Top 3 models:
1) MSI Gaming w/ Twin Frozr 5 cooler
2) Gigabyte G1 w/ Windforce 3X cooler
3) Asus Strix w/ DirectCU II Strix cooler
That last one's place in the top 3 can be argued, but the G1 and MSI are definitely in the top 3 and are the most popular. The G1 comes with a backplate and high-stock clocks. The MSI has a passive fan mode (which can be changed/disabled): fans don't spin till 60°C and the cooling solution itself makes the MSI one of the quietest (if not the quietest) 970 on load. Both the MSI and Gigabyte excel at overclocking too (so those stock clocks on the Gigabyte don't matter much). The Strix also has a passive fan mode like the MSI and has a similarly quiet cooling solution. It doesn't have as high stock clocks and isn't known for it's overclocking capabilities as well as the other two.
I'd personally go for the MSI Gaming, the only downside is the lack of a backplate, but you can get the 100million edition of the MSI Gaming card, which costs slightly more, the cooler is green instead of red and it comes with a backplate.
The GTX 970 is effective in SLI, can just about match a single GTX 980Ti. But Nvidia have priced it smartly, so the 980Ti costs as much as 2 970s. Most folks will recommend the better single card solution. But if you don't want to dump £500+ on a card in one go, then 970 with possibility for later SLI is fine. The 970 is especially great at 1080p and is decent at 1440p.
A lot of folks mention the 3.5GB thing. Above 3.5GB VRAM usage, the slower 0.5GB starts to be utilised which causes drops in framerate. But not to worry, most games won't use this much VRAM, especially 1080p. VRAM usage increases at higher resolutions and some games like Shadow of Mordor.
AMD's new cards have just been officially revealed, will be available on Thursday. Still no details on UK prices or real-world benchmarks though. If you're like me and are annoyed by the secrecy and can't wait, then just go for the MSI 970. I'd have ordered one, but I'm waiting for OCUK to do a deal on it. While it's currently ~£290, it has been on sale for ~£270 a few times in the past few months on OCUK.
