Which 970 is the best?

[Rexchaos]

Looking for a 970 that i will SLI into a Bitfenix Prodigy M ATX case

 

Mainly looking @ Asus,Msi and Gigabyte

Asus Strix 970, Msi Gaming 970 4g and Gigabyte g1 970

 

Also since my case is rather small, it would be effective to get x1 aftermarket cooler and on second slot get a reference cooler correct?

 

I have no idea what kind of motherboard i should get to OC this beast.

 

Looking for a M-ATX case,

Mainly looking for Onboard sound quality, 60 ohm impedence for hyperx cloud, performance and reliability. Price would be max $200 usd.

 

I live in the US and also have a micro center nearby if that would help slim down options and pricing.

[BloodWithIce]

You getter go with a reference, otherwise I'd go with the strix due to the fan technology they have where fans don't spin at all unti temps reach 60c

[ALXAndy]

SLI + MATX - water = fail.

 

Just.don't.do.it.

[Enderman]

The gigabyte G1 will perform the best because of the binned chip and higher clock speed.

The ASUS strix will be the quietest with their awesome 0dba fan technology.

 

 

SLI + MATX - water = fail.

 

Just.don't.do.it.

The 970 is an extremely power efficient GPU, and it puts out very little heat for the performance you get. There should be no issues with two of these in a SFF PC. Maybe he wont be able to OC too much, but the temps will still stay below 80C.

[ChaosGoW]

SLI + MATX - water = fail.

 

Just.don't.do.it.

I have 2 Strix 980s on a maximus vii gene in a node 804. This computer couldn't be more mATX and I get great temps. It's got almost everything to do with the cards. My 290x was constantly throttling no matter what I did, so I got 1 980 and it was amazing, I then ordered another a couple of days later and it was still fine, amazing in fact. 24/7 clocks of 1400 boost, neither card hits 75degC and neither of them throttle. The fans do get a little loud under a full load but I wear headphones while I game so w/e.

You can do SLI in a small case as long as you put enough fans and pick the right parts

[Rexchaos]

You getter go with a reference, otherwise I'd go with the strix due to the fan technology they have where fans don't spin at all unti temps reach 60c

I don't believe they have a reference 970 atleast with the titan cooler. I do believe theres an EVGA blower type cooler but why not the MSI 4g? it also has a similar fan technology under another name.

 

The gigabyte G1 will perform the best because of the binned chip and higher clock speed.

The ASUS strix will be the quietest with their awesome 0dba fan technology.

 

 

The 970 is an extremely power efficient GPU, and it puts out very little heat for the performance you get. There should be no issues with two of these in a SFF PC. Maybe he wont be able to OC too much, but the temps will still stay below 80C.

What about the msi vs the strix in terms of sound?

And for paying around $40 more, would the the gigabyte really give me an superior performance? How loud would the gigabyte g1 get under full loads?

 

I have 2 Strix 980s on a maximus vii gene in a node 804. This computer couldn't be more mATX and I get great temps. It's got almost everything to do with the cards. My 290x was constantly throttling no matter what I did, so I got 1 980 and it was amazing, I then ordered another a couple of days later and it was still fine, amazing in fact. 24/7 clocks of 1400 boost, neither card hits 75degC and neither of them throttle. The fans do get a little loud under a full load but I wear headphones while I game so w/e.

You can do SLI in a small case as long as you put enough fans and pick the right parts

What kind of cooling did you get?

I been thinking about the H100i, but i've been hearing that the Seidon 240M from cooler master does roughly the same at half the price. Also what kind of aftermarket fans do you use on the AIO cooler if you do use AIO and not full waterblocks/air cooling?

 

 

 

Anyone have any motherboard suggestions?

[i_build_nanosuits]

Gigabyte G1 Gaming is the top card ATM

[ChaosGoW]

What kind of cooling did you get?

I been thinking about the H100i, but i've been hearing that the Seidon 240M from cooler master does roughly the same at half the price. Also what kind of aftermarket fans do you use on the AIO cooler if you do use AIO and not full waterblocks/air cooling?

Anyone have any motherboard suggestions?

As I said before, I have a fractal Node 804 case which is mATX only. It's a small cube case which separates the motherboard/gpu from the hard drives/psu ect. I put 120mm noctua redux (the grey ones) fans in every spot I could meaning I have 5 fans cooling the motherboard and graphics cards and 3 pushing air over the rest of my stuff. I run all my fans at low RPM so they're quieter. I have a Corsair H110i on the top 2 fan spots (with the noctuas mounted to it). I get good temps but I'm sure you could mount a variety of AIO water coolers in the case (check google for compatibility). I would recommend an AIO but I dunno if I'd recommend the H110i since it's not perfect and I can't put my finger on why. The fans that came with the H110i are really good for the job though, they're basically SP120s without the fancy colours so they're quiet and look kinda nice - If you do get a H110i, use the fans that come with it unless you want fancier looking ones. Don't forget to to check compatibility with the case you choose before you buy, that's super important because in the case of my Node 804, I couldn't fit a bigger radiator on the top with the high profile ram I have installed - The radiator passes over the top of the motherboard (the fans are offset from the center of the part of the case to compensate for this).

As far as motherboards go, my little Maximus VII Gene is a good board if a little expensive for what it is. I was going for a red/black build when I got it so that's why I did. Look for one that fits the colours of your build while offering the features you're looking for.

Edit- I think part of why my build was successful was because I've been building PCs since I built a 386 when I was a kid (over 20 years ago). Make sure you give a lot of consideration to cooling, this includes but is not limited to positioning of your fans, making sure you have enough dust filters and a way to clean your components if they get dusty, cable management (tie everything down neatly) and using spot fans in the right places if you feel it's needed. Pick your parts carefully and really plan your build before you buy parts. When designing a smaller build like mine, you have to pay attention to all this or temps can get high and parts can die quicker.

[Rexchaos]

As I said before, I have a fractal Node 804 case which is mATX only. It's a small cube case which separates the motherboard/gpu from the hard drives/psu ect. I put 120mm noctua redux (the grey ones) fans in every spot I could meaning I have 5 fans cooling the motherboard and graphics cards and 3 pushing air over the rest of my stuff. I run all my fans at low RPM so they're quieter. I have a Corsair H110i on the top 2 fan spots (with the noctuas mounted to it). I get good temps but I'm sure you could mount a variety of AIO water coolers in the case (check google for compatibility). I would recommend an AIO but I dunno if I'd recommend the H110i since it's not perfect and I can't put my finger on why. The fans that came with the H110i are really good for the job though, they're basically SP120s without the fancy colours so they're quiet and look kinda nice - If you do get a H110i, use the fans that come with it unless you want fancier looking ones. Don't forget to to check compatibility with the case you choose before you buy, that's super important because in the case of my Node 804, I couldn't fit a bigger radiator on the top with the high profile ram I have installed - The radiator passes over the top of the motherboard (the fans are offset from the center of the part of the case to compensate for this).

As far as motherboards go, my little Maximus VII Gene is a good board if a little expensive for what it is. I was going for a red/black build when I got it so that's why I did. Look for one that fits the colours of your build while offering the features you're looking for.

Edit- I think part of why my build was successful was because I've been building PCs since I built a 386 when I was a kid (over 20 years ago). Make sure you give a lot of consideration to cooling, this includes but is not limited to positioning of your fans, making sure you have enough dust filters and a way to clean your components if they get dusty, cable management (tie everything down neatly) and using spot fans in the right places if you feel it's needed. Pick your parts carefully and really plan your build before you buy parts. When designing a smaller build like mine, you have to pay attention to all this or temps can get high and parts can die quicker.

Ah i see. But the h100i's fans are pretty basic and i believe the seidon 240m's are even more standard.

As for the gene, its a pretty nice board that i definitely like, but im paying a premium of more or less $50 for a premium "ROG". I don't know if its any good with the killer Ethernet lags and what not since most of them have it. Also my main concern would be performance/sound so i don't know how good they are for the price ratio.

[Rexchaos]

Gigabyte G1 Gaming is the top card ATM

"The top" ? That's a pretty big exaggeration. I know the G1 gaming is one of the best, but is it really "the best" ?

[ChaosGoW]

Ah i see. But the h100i's fans are pretty basic and i believe the seidon 240m's are even more standard.

As for the gene, its a pretty nice board that i definitely like, but im paying a premium of more or less $50 for a premium "ROG". I don't know if its any good with the killer Ethernet lags and what not since most of them have it. Also my main concern would be performance/sound so i don't know how good they are for the price ratio.

It is expensive for what it is, though I don't experience any lag at all with the onboard Ethernet. I didn't really recommend the board, just said why I got it. There are probably other mATX boards that fit your needs better though I can't really comment on that.

Edit- According to the Asus site, there's an Intel Ethernet controller on the Maximus VII Gene, not a killer one. http://www.asus.com/uk/Motherboards/MAXIMUS_VII_GENE/

[DildorTheDecent]

Palit Super Jetstream. Would be worth it.

[Rexchaos]

Palit Super Jetstream. Would be worth it.

I cant seem to find websites that I would use to buy it. and

• Higher power consumption than GTX 980 reference design

^ a 970 palit having a higher wattage than a 980?

 

It is expensive for what it is, though I don't experience any lag at all with the onboard Ethernet. I didn't really recommend the board, just said why I got it. There are probably other mATX boards that fit your needs better though I can't really comment on that.

Edit- According to the Asus site, there's an Intel Ethernet controller on the Maximus VII Gene, not a killer one. http://www.asus.com/uk/Motherboards/MAXIMUS_VII_GENE/

Ah i see. But alot of people have compatibility issues with the H100i referring to the "Expensive for what it is"

And oh, what would be better, Intel ethernet or killer ethernet ?

[i_build_nanosuits]

"The top" ? That's a pretty big exaggeration. I know the G1 gaming is one of the best, but is it really "the best" ?

in regards to cooling capacity, power delivery, build quality, performance and overclocking yes shes the best...

she might not be the best with acoustics, power efficiency, aestetics (ill leave that to you) and price.

[Samfisher]

Are you sure you have space for 2?  On my friends ITX board in the Prodigy, the GPU is already sitting pretty darn close to the side panel door with no room for anything else.

[waxer_R6]

Hey there if you want to SLI and have an AIO should not go for an h100i or anything that has a 240 rad. It won't fit into your case at all! Take two reference cards and a motherboard that leaves a gap between your GPUs so that you can fully use the five pci slots of the case if you use the prodigy, then make your top fans as intakes so the two GPUs are blowing the air out of the case because if you have those open air gpu-coolers the heat accumulates in your case. And for the AIO go for a single rad (120 or 140) mounting to the back exhaust so you have a good directional airflow.

[ChaosGoW]

 

 

Ah i see. But alot of people have compatibility issues with the H100i referring to the "Expensive for what it is"

And oh, what would be better, Intel ethernet or killer ethernet ?

I was refering to the motherboard when I said "Expensive for what it is". Regarding the AIO, I went with corsair because I trust them, have used many of their products in the past without issue so I'll continue with that until my experiences change. As for the ethernet port, people seem to prefer the Intel one but I don't think it matters a great deal unless you're constantly using it for multiple applications (like gaming + moving large files + streaming + some other stuff)

[Aristocrates]

I have 2 Strix 980s on a maximus vii gene in a node 804. This computer couldn't be more mATX and I get great temps. It's got almost everything to do with the cards. My 290x was constantly throttling no matter what I did, so I got 1 980 and it was amazing, I then ordered another a couple of days later and it was still fine, amazing in fact. 24/7 clocks of 1400 boost, neither card hits 75degC and neither of them throttle. The fans do get a little loud under a full load but I wear headphones while I game so w/e.

You can do SLI in a small case as long as you put enough fans and pick the right parts

This ^

 

Strix ftw

[mapegl]

Suggestion for motherboard would be the sniper m5. The advantage is that it runs in 8x/8x in the top and very bottom PCIe slot. So you can leave a gap between the gpus and still get high bandwidth.

It is not a huge gain over 16x/4 on some other boards, but if i went all out I would want every last bit of performance.

[Rexchaos]

Are you sure you have space for 2?  On my friends ITX board in the Prodigy, the GPU is already sitting pretty darn close to the side panel door with no room for anything else.

I'm not really that sure. but i have the m-atx version so it should be able to fit, m-atx boards which should realistically be sli'able.

but im curious about that question since my friend has a the ITX prodigy and he believes that if he mods it, he can fit what i have in my m-atx, 2x 970's and a aio inside.

While im skeptical, it might work? not sure

 

Hey there if you want to SLI and have an AIO should not go for an h100i or anything that has a 240 rad. It won't fit into your case at all! Take two reference cards and a motherboard that leaves a gap between your GPUs so that you can fully use the five pci slots of the case if you use the prodigy, then make your top fans as intakes so the two GPUs are blowing the air out of the case because if you have those open air gpu-coolers the heat accumulates in your case. And for the AIO go for a single rad (120 or 140) mounting to the back exhaust so you have a good directional airflow.

What kind of fans would i use for the intake? Sorry im kind of a noob at this and im confused about push/pull configs and all that. also what rads would you recommend? 120 or 140 apparently? How would it impact my overclocking and temperatures relative to the 240 rads?

 

Suggestion for motherboard would be the sniper m5. The advantage is that it runs in 8x/8x in the top and very bottom PCIe slot. So you can leave a gap between the gpus and still get high bandwidth.

It is not a huge gain over 16x/4 on some other boards, but if i went all out I would want every last bit of performance.

Not sure if theres a z97 version but it shows only the Z87 version of the Sniper m5. Also im pretty skeptical about the sniper mb's because i been hearing both negative and some positive reviews about it..

[mapegl]

Not sure if theres a z97 version but it shows only the Z87 version of the Sniper m5. Also im pretty skeptical about the sniper mb's because i been hearing both negative and some positive reviews about it..

Well I can't tell you if it is perfect unfortunately. I would take an ASUS board over gigabyte any day, but all their mATX boards are layed out to have gpus in the first and third slot, therefore not leaving a gap in between the gpus.

but linus used the sniper in one of his builds as well and I hope he is not using crappy hardware. Of course that is not really proof of anything.

I would highly suggest giving the gpus as much air as possible to have a good experience and that means leaving slot three unpopulated.

[Daniel91]

Looking for a 970 that i will SLI into a Bitfenix Prodigy M ATX case

 

Mainly looking @ Asus,Msi and Gigabyte

Asus Strix 970, Msi Gaming 970 4g and Gigabyte g1 970

 

Also since my case is rather small, it would be effective to get x1 aftermarket cooler and on second slot get a reference cooler correct?

 

I have no idea what kind of motherboard i should get to OC this beast.

 

Looking for a M-ATX case,

Mainly looking for Onboard sound quality, 60 ohm impedence for hyperx cloud, performance and reliability. Price would be max $200 usd.

 

I live in the US and also have a micro center nearby if that would help slim down options and pricing.

Case wise I'd go for a N200 with window (High ventalations)

the Best GTX 970 would be the G1 Gaming for gigabyte but I wouls suggest to you the MSI  Twin Frozr 5 GTX 970 4GB, for it's shorter length and it's Zero frozr driver(Fans don't turn on till 60 dgrees)

 

i'm overclocking my babies on a Asus Gryphon Z97 armour ED

SLI Gigabyte G1 Gaming  GTX 970s (both at 1589mhz but takes up alot of space)

Dual CoolerMaster JetFlo 120mm for intakes at 1600rpm

[waxer_R6]

Concerning the intake fans:

If you have enough money take noctua fans tell me if you want some specific ones. Or if you care about the looks go for bitfenix spectre (whatever color you like) 120mm they do decently well.

and for the radiator, what cpu are you looking for?

for example if you take an i7 4790k, the H80i from corsair or the x41 from NZXT are a good choice.

And push pull is not necessary. Pull is enough. And for further information watch linus video about it.

And the sniper m5 is also a good choie because of the gap between the GPUs as mentioned above.

[Doldey123]

I'd say the gigabyte gtx 970 g1 gaming

[waxer_R6]

Would help you more if you have some more concrete preferences.