Decent model of GTX 970 these days?

[IdortMasterRace]

Getting a 970 this week, any specifically good models? What are some of the best manufacturers (Gigabyte, EVGA, etc.) these days?

 

Was looking at http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00NQ862GY/ but maybe there's something better. £275 is probably the limit I can spend.

 

Obviously things like temps, clocking ability, comapany's RMA process, extra features like a backplate, etc. to be taken into account.

[CommandMan7]

The best standard (non super high end ultra LN2 OC'er) card is the Gigabyte Xtreme Gaming, but it seems to be much more expensive in the UK. So yeah, the Gigabyte G1 gaming is the next best option. I own one, it's reliable and OC's great. 

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/GIGABYTE-XTREME-GAMING-NVIDIA-Graphics/dp/B01842BJL4/ref=sr_1_2?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1448897792&sr=1-2&keywords=Gigabyte+xtreme+970

[Fluxx]

I have the G1 and it's ok but mine doesn't overclock as well as I thought it would though, maybe I was just unlucky.

[Nacho Marco Segui]

Msi,for quietness,Gigabyte for oc ability and EVGA for excellent support

[Kinda Bottlenecked]

Gigabyte G1 is pretty well received.

[IdortMasterRace]

The best standard (non super high end ultra LN2 OC'er) card is the Gigabyte Xtreme Gaming, but it seems to be much more expensive in the UK. So yeah, the Gigabyte G1 gaming is the next best option. I own one, it's reliable and OC's great. 

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/GIGABYTE-XTREME-GAMING-NVIDIA-Graphics/dp/B01842BJL4/ref=sr_1_2?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1448897792&sr=1-2&keywords=Gigabyte+xtreme+970

 

It's £305 on Scan. What are the differences with the Xtreme version?

[SolarNova]

Msi,for quietness,Gigabyte for oc ability and EVGA for excellent support

Pretty much this.

 

Also consider aesthetics if ur PC is built to look nice if ur not going to go mad with OC'ing u might as well just make the decision based on price and looks.

 

EDIT:

 

Also since ur in the Uk check out these sites

 

Scan

Aria

OverclockersUK

Novatech

Ebuyer (though iv had bad experience with returns)

Dabs

[Dr_Pleeper]

Might be a little expensive, but I highly recommend the GALAX HOF GTX 970.

[HmmR]

asus is my favorite and one of the quietest  

[SkilledRebuilds]

Gigabyte G1 Gaming here... with the 1.275v modded bios in the GTX970 owners club thread.

PC is on my desk next to my mouse (tells you the distance)

I can't even hear my GPU under load, due to it doesn't go past 65% fan speed, hovers in the low 60's.

Boosts to 1404Mhz coreclock on its own,....overclocks to 1550/7600 and stays around 75-82*c (ambient temp variance)

Love this thing!

[CommandMan7]

It's £305 on Scan. What are the differences with the Xtreme version?

Just slight improvements, slightly higher numbers and some RGB stuff.

 

Comparison from Gigabyte's Website:

http://www.gigabyte.us/products/comparison/list.aspx?ck=3&pids=5209,5682

 

Also, the Xtreme Gaming has a 10+2 phase VRM and the G1 Gaming has a 6 phase VRM. Also, the Xtreme Gaming cooler is slightly better.

[Vellinious]

Other than the STRIX, and the Galax cards and some of the other cheaper brands like Inno, they all have about the same ability to overclock.  MSI Gaming (not the LE), the Gigabyte G1, and the EVGA ACX 2.0+ cards are all really good cards, and overclocking will depend on the silicon.  None of them are binned, so it's just a luck o' the draw.  If you plan to overclock them a whole lot, and push them, you'll need to run a modded bios, so make sure to get a card with a dual bios...remove the drama with flashing the bios.  Makes life easier.  Without modding the bios, you won't get a really high overclock out of any of them without hitting the power limit perf cap.

I own the EVGA GTX 970 FTW, and run 1633 on the core and 2176 on the memory @ 1.275v in Firestrike runs on a modded bios with water cooling.  WIth my cards in SLI, I can only get to 1616 on the core and 2120 on the memory.  

G'luck

[IdortMasterRace]

Just slight improvements, slightly higher numbers and some RGB stuff.

 

Comparison from Gigabyte's Website:

http://www.gigabyte.us/products/comparison/list.aspx?ck=3&pids=5209,5682

 

Also, the Xtreme Gaming has a 10+2 phase VRM and the G1 Gaming has a 6 phase VRM. Also, the Xtreme Gaming cooler is slightly better.

 

Mm. Do any of these numbers mean much in reality? Seems like a stretch for an extra £30.

 

My gaming is limited to only 1920x1080 too, right now.

[msvelev]

I struggled with the same problem a while back, got a G1 at the end. No regrets so far.

[CommandMan7]

Mm. Do any of these numbers mean much in reality? Seems like a stretch for an extra £30.

 

My gaming is limited to only 1920x1080 too, right now.

 

Not really, the G1 Gaming overclocks plenty. You could probably squeeze an extra 100 or so Mhz out of the Xtreme Gaming model. But at that point you're edging into watercooling territory, something I assume you're not doing. The G1 strikes a good balance between OC'ing and price, it essentially hits the sweet spot where it reaches the very edge of what is possible on air, but you're not wasting money for anything past air cooling. Also, there are many, many, custom BIOS's and great documentation for the G1 because it's so popular and has been out for a while. Also, I'd recommend eventually upgrading displays to a triple 1080p setup, like me. It pushes the card to maximum, but can still hit max settings. The amount of pixels of triple 1080p is somewhere above 1440p, but less than 4k. 

[IdortMasterRace]

Alright, thanks for the help. Going to grab the standard G1 then.

[Citadelen]

Yeah it's called the R9 390. Generally better, around £30 cheaper.

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sapphire-R9%C2%A0Nitro-390%C2%A0-%C2%A08GB-GDDR5%C2%A0-%C2%A0512-bit-DVI-D/dp/B0152WZYLU/ref=sr_1_4?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1448904619&sr=1-4&keywords=R9+390

[IdortMasterRace]

Yeah it's called the R9 390. Generally better, around £30 cheaper.

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sapphire-R9%C2%A0Nitro-390%C2%A0-%C2%A08GB-GDDR5%C2%A0-%C2%A0512-bit-DVI-D/dp/B0152WZYLU/ref=sr_1_4?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1448904619&sr=1-4&keywords=R9+390

 

Except that card is £30~ more expensive than a standard Gigabyte 970. And it's by Sapphire. And it's AMD.

 

I'll stick with the 970 thanks.

[Citadelen]

What does it being from AMD matter? Sapphire is the best maker of AMD cards.

 

http://www.novatech.co.uk/products/components/amdradeongraphicscards/amdr9390series/Gigabyte/GV-R939G1GAMING-8GD.html?gclid=CjwKEAiAhPCyBRCtwMDS5tzT03gSJADZ8VjRdx0OIM1VgNr_qbPCtAl3BFmy5atM3nrqdec2RZjf6RoCOU_w_wcB#utm_source=google&utm_medium=base&utm_campaign=products

 

Other than simply preferring Nvidia there's no reason to not go with the 390.

[Vellinious]

What does it being from AMD matter? Sapphire is the best maker of AMD cards.

 

http://www.novatech.co.uk/products/components/amdradeongraphicscards/amdr9390series/Gigabyte/GV-R939G1GAMING-8GD.html?gclid=CjwKEAiAhPCyBRCtwMDS5tzT03gSJADZ8VjRdx0OIM1VgNr_qbPCtAl3BFmy5atM3nrqdec2RZjf6RoCOU_w_wcB#utm_source=google&utm_medium=base&utm_campaign=products

 

Other than simply preferring Nvidia there's no reason to not go with the 390.

Other than the fact that he's already stated he wants to overclock, and the 970 has a lot more head room for it, and ends up performing better than the 390 at the end of the overclocking rainbow.  Especially in 1080 gaming.  Haven't found a 390 yet that could hang with my 970.....  Now, the 8GB 290X that's also in the same price range, at least in the US, is something I'd consider over the 970, but.....certainly not the 390.  I haven't been impressed with anything I've seen from them.

[Citadelen]

At the end of overclocking the 390 performs better than the 970, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9cKZiJw6Pk, the 390 overclocks very well considering that it hasn't had it's compute functionality ripped out.

[Nena Trinity]

I say MSI(390 or 970), EVGA 970 or best of all Sapphire R9 390!

[Vellinious]

At the end of overclocking the 390 performs better than the 970, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9cKZiJw6Pk, the 390 overclocks very well considering that it hasn't had it's compute functionality ripped out.

Those aren't overclocks, jr.....those are "mild overclocks" at best.  Block both cards, custom bios, crank the voltage and overclock them like they're made to do, and the 970 pulls ahead by quite a ways.  Like I said....haven't seen a 390 yet that could keep up with my 970....or, half of the 970s that I've made bios files for and helped to get them tuned in.  

lol, it's a cute video though.

[Citadelen]

@Vellinious At those overclocks the 390 pulls ahead, though with a budget of £275 OP isn't going to be using water cooling, If we do take it into account the 390 should be able to hit higher frequencies as well. You may also have done very well on the silicone lottery, that doesn't represent the majority of 970 owners. That video was uploaded in July as well, the Crimson drivers gave a 5-10% boost on most games. When it comes to the hardware of the card the 390 is simply better, and seeing how AMD have been putting a major focus on their drivers recently I expect that future drivers will on widen the performance gap.  

[Vellinious]

@Vellinious At those overclocks the 390 pulls ahead, though with a budget of £275 OP isn't going to be using water cooling, If we do take it into account the 390 should be able to hit higher frequencies as well. You may also have done very well on the silicone lottery, that doesn't represent the majority of 970 owners. That video was uploaded in July as well, the Crimson drivers gave a 5-10% boost on most games. When it comes to the hardware of the card the 390 is simply better, and seeing how AMD have been putting a major focus on their drivers recently I expect that future drivers will on widen the performance gap.

 

There are a lot of 970s out there that perform just as well as mine do.  The 390s are just inferior at this level of overclocking because they don't have the headroom.  The architecture is just at the end of it's serviceable limits.  It's done.  He said he wanted to overclock....I gave him the skinny on the outcomes of the overclocking.  

If it were me, I'd just go buy the 8GB 290X and be done with it, but....someone brought up the 390, as always happens in this forum.  /rolls eyes  Vs the 970 for overclocking?  I wouldn't even consider the 390, when the 8GB 290X and the 970 are sitting right there at about the same price points.  

Enjoy your day.  = )