Best brand for 900 series?

[fosk]

Did a quick forum search and to my surprise i couldnt find anything, probably cause the cards are brand new and through google i never really saw more then one and sometimes two cards tested by the same website. So it goes down to, what is the best brand recommended for the new 900 series? Anyone found anything better then a quick review from websites trying to publish a page asap?

EVGA - would of been a no brainer but i hear the coil whine from 700 onwards is from cheaper parts, that and one of the three pipes it has isnt even connected, on top its said to have a 3-5 degree higher temp then other brands while running its fans at much higher RPM (this was 970 specific didnt read about 980 yet)

ASUS - they look pretty good from word of mouth on the internet, but nothing other then LinusTechTips endorsing the company who sends him the most parts, and i dont trust it not running the fans at idle when its not required, a bit i dont know imo id rather them run then just sit there unused. Probably can turn this off but i havnt read that yet!

MSI - dont know why i just dont think they are as good as they want to be just yet, def wouldnt pay a premium or buy one unless it was a steal, maybe someone knows more then i do but after reading the 780ti burning down thread i say **** it

Gigabyte - currently the only card locally in stock i see, with my friend working with PCs saying the past two years they are the best cards, but i dont trust him 100% cause he more then likely uses when his company gets the best price on

All the other brands are too new and unproven imo to pay the same amount of money for there cards

Where do people go for the latest and most proven information on GPUs and such? or did i miss a already informative thread with my searching?

Thanks

 

[Witchdoctor]

Not sure, but right now I think Gigabyte is the only non reference PCB design I have seen.

but we should see some other players follow soon, MSI looks to be sitting this one out in anticipation of the 980Ti core to base the Lightning brand on. They jumped to soon on the 700 series and only ever made like 12 780Ti Lightning's and those did not see retail availability, just sent out to a few hand picked over clockers, they were very strong though.

Thinking the best solution for standard use will be the Asus DCU II product line once released as they usually have a great power section and cooler and still hold their pricing pretty close to reference

Thinking their will be a Classy, but it will cost you dearly

 

[Woomack]

Almost every manufacturer has non-reference GTX970.
Zotac Extreme, ASUS Strix, Gigabyte Gaming, MSI Gaming are so far better series.
- EVGA has only nearly reference cards. I mean all stuff on the PCB is like reference but PCB itself is slightly longer. Also they had that issue with cooler. SC/FTW = reference with different cooler and higher clocks in BIOS
- Gigabyte and MSI Gaming series are best for OC right now - better power section and 6+8 power pins ( 300W max from the card vs 225W for reference or ASUS Strix ), MSI has warranty stickers so Gigabyte is better option if you want to use water cooling
- Zotac Extreme should be good but there were no reviews in the web, also better power section etc ( I had no chance to take a closer look )
- Galax should have something soon but so far nothing special and not available yet
- ASUS Strix is good if you don't think about pushing the card to the limits. 1x8 pin power connector = 225W max while card on stock can reach 180W+ ( info from 2-3 reviews )
- Palit/Gainward = reference and have warranty stickers

Almost all available GTX980 are fully reference ( cooler+PCB ). Only Gigabyte and MSI have Gaming series with some more changes. ASUS is not available yet but will be Strix card soon.
EVGA has fully reference cards even FTW. If you saw 2000MHz core result on EVGA GTX980 FTW ( which is the highest series ) then it was made with a lot of hard mods and added power phases. For comparison, ASUS Strix which is not available yet made 2GHz+ without additional phases.

Simply you jump on GTX970 MSI/Gigabyte Gaming or ASUS Strix if you can live with standard cooler on lower clocks ... or wait for GTX980Ti. GTX980 is not offering so much higher performance while it cost much more.

 

[fosk]

ASUS STRIX-GTX970-DC2OC-4GD5 PCIe - just hit local stock - boost clock is only 1253 MHz

GIGABYTE GV-N970G1 GAMING-4GD PCIe - is also in with boost click at 1329 MHz

There are about 5 EVGA 970 - with the highest two being around 1320mhz to about 1370 mhz, i dont mind paying 10-15% more for a mid 1300 mhz clock rather then a 1150/1200 max boost clock.

 

[Woomack]

ASUS STRIX-GTX970-DC2OC-4GD5 PCIe - just hit local stock - boost clock is only 1253 MHz

GIGABYTE GV-N970G1 GAMING-4GD PCIe - is also in with boost click at 1329 MHz

There are about 5 EVGA 970 - with the highest two being around 1320mhz to about 1370 mhz, i dont mind paying 10-15% more for a mid 1300 mhz clock rather then a 1150/1200 max boost clock.

I don't know if you understand that all GTX970 have about the same BIOS with different clock values set by manufacturer. Every card on clocks up to 1400 will act the same. Maximum voltage on stock is limited by agreements with nvidia so manufacturers can't sell overvolted cards. The only difference is overclocking and sound generated by card.
Saying it other way ... every GTX970 is overclocking till about 1400-1500MHz regardless of stock clocks declared by manufacturer.

If you are planning to get gaming card with 24/7 fully stable clocks and quiet cooler then ASUS Strix seem good option. If you wish to push the card higher and play more with benchmarks etc then Gigabyte seems best.

I bet that every EVGA card will be able to run at the same clocks. The only difference between them are BIOS settings. Simply I'm almost sure you can use FTW BIOS and flash it into standard version to make it run higher ... or change clocks in software like Afterburner or EVGA Precision. Compare PCB photos of all EVGA cards and you will know what I mean.

 

[fosk]

I don't know if you understand that all GTX970 have about the same BIOS with different clock values set by manufacturer. Every card on clocks up to 1400 will act the same. Maximum voltage on stock is limited by agreements with nvidia so manufacturers can't sell overvolted cards. The only difference is overclocking and sound generated by card.
Saying it other way ... every GTX970 is overclocking till about 1400-1500MHz regardless of stock clocks declared by manufacturer.

If you are planning to get gaming card with 24/7 fully stable clocks and quiet cooler then ASUS Strix seem good option. If you wish to push the card higher and play more with benchmarks etc then Gigabyte seems best.

I bet that every EVGA card will be able to run at the same clocks. The only difference between them are BIOS settings. Simply I'm almost sure you can use FTW BIOS and flash it into standard version to make it run higher ... or change clocks in software like Afterburner or EVGA Precision. Compare PCB photos of all EVGA cards and you will know what I mean.

I made a thread here which http://forums.evga.com/Are-these-cards-sold-at-near-Max-clock-m2221865.aspx#2221865

I was under the impression that they hand picked cards that they were 100% sure capable at running at higher clocks then other, the same way CPU max overclock potential is luck of the draw.

 

[Woomack]

As far as I know only Classified series are on better chips. All other are random and reviews are showing that. EVGA didn't even check if their ACX coolers are good for new cards and you expect them to make selection for cheaper series

Really couple of years ago you could count on something special picking EVGA even in lower series. Since GTX600 all their standard, SC and FTW cards are about the same and overclock about the same. Only Classified have much better PCB, power section and usually also better memory chips.

For me the only thing worth to look at in EVGA is still good warranty , step-up program and graphics cards from Classified series. Their motherboards are also pretty average nowadays and only look good.

 

[Witchdoctor]

Agree, the Classified GPU's are really the only thing worth looking at over at eVGA these days.

http://www.techpowerup.com/205593/m...lightning-in-anticipation-of-bigger-chip.html

 

[NiHaoMike]

For the 970, Gigabyte seems to be the best of all with the best (and biggest) cooler and the most flexible output config. Asus, MSI, and Zotac have great cooling and build quality but a less flexible output config, while PNY has an output config almost as good as the Gigabyte. EVGA has some issues with a flawed cooler design and buzzing inductors.

 

[fosk]

For the 970, Gigabyte seems to be the best of all with the best (and biggest) cooler and the most flexible output config. Asus, MSI, and Zotac have great cooling and build quality but a less flexible output config, while PNY has an output config almost as good as the Gigabyte. EVGA has some issues with a flawed cooler design and buzzing inductors.

Yeh im leaning towards Gigabyte over Asus, its said Asus has a 6 pin or one 8, while the Gigabyte has two? Allowing better performance even without a OC?

 

[Woomack]

ASUS = 1x 8 pin , Gigabyte/MSI = 6+8 pin , all other cards 6+6 pin and I'm not sure what has Zotac Extreme but 6+8 or 8+8.
1x8 = 6+6 = 225W max
6+8 = 300W max

Up to ~1400-1500MHz it won't make any difference but you may need 6+8 when you raise voltage some more. Most current cards have +87mV max overvoltage using software. It will change when modded BIOSes will be around.

 

[fosk]

ASUS = 1x 8 pin , Gigabyte/MSI = 6+8 pin , all other cards 6+6 pin and I'm not sure what has Zotac Extreme but 6+8 or 8+8.
1x8 = 6+6 = 225W max
6+8 = 300W max

Up to ~1400-1500MHz it won't make any difference but you may need 6+8 when you raise voltage some more. Most current cards have +87mV max overvoltage using software. It will change when modded BIOSes will be around.

Sounds good i guess i now need to start measuring my case to see if i can fit the Gigabyte, the Asus special fan mode is said to not use any fan until the temperature hits 60 degrees, some say using any manual fan curve program can eliminate this, but everything i read is just speculation without links. While i cant find the info on the actual Asus website on the 970 specific how can i be sure of any of this info as its just on a forum somewhere.

 

[sherpa25]

Though quite early, any feedback on the reliability of the windforce fans? Also looking at the G1 but read issues with the previous fans.

 

[Witchdoctor]

Here's a pic of the 970 and 980 Gigabyte PCB's

 

[Woomack]

I have no idea what about reliability of Gigabyte fans ... tbh I don't really care as I will run on water or cold anyway You have always RMA if something isn't right.

On the other hand ASUS fan is not spinning while card is in idle but even if it's spinning then average HDD or other fans in the case make more noise than the gfx card.

 

[fosk]

I bought Asus since it was listed as in stock/arrive within 48/72 hours just because the Gigabyte barely fits in most cases on its most tiddy cable ties. EVGA not waiting weeks for proven downgrade in fans and suspect ACX. I will probably do some tests with stock clock and this one here that website also has a Gigabyte 970 page of identical information and probably will have for other brands too. Ill most likely set a 40% fan curve minimum while idle unless someone strongly disagrees, this is my current curve for my 270x i run a pretty similar one for all cards unless they are high end you generally get higher temps so more fan at 70 or so degrees.

Asus
http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/asus_geforce_gtx_970_strix_review,26.html

Gigabyte
http://www.guru3d.com/articles-pages/gigabyte-geforce-gtx-980-g1-gaming-review,1.html

MSI
http://www.guru3d.com/articles-pages/msi-geforce-gtx-970-gaming-review,1.html



I hope others can continue to add input and that others can use the thread to help them decide.