GTX 970 Gigabyte vs MSI vs Asus.

[Razzaa]

I have a Zotac 970 and from what i have seen so far my 290 performed better in Valley and Fire strike. I have not gamed with it yet but i dont expect the results to be different. I even OC'd my core to 1300mhz and Mem to 2000mhz. My 290 @ 1200/1500 absolutely destroyed this thing in Valley and Firestrike at those clocks. I dont understand why the reviews have stock speeds beating the 290 and 290x for that matter.

[TechSilver13]

You must have the best 290 ever. I have a 290x lightning at 1200/1600 and the scores in almost all reviews beat my card.

[ZmanFTW]

Pre-ordered ASUS STRIX 970...anyone know why it's late releasing or when it's going to be available?

[Spud387]

I pre-ordered my ASUS Strix 970 today

 

Options were:

• ASUS Strix 970 - $380
• EVGA 970 SC ACX1.0 - $385
• MSI Gaming 970 - $410

How I went about my decision:

EVGA

I love EVGA and their support. I was hoping to get an EVGA card, but based on reviews I am not to pleased with it. Multiple reviewers claim it is quite noisy for a supposedly quiet cooler and this is from reviews with the new ACX2.0 cooler. Stores only have the ACX1.0 coller model in stock. Also, bit-tech.net did a review of the card and noticed electrical noise and poor placement of the cooler.

 

MSI

This seems to be one fo the better 970's out there. great out of the box OC with ability to go higher, good design and cooling solution. I have never owned MSI before and I'll admit some personal preference came into play, but here is why I still did not purchase it. In Canada, it was the most expensive of the 3. It did not have a backplate which lost it some style points, but more importantly did not protect the electronics on the back. Its a great card, but is priced to match.

 

ASUS

One of the lower overclocks out of the box, but is priced the lowest. Reviews have been favorable and give it credit for being very quiet and using quality components. Cannot hit a high overclock like the MSI, but was shown to be able to OC to the same as the EVGA. Based on price/performance and the fact that it is a quality made card with a metal cooler housing, backplate included, no electronic noise and good performance I went with this one.

 

It was a close decision with all 3 and I don't think you can really go wrong with any of them.

 

My unique scenario is I am replacing my GTX 680 2GB 2-way SLI config with one 970. Will I lose some power? yes, but I won't have to deal with the headache of SLI (doesn't like BF4 on my PC in Win8.1) and I get more PSU power availble to OC my CPU as the 680's with my system were cutting my power consumption closer than I'd like.

[Brama]

You guys do not make deciding on a SKU any easier then the Companies them selves. Damn You ALL

[IrshaadH]

You guys do not make deciding on a SKU any easier then the Companies them selves. Damn You ALL

 

I plan on going with the MSI model.  I own a Gigabyte 9750 and while cooling is good, it is extremely noisy due to an aggressive fan curve.  I'm not sure if this is improved with their new cards, though. 

 

I was considering the Strix model, but their 0% fan speed tech results in a high idle temp which I'm not comfortable with. So, the only one left for me is the MSI model given the looks, impressive cooling and good price.

[Brama]

I plan on going with the MSI model.  I own a Gigabyte 9750 and while cooling is good, it is extremely noisy due to an aggressive fan curve.  I'm not sure if this is improved with their new cards, though. 

 

I was considering the Strix model, but their 0% fan speed tech results in a high idle temp which I'm not comfortable with. So, the only one left for me is the MSI model given the looks, impressive cooling and good price.

I have heard good things and bad things about them all. Gigabyte looks the least appealing to me, but I heard it overclocks the highest. Sounds good to me cause idc how ugly something is. If it preforms the best thats all that matters to me. So as long as it runs quietly, and has good cool temperatures I will probably go with the Gigabyte as well, Im gunna wait for more reviews and feedback tho

[ZmanFTW]

I pre-ordered my ASUS Strix 970 today

 

Options were:

• ASUS Strix 970 - $380
• EVGA 970 SC ACX1.0 - $385
• MSI Gaming 970 - $410

How I went about my decision:

EVGA

I love EVGA and their support. I was hoping to get an EVGA card, but based on reviews I am not to pleased with it. Multiple reviewers claim it is quite noisy for a supposedly quiet cooler and this is from reviews with the new ACX2.0 cooler. Stores only have the ACX1.0 coller model in stock. Also, bit-tech.net did a review of the card and noticed electrical noise and poor placement of the cooler.

 

MSI

This seems to be one fo the better 970's out there. great out of the box OC with ability to go higher, good design and cooling solution. I have never owned MSI before and I'll admit some personal preference came into play, but here is why I still did not purchase it. In Canada, it was the most expensive of the 3. It did not have a backplate which lost it some style points, but more importantly did not protect the electronics on the back. Its a great card, but is priced to match.

 

ASUS

One of the lower overclocks out of the box, but is priced the lowest. Reviews have been favorable and give it credit for being very quiet and using quality components. Cannot hit a high overclock like the MSI, but was shown to be able to OC to the same as the EVGA. Based on price/performance and the fact that it is a quality made card with a metal cooler housing, backplate included, no electronic noise and good performance I went with this one.

 

It was a close decision with all 3 and I don't think you can really go wrong with any of them.

 

My unique scenario is I am replacing my GTX 680 2GB 2-way SLI config with one 970. Will I lose some power? yes, but I won't have to deal with the headache of SLI (doesn't like BF4 on my PC in Win8.1) and I get more PSU power availble to OC my CPU as the 680's with my system were cutting my power consumption closer than I'd like.

 

There is an MSI Gaming 970 with backplate which is probably sold out too.

[ZmanFTW]

My ASUS 670 TOP was built like a tank, had great overclocking, stayed cool and quiet. I can deal with mediocre overclocking but I'd rather not deal with noisy fans. Maybe the 65c can be adjusted with GPU Tweak or some other software? If not I'll just set manual fan speed. I'm going to have 2 Noctua 140mm pointed at it also.

[Noctus]

There is an MSI Gaming 970 with backplate which is probably sold out too.

 

So any of the MS gaming 970's have a backplate or just certain type? Pic's ive seen of "gaming" msi 970s don't appear to have the plates, or are they just generic 970 placeholder pics ? Asking cos im 90% going for the msi fzr 5 970 once i save the cash.

[Hemanse]

I have seen some stores have a MSI 970 but with a blower aka stock cooler, that card has a backplate but i would not go for a stock cooler atleast.

 

Does anyone know if you can disable the passive idle cooling thing that both MSI and ASUS have on their cards btw? maybe control it via software.

[Noctus]

I have seen some stores have a MSI 970 but with a blower aka stock cooler, that card has a backplate but i would not go for a stock cooler atleast.

 

Does anyone know if you can disable the passive idle cooling thing that both MSI and ASUS have on their cards btw? maybe control it via software.

 

Well im gonna go for the twin frozr 5 version, was just wondering if there was a gaming twin frozr 5 version with a backplate. As any pics ive seen of one, i either can't see the back or i'm not sure if it's just a generic pic for the card.

[Hemanse]

Well im gonna go for the twin frozr 5 version, was just wondering if there was a gaming twin frozr 5 version with a backplate. As any pics ive seen of one, i either can't see the back or i'm not sure if it's just a generic pic for the card.

 

Asked a danish reviewer that have the TF5 version and it does not have a backplate, probably mostly because it doesnt need it, that was atleast his words, 30 min furmark run and the card never got over 65-68 degrees, that is some impressive sh..

[Noctus]

Asked a danish reviewer that have the TF5 version and it does not have a backplate, probably mostly because it doesnt need it, that was atleast his words, 30 min furmark run and the card never got over 65-68 degrees, that is some impressive sh..

 

Very nice, i'm liking the TF5 more and more. will be able to go dual 970s by xmas ... i hope 

[Hemanse]

Very nice, i'm liking the TF5 more and more. will be able to go dual 970s by xmas ... i hope 

 

Thats kinda my thought aswell, i was thinking going for the 980 but the price is just a bit too high for my liking, ill get a 970 now and if a want a bit more umph ill get a 2nd down the line, then i can also spend the left over cash i have to use my current 770 in another build

[Noctus]

Thats kinda my thought aswell, i was thinking going for the 980 but the price is just a bit too high for my liking, ill get a 970 now and if a want a bit more umph ill get a 2nd down the line, then i can also spend the left over cash i have to use my current 770 in another build

Well as you can see from my sig im still rocking a GTX570 TF3. Any upgrade i get will give me some umph haha .

[ZmanFTW]

So any of the MS gaming 970's have a backplate or just certain type? Pic's ive seen of "gaming" msi 970s don't appear to have the plates, or are they just generic 970 placeholder pics ? Asking cos im 90% going for the msi fzr 5 970 once i save the cash.

 

You are right, I was wrong on this. I'm not sure where I seen them with the backplates but I know it was somewhere. Probably part of the whole rumor mill I guess!

[Noctus]

You are right, I was wrong on this. I'm not sure where I seen them with the backplates but I know it was somewhere. Probably part of the whole rumor mill I guess!

Meh, o well =[

[Fleutius]

Asked a danish reviewer that have the TF5 version and it does not have a backplate, probably mostly because it doesnt need it, that was atleast his words, 30 min furmark run and the card never got over 65-68 degrees, that is some impressive sh..

Care to share some info on that Danish reviewer?

Could use some more reviews from Denmark

Personally I am going for the MSI tv 970

And glad it came out right before I was going to buy a 290

[Noctus]

Care to share some info on that Danish reviewer?

Could use some more reviews from Denmark

Personally I am going for the MSI tv 970

And glad it came out right before I was going to buy a 290

We should petition Linus for a MSI TF5 970 appreciation Badge 

[Hemanse]

Care to share some info on that Danish reviewer?

Could use some more reviews from Denmark

Personally I am going for the MSI tv 970

And glad it came out right before I was going to buy a 290

 

Just read the one from tweak.dk

[chingpot]

I'm eyeing up the Gigabtye G1 970, the lack of plate on the msi is putting me off, also I found this comment about the asus from Bit tech that might be uselful for some

 

One issue we did notice with the ASUS card is that it initially wasn't boosting as high as we'd have expected. We noticed that the fans didn't seem to want to spin beyond 42 percent, apparently prioritising low noise over boost frequency. As such, we set the fans manually to 50 percent, which saw a higher and more constant boost clock emerge. The downside to this is that the fan speed is locked, and won't slow down or enter its passive mode, even when idle.

[ZmanFTW]

Meh, o well =[

Both WCCFTech and VideoCardz.com had this picture...sorry for misleading. I really thought they had backplates.

[Hemanse]

I'm eyeing up the Gigabtye G1 970, the lack of plate on the msi is putting me off, also I found this comment about the asus from Bit tech that might be uselful for some

 

One issue we did notice with the ASUS card is that it initially wasn't boosting as high as we'd have expected. We noticed that the fans didn't seem to want to spin beyond 42 percent, apparently prioritising low noise over boost frequency. As such, we set the fans manually to 50 percent, which saw a higher and more constant boost clock emerge. The downside to this is that the fan speed is locked, and won't slow down or enter its passive mode, even when idle.

 

Think im still gonna end up getting the MSI, i mean my 770 Lightning has a backplate and it certainly havent helped with the heat, probably just got a pretty bad card tho. But then again my decision is also due to the fact that the G1 is 30-40 dollars more expensive here.

[ZmanFTW]

Think im still gonna end up getting the MSI, i mean my 770 Lightning has a backplate and it certainly havent helped with the heat, probably just got a pretty bad card tho. But then again my decision is also due to the fact that the G1 is 30-40 dollars more expensive here.

 

I never really looked at backplates as helping with cooling...maybe...but it does help prevent sagging (from weight). Sagging can put stress on the PCIe x16 slot eventually causing it to malfunction. The backplate helps keep the card solid and rigid. I have used a black shoestring before to prevent sagging! If your motherboard sits horizontally then you have nothing to worry about...but for those of us with towers it is a battle with the heavier cards!

 

Big time price drops on the ASUS GTX 780 and 780 Ti, they are going FAST! I cancelled my GTX 970 order and went with GTX 780. A little less performance but with 2-day shipping it was cheaper than the GTX 970, comes with Bordelands The Pre-Sequel free, and has a $20 rebate. Sweet deal! The ASUS GTX 780 Ti is at $460 now! Also a sweet deal! The GTX ASUS 770 has not dropped yet but most likely it will. They just want to clear out the old stock.

 

By staying one generation behind:

 

Save $200 (or more) off launch price

Free $60 game

$20 rebate

 

Will the next cards be GTX 1080?!