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Which GTX 970 version to get?

vangle

vangle

vangle

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Joined
17 Feb 2012
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76
Name says it all really! :) So I finally decided to get the a GTX 970 instead of an R9 290x but I'm not sure which version to get now.

Current PC Spec:

Case: Xigmatek Asgard Pro Gaming Case - Black

Current Card: Gigabyte ATI Radeon HD 7870 OC Windforce 3X 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card

PSU: XFX Pro 550W Core Edition '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply

CPU: AMD Piledriver FX-8 Eight Core 8320 Black Edition 3.50GHz (Socket AM3+) Processor - Retail

CPU Cooler: Corsair 120mm Hydro Series H80i Digital High Performance Rad All-In-One Liquid CPU Cooler

Motherboard: Gigabyte 990FXA-UD3 AMD 990FX (Socket AM3+) DDR3 Motherboard

If you needed any other info dont hesitate to ask. Any advice on which to get would be appreciated!
Thank you!
 
The number of times I've said this... ugh.
I'd recommend waiting till next week to see what new cards AMD brings to the table. If it's nothing interesting then go for the 970. Really there's nothing to lose by waiting, other than a week of your time. Otherwise...

The best GTX 970s are the MSI Gaming and the Gigabyte G1. Currently £300, but they often go on offer for £290 or less. New AMD cards may or may not cause price drops.

I'm actually in the same boat, was looking to buy a 970 myself for my new build where I'm just waiting for the GPU (all the other parts have already arrived) before I finally put it together. I was going to go for the MSI, but I know it's best to wait a bit.
 
Yeah I'm still planning on waiting for the new releases even if its just for the price drop I was just wondering which to keep my eye on

Thanks guys!
 
The best 2 models are the Galax HOF and Zotac Amp! Extreme Core Edition. As a more general piece of advice, go for something with 90mm blowers if you care about the acoustics. Something like Gigabyte G1 sound naff when those small fans ramp up.
 
Go for the Asus Strix, mate. Its fans don't spin up to 65C and is very quiet thereafter. It overclocks like a beast and it has excellent components. It's also priced very competitively against other 970's.

As far as waiting for AMD don't bother. They will not release anything competitive in this price range. Just their re-badged 290's which are piles of dung. And you can throw as much glitter on **** as you want to but it's still going to be **** at the end of the day.
 
Am I meant to take you seriously as a reviewer when you encourage posts like that?

If the 290X is a pile of ****, it leaves the similar performing 970 in the same boat.
 
mururoa said:
The best 2 models are the Galax HOF and Zotac Amp! Extreme Core Edition. As a more general piece of advice, go for something with 90mm blowers if you care about the acoustics. Something like Gigabyte G1 sound naff when those small fans ramp up.
Click to expand...

The msi has 100mm fans that are supposed be quite quiet
 
Andrei23 said:
The fact that the 970 achieves comparable levels of performance on half the bus widht, less processors and a fraction of the TDP speaks volumes. Hence why 290 = pos.
Click to expand...

My 290x lightning uses around 50w more when gaming compared to the G1 gaming 970 I had. Some games use the same power. Other things, browsing, etc used the same power.

My 290x games seem to play smoother. Temps and noise are the same. Personally I couldn't wait to send my gimped 970 back.
 
Andrei23 said:
Go for the Asus Strix, mate. Its fans don't spin up to 65C and is very quiet thereafter. It overclocks like a beast and it has excellent components. It's also priced very competitively against other 970's.

As far as waiting for AMD don't bother. They will not release anything competitive in this price range. Just their re-badged 290's which are piles of dung. And you can throw as much glitter on **** as you want to but it's still going to be **** at the end of the day.
Click to expand...

Why shouldn't he wait? Because your crystal ball says that new AMD cards won't be any good?

Regarding your opinion on the Strix, let me chime in as a person who actually owns one, as you clearly don't know that much about the card you're touting as the best. Quite a lot of 970s feature a 0db fan mode, so the Strix isn't anything extraordinary in that regard. What's more, it's not exactly whisper quiet once the fans reach 55-60% (which they will on hotter days). Unobtrusive? Yes. Very quiet? Hell no. Also, it doesn't overclock "like a beast". You're most likely won't see it go as high as, say, the MSI gaming but the difference doesn't translate to real world performance and the Asus requires less power connectors and has a full-metal construction. Mine did 1505mhz which is possible for practically any 970. Still a great card.

To the OP: I suggest you wait for AMD's new GPUs. If they happen to suck, grab the MSI Gaming 100ME or the Strix if it's cheaper.
 
If they are planning to rebagde everything up to the Fury cards which are going to be priced around the same as 980 ti's therefore out of 970 price range, one doesn't need a crystal ball to see how things are shaping up on the graphics card market.
 
Without wanting to jump into the topic - with all the praise towards MSI, Asus and Gigabyte, what's the EVGA SSC 970 like? I was leaning towards that with the thought I could step-up to a 980 (or 980ti) in a couple months if I felt like it, once stock (and possibly prices) have settled down a little.
 
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