Raxzer

If you already own a HTC M8 it's likely not a very smart upgrade, but for others with older phones it's probably a great choice. If it's anything like the M8, it's durable and reliable while being an awesome performer. For someone like me who is stuck with a Nexus 5, I'd seriously consider this. The lacking build-quality when it comes to my Nexus 5 is driving me crazy, so I'd happily take the metal unibody over this cheap-feeling and weak plastic.

After some consideration I've come to the conclusion that I need something quiet. This is due to the fact that I may have others sleeping in the house while I'm gaming, so noise levels may actually be a problem. So I would settle for whatever is the most quiet. These cards perform so well anyways that a few extra megahertz isn't that much of interest if I don't have to listen to a tornado inside of my case. The sad truth is that there aren't that many good "noise tests" out there as far as I've seen. I'm honestly not sure if there's anything from the 900-series that's as quiet as my ASUS GTX 670....

Awesome! Never really seen one of those except for on video.

Yes, it probably would, but I'm not going to take a guess om how much. Your CPU is indeed a bit on the weaker side, so the performance will be inconsistent to say the least. But AMD's more powerful processors are only bottlenecks in CPU-intensive games. Most games will be GPU-limited.

I guess it depends on which game we're talking about. CPU-intensive games will take a hit when it comes to the frame-rate, though most games lean towards taxing the GPU nowadays.

You may face stability-issues if you GPU can't get enough power. Whether or not you'll even be able to boot is something I can't give you an answer on. Your best bet would be to get something better. Going cheap on the PSU is the last thing you should do. You don't have to spend a lot either to get a decent PSU, so I'm really wondering why you chose that model for your build.

Have you checked out the GPU and CPU temperatures? Maybe check out the usage too while you're at it.

Pick up another one while you still can. AMD can't offer you much, so I wouldn't consider that. Double up is my answer. The SLI-profiles aren't too bad, the performance gain will be quite significant.

AMD's lower-tier cards are a pretty good value. You often pay more as you climb in the GPU-hiearchy (with a few exceptions).

In terms of raw compute-performance the GTX 780 Ti does beat the GTX 970 due to it having 2880 CUDA cores versus the GTX 970 and its 1664 CUDA cores. But it's worth noting that this isn't neccesarily the case in other applications. In games the GTX 970 can without doubt hold its own if overclocked. The GTX 780 Ti is terribly inefficient, and in cases where compute-performance isn't key, the GTX 970 often does equally as well due to the efficient architecture.

It all depends on whether you want the best overall package or the best value card. The GTX 970 definitely delivers the best overall package. With amazing software-support, superior efficiency and an extremely good price-to-performance ratio, it's a great choice if you're neither a big spender nor a cheap-ass. You can't go wrong with this one. The R9 290X is surprisingly cheap considering its performance. Though it's very power-hungry while basically acting as a small oven running inside your computer when running at full load, but if you can deal with that it's an excellent value-card. If you can afford that little extra, the GTX 970 will serve you well in the long run with no mentionable compromises. Due to its efficiency, it's not too hard to find a good GTX 970-model. If you want the absolute best at the cost of temperature and efficiency, the R9 290X is a beast. Just remember that you're dependent on a model with a good cooler with this card, or else you'll regret purchasing it.

It must be some kind of error or another interpretation of the memory usage. In SLI and CFX, memory is mirrored. GPUs in a SLI/CFX-configuration operate in AFR, where the graphics processors alternate on rendering frames. This means that they'll both need access to the same information. As far as I've seen, this is either an MSI Afterburner error or an CFX-limitation. Does other monitoring-programs give you the same result?

You'll have to find games without SLI-support then. Otherwise there's no way. But you know that 2*GTX 660 outperforms the HD 7970 significantly, so I fail to see the point. Even if you find just a single game you've still failed to prove a point in that case. The only solution is to find yourself another Hd 7970 or whatever you're running now.

Thanks for some great answers! It looks like the Gigabyte, EVGA and MSI cards are the ones left to consider. I absolutely agree, the GTX 980 STRIX is unpleasantly expensive compared to its competitors, and even though ASUS makes some of the best coolers on the market, it's not worth its price as it stands right now. They are indeed marketing their card with something that isn't really that unique and special It's a shame that the MSI card doesn't come with a backplate. My case seems to collect a lot of dust regardless of fan-configuration, so I have to wipe the back of my card every so often in addition to the other components. I'm really considering the Gigabyte G1 right now. It seems like the overall best choice, and if their cooler isn't the jet-motor that I once remembered from back in the 600-series, I might just jump onboard. I'll do some more research and make a decision as soon as possible. It might be a little off-topic, but I'm also considering going SLI with two GTX 970s if the price/performance and the tradeoffs aren't too bad. I'm a bit afraid that the sound and heat-output would be troublesome, but ti's not something I've put too much thought into.

Some time ago it seemed like the different cards all showed their strengths and weaknesses somehow. The choice was pretty clear at the time when I bought my ASUS GTX due to how quiet it was, but if I wanted raw performance or superior cooling instead I'd still have a clear idea of which version to go for. I feel like I made the best choice I possibly could at that time. Now I'm not so sure. As far as I can see, most of the GTX 980 cards perform incredibly well without many noteworthy compromises. Therefore, I'm having a bit of trouble figuring out which GTX 980 model that will give me the best overall experience. I've grown to favour silence due to the GTX 670 being nearly dead-silent under full load and while idle. Even at 100% the fans are barely noticeable. So the only requirement I have is that the card is somewhat silent, but I guess this is somewhat subjective. So which GTX 980 model can bring the most to the table?