisciple · 10 Nov 2014 at 12:28

Personally I wouldnt get a cheaper brand.

Go with a reputable brand like the MSI, Asus or Gigabyte.

I own a Gigabyte G1 970, for the record.

Heisenberg · 10 Nov 2014 at 12:29

I got the MSI and it's been amazing so far. Very very quiet and tops out around 65 degrees when overclocked.

africanos23 · 10 Nov 2014 at 12:41

SLI Galax EXOCs here 1405/7412 (mild OC) 68c for the top card after gaming for a few hours.

First time Galax buyer btw and they are great little cards. (Some people are going to think Im a Galax REP or something LOL) Im just super happy TBH

BaNksY IV · 10 Nov 2014 at 12:45

In short you get what you pay for.

I have 1st hand experience of this with the GTX970

I did have the Inno 3d and it was hot (80c+ without any OC), loud, coil whine central with a little bit of a bend to the PCB for the cherry on top.
Now I could have just had a bad one as I'm sure they have sold loads of Inno 3d cards without any issue.

I RMA'd the Inno and spent the extra £40 getting the ASUS Strix which I think is one of the best PC related decisions I have made.

The ASUS 1st of all looks amazing (Window case is now on my wish list)
The Build quality looks brilliant, It runs cool (max 54c so far OC'd 1500 core)
Its as quiet on load as the Inno was on idle and that's 100% honest.
It does however have the faintest of coil whine still but this is only audible with the side panel of my case off at high FPS not like the Inno which sounded similar to my other halfs "electric toothbrush" in my ear with the side panel on.

So in my opinion I'd say definitely worth spending the extra.

Oh and definitely buy from OCUK as their customer service I received in handling the Inno RMA was 2nd to none, they will also price match any in stock GTX 9xx price so no excuse lol!

Hope that helps

Robzere31 · 10 Nov 2014 at 12:54

I went for the gigabyte G1 970s, build quality is excellent & I've been very impressed with performance.
No coil whine from either card & Overclock well, although I'm yet to really push them hard I've had 1350 core & 2000 memory

troops · 10 Nov 2014 at 12:57

Gigabyte G1 would have been my choice too.

Jamielicious · 10 Nov 2014 at 13:26

Basically if you are going cheap go for the Galax. The Zotac seems to have a lot of coil whine issues and the Inno3D has a problem with its cooler not sitting right. Palit Jetstream was a good choice until it put on £20.

For the high-end the Gigabyte G1 is the winner. My current 7870 is Windforce and cools quietly and effectively. However at £289.99 the G1 is a luxury purchase.

I'm one for the middle ground so MSI would be my choice at the minute.

Ayahuasca · 10 Nov 2014 at 13:28

If I was buying today probably the Black Edition Galax card.

facboy · 10 Nov 2014 at 14:32

ocuk's reference card

.

Amatsubu · 10 Nov 2014 at 14:55

BaNksY IV said:
In short you get what you pay for.

I have 1st hand experience of this with the GTX970

I did have the Inno 3d and it was hot (80c+ without any OC), loud, coil whine central with a little bit of a bend to the PCB for the cherry on top.
Now I could have just had a bad one as I'm sure they have sold loads of Inno 3d cards without any issue.

I RMA'd the Inno and spent the extra £40 getting the ASUS Strix which I think is one of the best PC related decisions I have made.

The ASUS 1st of all looks amazing (Window case is now on my wish list)
The Build quality looks brilliant, It runs cool (max 54c so far OC'd 1500 core)
Its as quiet on load as the Inno was on idle and that's 100% honest.
It does however have the faintest of coil whine still but this is only audible with the side panel of my case off at high FPS not like the Inno which sounded similar to my other halfs "electric toothbrush" in my ear with the side panel on.

So in my opinion I'd say definitely worth spending the extra.

Oh and definitely buy from OCUK as their customer service I received in handling the Inno RMA was 2nd to none, they will also price match any in stock GTX 9xx price so no excuse lol!

Hope that helps

54c max load? Mine can shoot up to 76c (though it usually sits at 70-73c) in very demanding scenarios (1512mhz core)... Also, there's some electronic buzzing under heavy load but it's not really obtrusive unless you open the case and put your ear a bit closer. Other than that, the ASUS is good. Nice build quality.

BaNksY IV · 10 Nov 2014 at 15:35

Amatsubu said:
54c max load? Mine can shoot up to 76c (though it usually sits at 70-73c) in very demanding scenarios (1512mhz core)... Also, there's some electronic buzzing under heavy load but it's not really obtrusive unless you open the case and put your ear a bit closer. Other than that, the ASUS is good. Nice build quality.

Yes 54c is the highest I have seen I have no reason to lie and that was after firestrike bench and a little go on bf4. msi afterburner could be getting incorrect readings of course.

Edit*******

As much proof as I can give to back up what I said without anybody being in the room with me.

This Is just after one loop of firestrike

Before

After

The temp may well increase above this and I fully expect it too after a lenghty gaming session but this what it is after 1 loop.

BaNksY IV · 10 Nov 2014 at 16:07

Amatsubo did you get any accessories with your Strix? I got nothing not even a SLI bridge or any adaptors of any kind. Literally just the card and a driver cd.

bigmac121 · 10 Nov 2014 at 16:51

BaNksY IV said:
Yes 54c is the highest I have seen I have no reason to lie and that was after firestrike bench and a little go on bf4. msi afterburner could be getting incorrect readings of course.

Edit*******

As much proof as I can give to back up what I said without anybody being in the room with me.

This Is just after one loop of firestrike

Before

After

The temp may well increase above this and I fully expect it too after a lenghty gaming session but this what it is after 1 loop.

What case do you have?

russell664 · 10 Nov 2014 at 16:53

I think it would be either the G1 or the MSi, both are decent cards.

thesmokingman · 10 Nov 2014 at 17:04

Robzere31 said:
I went for the gigabyte G1 970s, build quality is excellent & I've been very impressed with performance.
No coil whine from either card & Overclock well, although I'm yet to really push them hard I've had 1350 core & 2000 memory

Is the G1 still the card with the loosest set of restrictions, tdp limit, volts etc?

OP, how locked down a card is = the key imo. Last I remember the G1 was the least locked down card and it also happens to be the all around fastest card. Coincidence?

G1 has no fullcover support but the MSI does btw, in case you lean that way.

Amatsubu · 10 Nov 2014 at 17:20

BaNksY IV said:
Amatsubo did you get any accessories with your Strix? I got nothing not even a SLI bridge or any adaptors of any kind. Literally just the card and a driver cd.

Nope, didn't expect anything though as I watched a couple of unboxings beforehand. They really skimped on case candy;p Didn't you get an SLI bridge with your mobo? They usually supply them with motherboards due to variable spacings between PCIe slots.

You've got some unusually low temps there. I wonder why mine gets so hot at times;/

Ayahuasca · 10 Nov 2014 at 17:27

54c at 1500core is pretty amazing for air, I've seen people with water hitting that :eek:

Amatsubu · 10 Nov 2014 at 17:35

TBH, it's almost unreal. The reviewers list 69-71c as normal load temps for the Strix. This is incredibly good. Mine gets to 52 in a matter of seconds in C3 (though this game is unbelievably demanding). I've just tested it , this time it topped out at 71-72 and went down again in less demanding ares (overclocked to 1512mhz).

BaNksY IV · 10 Nov 2014 at 21:25

I have a fractal r3 case 3 inlet fans (2 at the front 1 at the bottom) and 2 exhausts (1 at the back 1 at the top)
Maybe my card has a dodgy temp sensor?... But the idle temps looks normal.
Maybe I just got lucky with it I don't know but I will keep a eye on it tomorrow when Im hoping to get a good session on bf4 in.

This really low temp aside though even if it was running around 70c I'd still be happy to spend the extra over the Inno but then everybody is different when it comes to money so only you can decide if the extra over the bottom of the range is justified .

Ive not seen one bad review on a Galax so would be a great choice for a mid priced 970.
G1's get good reviews too but they are very long so make sure your case is big enough if you decide on the G1.

Amatsubu ,yeah I did have a spare which I got with my mobo, just thought it was odd that the premium ASUS came with nothing but the budget Inno had all you would need.
Im not planning on getting another 970 yet anyway, new monitor and bigg ssd is next on the list for me.