What 970 to go with?

B

BlueScreen

New member
Ha, as it turns out, putting together a build isnt as easy as it seems. At least as far choosing components go. I want to grab a gtx 970, but I just cannot make my mind what manufacturer to go with. I have been thinking about Gainward and their stealth coolers, primarily because of ease of cleaning. On the other hand, I have mixed feelings. For some reason this brand isnt very popular, just like palit (I've heard both are owned by the same company). Budget wise, gainward wins, even despite slightly lower clocks. I just dont feel particularly comfortable with spending so much money on a brand I have no previous experience with.
So I figured: why not post yet another thread on overclock3d?
I would really appreciate any suggestions as to what company to go with for the gpu.
Thanks alot in advance!
 
There aren't really any bad companies that make videocards, I've used Asus, MSI and Gainward in rigs I've built for me and for friends, and I've never had any issues. Just watch some reviews to see which brand currently offers the best cooler design (cooling performance, noise and looks).

I'd recommend that you wait for AMD to release their new gpus before you buy one.
 
I recently bought this, it has a lovely backplate and it looks pretty epic.

msi-geforce-gtx-970-gaming-100me-4gb.jpg
 
Tolemac said:
Seeing as the new AMD cards are out within a month I would wait and see what they have to offer as the above said :)
Click to expand...

Well, judging by the leaked info I am afraid I know what to expect. Compared to nvidia offerings amd cards are going to be more power hungry and their operating temps will be much higher. Otherwise they wouldnt include water cooling with their reference models. So I can already say that I most likely wont be interested in any of their new cards. Unless they surprise everyone. Ehh, anyway waiting is the whole problem. I postponed purchase of this new rig for pretty much 3 years now :) Well, I didnt need any more horse power before, until now, as the witcher 3 is just around the corner. Hmm, you guys do sound reasonable though, and I do agree that the smartest choice would be to wait. But then again if I do wait for extra month, we will also be one month closer to intel's new cpus xD And then I'll keep waiting and waiting and eventually spend at least half a year more before I eventually buy that rig.
Oh well, I guess thats called being indecisive xD
 
Tolemac said:
Seeing as the new AMD cards are out within a month I would wait and see what they have to offer as the above said :)
Click to expand...

Yes, theyve been just a few weeks out since January now. :D

I dont think anybody knows when these things are coming out. If youre needing a new GPU right now I dont think there is much reason to wait. Im generally a believer that you shouldnt wait anyways because no matter how long you wait, the instant you buy something, something newer, cheaper and better will come out. Buy what you need when you need it.

As for which brand, Im a big fan of EVGA but honestly any of the major names would be fine with me. Asus, MSI or Gigabyte all make good quality cards. Id read Tom's reviews here and then pick the one that best meets your budget. Cooling is going to be the real difference between them but even then with these cards running pretty cool bone stock its not that big a deal unless youre looking to do some heavy overclocking.
 
Well seeing as the 970 has a vram issue which is why I returned my Asus strix 970 as 0.5gb ram runs slower than the other 3.5gb wouldn't you rather have a card with a bit more headroom as i'm sure you dont want to be buying another card 6 -12 months down the line as the newer games are quite likely to require more vram but I know what you mean about waiting and waiting which screen resolution are you likely to play games on btw?
 
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BlueScreen said:
Well, judging by the leaked info I am afraid I know what to expect. Compared to nvidia offerings amd cards are going to be more power hungry and their operating temps will be much higher. Otherwise they wouldnt include water cooling with their reference models. So I can already say that I most likely wont be interested in any of their new cards. Unless they surprise everyone. Ehh, anyway waiting is the whole problem. I postponed purchase of this new rig for pretty much 3 years now :) Well, I didnt need any more horse power before, until now, as the witcher 3 is just around the corner. Hmm, you guys do sound reasonable though, and I do agree that the smartest choice would be to wait. But then again if I do wait for extra month, we will also be one month closer to intel's new cpus xD And then I'll keep waiting and waiting and eventually spend at least half a year more before I eventually buy that rig.
Oh well, I guess thats called being indecisive xD
Click to expand...

You are really going to believe leaked info? I wouldn't tbh. There's been nothing that can be confirmed or implied because.. it's speculation. I would wait. Waiting now just means that the prices will drop and you can get probably something a little better or get two slightly lower end ones for more performance.

Don't bother waiting on Intel CPUs. Not worth waiting on them. Get them now.. if they were being released next month then i would say wait, but they aren't so don't even worry about it.
 
Tolemac said:
Well seeing as the 970 has a vram issue which is why I returned my Asus strix 970 as 0.5gb ram runs slower than the other 3.5gb wouldn't you rather have a card with a bit more headroom as i'm sure you dont want to be buying another card 6 -12 months down the line as the newer games are quite likely to require more vram but I know what you mean about waiting and waiting which screen resolution are you likely to play games on btw?
Click to expand...

Right now I have 18" monitor that supports up to 1366x768. I'll probably be upgrading to 1080p in short time, but not any higher than that.
 
BlueScreen said:
Right now I have 18" monitor that supports up to 1366x768. I'll probably be upgrading to 1080p in short time, but not any higher than that.
Click to expand...

A 970 will be just fine for it, that whole 3.5gb issue isnt as bad as some people made it out to be, atleast when talking about performance.
 
Yeah, thats not a deal breaker. Anyways, that thread made me thnik that perhaps it is a better idea to wait this extra month and see what AMD has to offer. Even if there is nothing for me, nvidia might be forced to lower prices on some of their offerings to remain competitive. So at the end of the day I think its a good concept to hold up with gpu purchase.
 
Can we not even bother discussing this crap about 0.5gb. All reviews by all websites OC3D included, took these 970s put them to the test and they passed exceedingly well and performed great. No one could even accurately prove there was a performance hit.

Anyways.. as far as 970s go, I think since all perform very close to each other you should go with the brand who can give you the best feedback and customer support as well as guarantee. MSI would most likely top my list. for 1080p gaming I think you will get a great enjoyment from a single 970.

I tested out and MSI 970 gaming, and was envious when I had to return it. It overclocks so nicely, even on Air.
 
It is still a fact though isn't it?

EDIT: Right time to stay on the OP topic if you are gaming 1080p the 970 will be fine for you
I had the Asus Strix 970 and it is a very good card but not the best overclocker I would agree with JR on his recommendation of the OCUK reference GTX970 that has the GTX980 PCB it is over engineered tbh but the choice is up to you hope this helps :)
 
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Warchild said:
Can we not even bother discussing this crap about 0.5gb. All reviews by all websites OC3D included, took these 970s put them to the test and they passed exceedingly well and performed great. No one could even accurately prove there was a performance hit.

Anyways.. as far as 970s go, I think since all perform very close to each other you should go with the brand who can give you the best feedback and customer support as well as guarantee. MSI would most likely top my list. for 1080p gaming I think you will get a great enjoyment from a single 970.

I tested out and MSI 970 gaming, and was envious when I had to return it. It overclocks so nicely, even on Air.
Click to expand...

You can prove a performance hit when hitting over 3.5GB of vram. It's just not often you get there at 1080p..

Wait so has OP decided to upgrade now or wait? I'm confused:p
 
NeverBackDown said:
You can prove a performance hit when hitting over 3.5GB of vram. It's just not often you get there at 1080p..

Wait so has OP decided to upgrade now or wait? I'm confused:p
Click to expand...

I think I'll wait this extra month. Perhaps instead of 970 I'll grab 960ti, as nvidia might feel like releasing it once amd shows their cards.
 
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BlueScreen said:
I think I'll wait this extra month. Perhaps instead of 970 I'll grab 960ti, as nvidia might feel like releasing it once amd shows their cards.
Click to expand...

Well a 280x or a new 380/370 should be it's competitor. I would be more apt to think they will more or less equal. Probably end up buying whichever is cheaper or has a bundle. I don't recall a 960ti being rumored however. We'll see I suppose!
 
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