Nvidia GTX 980 Owners Thread

Arcane · 21 Apr 2015 at 12:35

OK, just got this from Galax, i've not used nvflash for many years, any good idiot's guides? I'm running SLI.

Thanks.

Awahwah · 21 Apr 2015 at 12:41

From memory you only need to run the Batch file. Disable your 980 first in Device Manager though.

Divine Pain · 21 Apr 2015 at 14:42

Pretty sure .exe won't work on OSX unless you have VM software or Windows Boot Camp installed. Just a heads up

varkanoid · 21 Apr 2015 at 15:43

There was a Mac version of nvflash but that only worked upto 6xx series cards. Arcane is going to need to do this on a PC methinks.

Arcane · 21 Apr 2015 at 16:11

Sorry for the confusion chaps, will be doing it on a PC, Win 8.1, Mac is just a work machine I downloaded the zip file to for folder contents screen grab. Just found a guide for doing it in windows, last time I done it was with a bootable floppy.

Divine Pain · 21 Apr 2015 at 18:36

Yeah thats the same guide i used when i last used nvflash. As long as you follow it by the word you shouldnt have any problems!

Arcane · 21 Apr 2015 at 18:48

All done, less scary than I remember it, lol.

Arcane · 22 Apr 2015 at 09:50

50 to 20% idle fan speed certainly made a difference in noise! Doesn't seem to have particularly affected the temps either?

Phixsator · 22 Apr 2015 at 10:52

Has anyone here owned a 780 with 1250 on the core(through oc) who now has a 980?

Im asking cause im in the market for an upgrade but i keep seeing benchmark results where 780ti beats the snot (over dramatic i know

) out of the 980 in 80% of the titles out there. Granted these tests have all been from before november 2014 so i wonder if driver optimization was an issue. I know i wont see 50% or even 30%+ going from my lightning 780 to a 980 but i wouldnt mind that as long as its close to 20% or perhaps better?

MrSniper · 22 Apr 2015 at 15:24

Just ordered a 2nd 980 for SLI anyone got this type of setup any problems or anything I should be aware of ?

TheRealDeal · 22 Apr 2015 at 15:27

Phixsator said:
Has anyone here owned a 780 with 1250 on the core(through oc) who now has a 980?

Im asking cause im in the market for an upgrade but i keep seeing benchmark results where 780ti beats the snot (over dramatic i know ) out of the 980 in 80% of the titles out there. Granted these tests have all been from before november 2014 so i wonder if driver optimization was an issue. I know i wont see 50% or even 30%+ going from my lightning 780 to a 980 but i wouldnt mind that as long as its close to 20% or perhaps better?

It's a really bad time to be upgrading with rumoured new cards from Nvidia coming really soon with AMD being touted as releasing a new series in June. This could shake up prices if the new cards are out of your price range but they should provide a bigger jump in performance for you to consider.

varkanoid · 22 Apr 2015 at 15:28

MrSniper said:
Just ordered a 2nd 980 for SLI anyone got this type of setup any problems or anything I should be aware of ?

case ventilation and ensure space between cards is adequate.

MrSniper · 22 Apr 2015 at 15:31

varkanoid said:
case ventilation and ensure space between cards is adequate.

I have done my research and also ran SLI before but had issues though this was with two 660 i am hopping with 2 higher end cards SLI will work a lot better.

varkanoid · 22 Apr 2015 at 15:36

TheRealDeal said:
It's a really bad time to be upgrading with rumoured new cards from Nvidia coming really soon with AMD being touted as releasing a new series in June.

I would tend to disagree with it being a bad time as neither companies have committed to solid release dates. Its neither good nor bad. If you find a good deal then go for it. The 290X Gibbo is announcing would be a good buy. If you could get a 980 for less than £400 that would be a good buy.

A 780 or 780ti is a good buy if you are not bothered about DX12, new tech, or cooler/quieter GPU's.

varkanoid · 22 Apr 2015 at 15:37

MrSniper said:
I have done my research and also ran SLI before but had issues though this was with two 660 i am hopping with 2 higher end cards SLI will work a lot better.

My 980's are my second experience of SLI (coming from 970 SLI) and they are brilliant. I have had no bother with them whatsoever. Wish I had done it sooner but only in this last year have I had the money to do it. Just make sure you have a decent PSU too for SLI and to avoid coil whine.

Phixsator · 22 Apr 2015 at 15:55

varkanoid said:
My 980's are my second experience of SLI (coming from 970 SLI) and they are brilliant. I have had no bother with them whatsoever. Wish I had done it sooner but only in this last year have I had the money to do it. Just make sure you have a decent PSU too for SLI and to avoid coil whine.

How was the experience with the 970 in sli? considering the small difference between the 970 and the 980 in raw numbers something else other than the extra performance must be the reason for the upgrade? was it the whole 3,5 ram thing or bugs? Heard of 970 sli having issue being stable but again the reports are always so vague its difficult to take serious.

MrSniper · 22 Apr 2015 at 16:01

varkanoid said:
My 980's are my second experience of SLI (coming from 970 SLI) and they are brilliant. I have had no bother with them whatsoever. Wish I had done it sooner but only in this last year have I had the money to do it. Just make sure you have a decent PSU too for SLI and to avoid coil whine.

What cards though reference? I will be running reference to be honest. Also in terms of upgrading I would rather SLI than go from a 980 to a 980ti

Fingers crossed 980 SLI allows for better 1440P gaming!

varkanoid · 22 Apr 2015 at 19:34

Cards are as per my sig although the top one now has a Kraken G10 fitted.
980 SLI allows for 4k gaming so it will be more than enough for 1440P!

Phixsator said:
How was the experience with the 970 in sli? considering the small difference between the 970 and the 980 in raw numbers something else other than the extra performance must be the reason for the upgrade? was it the whole 3,5 ram thing or bugs? Heard of 970 sli having issue being stable but again the reports are always so vague its difficult to take serious.

970 SLI was fine I had no problems reason I got rid was along came 2 x 980 G1's for £760 which was a bargain plus I was still within the return time for the 3.5gb swapout so it was a no brainer. There was actually for me a big difference between 970 SLI and 980 SLI. Just to give you an idea I went from (970 SLI) P18469 to (980 SLI) P22308 in 3D Mark 11 which is quite a big jump.

old gamer · 22 Apr 2015 at 20:41

same as varkanoid i got shot of the 970's after the ram issue, i just had a good deal on a pair of evga sc 980's with the reference cooler, flying along hooked up to my sammie 3440x1440 and have to agree big difference between the 970's and 980's

Phixsator · 23 Apr 2015 at 01:26

varkanoid said:
Cards are as per my sig although the top one now has a Kraken G10 fitted.
980 SLI allows for 4k gaming so it will be more than enough for 1440P!

970 SLI was fine I had no problems reason I got rid was along came 2 x 980 G1's for £760 which was a bargain plus I was still within the return time for the 3.5gb swapout so it was a no brainer. There was actually for me a big difference between 970 SLI and 980 SLI. Just to give you an idea I went from (970 SLI) P18469 to (980 SLI) P22308 in 3D Mark 11 which is quite a big jump.

old gamer said:
same as varkanoid i got shot of the 970's after the ram issue, i just had a good deal on a pair of evga sc 980's with the reference cooler, flying along hooked up to my sammie 3440x1440 and have to agree big difference between the 970's and 980's

Well i guess that rules out getting a new pair of 970s for sure

.. Sadly 1 980 just doesnt seem like worth the money compared to the 780 lightning i already own if you only factor raw performance and i cannot afford 2 at the moment. D*rn it.