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Talk me down from the ledge- Zotac 980 ti amp extreme

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Brando

Brando

Member
​
Joined
Jan 9, 2006
Highest default overclock
Big beast of a cooler that actually works unlike the strix
Fans turn off when it's not hot
High OC potential?
Not much more expensive than stock
Lifetime warranty if registered within 28 days in north america
Almost no complaints about coil whine compared to the gigabyte g1

Am I missing something? Seems like a beast with no weaknesses. How to we fight such a thing? Anyone have bad experiences with Zotac customer service?
 
I've also heard great things about Zotac CS, supposed to be very good about letting you replace the heatsink/etc as well.
 
well, according to guru 3d i guess it's a little louder than stock but it seems to boost to about 1400mhz without having to touch a thing. seems pretty good. i really need a review for the classified asap.
 
Classified is only a good option if you plan to push the living Hell out of it.
Monster OCs are where it makes it worth spending the premium.
Otherwise, also look at the EVGA Hybrid, it should be one of the quietest models out. And being that it's on water should let you OC pretty far.
 
I like the Zotac card, worth the price of admission if you ask me, have even been considering one for sub ambient
 
OP, since you wanted somebody to talk you down from the ledge, here is my question. Do you have capable high rez monitor(s)? After all, no point in buying a $1000 saddle for a $1 horse. :)
 
Super Nade said:
OP, since you wanted somebody to talk you down from the ledge, here is my question. Do you have capable high rez monitor(s)? After all, no point in buying a $1000 saddle for a $1 horse. :)
Click to expand...

my monitor is 1440p and i also play a lot on my 1080p plasma when the xbox controller works better. i know what you're saying but the witcher 2 enhanced edition kind of lagged on my 780 with all of the settings up so i'm a proponent of having the most horsepower you can afford. i have witcher 3 sitting on my hard drive since the day it came out and it's a special occasion. i need a good card before i can start :salute: i know i can play it on the 780 but it may be the last witcher game and part 2 was in my top favorites of all time. gotta do it right. also super powerful video cards give me special feelings i can't talk about on an all ages forum. i almost definitely want a 980 ti. the question is which one! it's a lot of money and i want the best choice. my criteria are...

at least 3 year warranty from a reputable company that will honor it
cooler/pcb that will let me get the maximum oc the chip is capable of on air
not too noisy on load and shuts down fans at idle.
no coil whine
$700 or less
 
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Don't think the Zotac would be a mistake

Given the same gpu quality the cards design will allow for maximum results
 
i think you're probably right. just waiting to see what the noise levels are like on the classified at max oc. also i thought i read somewhere that zotac need their own software to oc with a special usb cable to enable it but that might just be on the regular 980. if not then nice card. looks like they're been around since the 90's so they're not a fly by night company or anything. looking pretty good. i think they're owned by the same people as sapphire?
 
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ATMINSIDE said:
Classified is only a good option if you plan to push the living Hell out of it.
Monster OCs are where it makes it worth spending the premium.
Otherwise, also look at the EVGA Hybrid, it should be one of the quietest models out. And being that it's on water should let you OC pretty far.
Click to expand...
i appreciate it but it's too expensive and still has a stock fan on it which defeats the purpose of water imo. i'm sure it's nice but they should have done it right and gone full coverage with a nice block and used beefed up components like the classified/kingpin.
 
Brando said:
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i appreciate it but it's too expensive and still has a stock fan on it which defeats the purpose of water imo. i'm sure it's nice but they should have done it right and gone full coverage with a nice block and used beefed up components like the classified/kingpin.
Click to expand...

You'll push to the chip's ambient limits whether you have a Classified design or not.
The Classified literally has zero help until you're pushing it for benching. (Chilled water or colder, with BIOS mods)

The "stock fan" on the Hybrid is turned WAY down and is much quieter than what you're thinking.
Load temps are in the 50°C range with that card, even OC'd. (We're talking 30-35°C lower than an air cooler)
 
fair enough but it's still above my limit and i think i want to stick with air. i have an unfair bias against water. i know it's retarded. the only way the hybrid would be worth it for me is if it could comfortably do 1700+ mhz.
 
i do! but that's not why. i don't want to worry about leaks and the benefit seems to be nonexistent on the hybrid in the review i watched. i think it hit just under 1500 which seems to be perfectly doable on air. it's silent if that's what you need. that's the only point to it i can think of. they should have put the water kit on the classified and kingpin!
 
Brando said:
i do! but that's not why. i don't want to worry about leaks and the benefit seems to be nonexistent on the hybrid in the review i watched. i think it hit just under 1500 which seems to be perfectly doable on air. it's silent if that's what you need. that's the only point to it i can think of. they should have put the water kit on the classified and kingpin!
Click to expand...

That's what I was saying earlier, it doesn't matter what PCB you get for ambient.
The benefit of the Hybrid cooler is that it's quieter than an air cooler and 30-35°C cooler.

Again, anyone that's pushing the Classified cards hard enough to benefit from it won't be on ambient.
Whether they put an air cooler or a Hybrid cooler on it, it would get taken off for a GPU pot.
So many people buy those cards, run them at stock, and absolutely waste their money.
 
ATMINSIDE said:
That's what I was saying earlier, it doesn't matter what PCB you get for ambient.
The benefit of the Hybrid cooler is that it's quieter than an air cooler and 30-35°C cooler.

Again, anyone that's pushing the Classified cards hard enough to benefit from it won't be on ambient.
Whether they put an air cooler or a Hybrid cooler on it, it would get taken off for a GPU pot.
So many people buy those cards, run them at stock, and absolutely waste their money.
Click to expand...
QFT!!!
 
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