Best non-reference GTX 780 model?

[LeRandomNoob]

Hello all. I'm going to upgrade my PC to a 780, but I can't find up-to-date numbers on which one is best for gaming. I was looking at the Gigabyte Ghz edition because it's the fastest one I could find but whenever I think I've got the right one 2 more show up. Thanks for any responses.

[Ryan Leech]

EVGA Classified. The 14 phase vrm design can handle even the highest of overclocks

[Rorgash]

Asus CO edition, it has the best cooler, its not a lot better but its the best, and most expensive

[ArumanBE]

i think you might want to check the MSI Lightning card. It's a pretty good card with aftermarket cooler on.

[brownninja97]

lightening i think, then there is the classified and the super jetstream, asus is decent but their customer service is shit compared to the others so forget them.

[PillowSmoke]

Yep I would say It's between the EVGA classified and the MSI Lightning Edition. 

[DamDirtyApe]

MSI Lightning, Galaxy Hall of Fame or, my favorite, EVGA Classified.

 

The Classified is pretty renown as a heavy overclock, but all three of these have monster coolers, look amazing and come out of the box at light speeds.

 

Edit: 

[Heisenbleurgh]

EVGA Classified.

[PingPangbv]

Both the EVGA Classified and the MSI Lightning are good candidates. However I would consider that the MSI Lightning makes a slight "whine noise" under load due to the small yellow fan in the middle which may annoy some people.

[IlDuceSaint]

Hello all. I'm going to upgrade my PC to a 780, but I can't find up-to-date numbers on which one is best for gaming. I was looking at the Gigabyte Ghz edition because it's the fastest one I could find but whenever I think I've got the right one 2 more show up. Thanks for any responses.

EVGA

[ChrisxIxCross]

EVGA Classified or the MSI Lightning. Both are beast cards and from that point it all depends on what look or aesthetic you personally prefer.

[Face2Face]

Both the EVGA Classified and the MSI Lightning are good candidates. However I would consider that the MSI Lightning makes a slight "whine noise" under load due to the small yellow fan in the middle which may annoy some people.

I never noticed it unless you manually ramp the fan speed up to 80% or higher. At 75% fan speed or less, it's pretty quiet. The Lightning cooler is arguably the best air cooler on a GTX 780 and has the best power delivery on any GTX 780. I would still opt for a Classified.. Why?  Because most if not all have Hynix or Samsumg memory. There are still a lot of Lightnings out there with Elpida.... including mine. You can't even buy Lightning new anymore in the states.

[Faceman]

@LeRandomNoob

     The "best" and when we say best, meaning unlocked voltage for higher overclocks, the answer is EVGA Classified or MSI Lightning.  Honorable mention to the Asus GTX 780 Poseidon for built in water cooling capabilities.  Those two cards are on the higher end of the price spectrum and are specifically made for extreme overclocks.  If you are looking for a more "plain" non-reference GTX 780 that comes factory overclocked they will all perform roughly the same, so the best way to differentiate them is by cooling capabilities, noise, and brand offerings.

 

     Cooling:  Asus > EVGA > MSI > Gigabyte

     Noise: Gigabyte < EVGA < MSI < Asus

 

The card that offers the best cooling, and the least amount of noise is the Asus GTX 780 DCUII.  But this is not by a large margin, only 2C if I am remembering correctly.  I recently purchased a GTX 780, so I went through this same process.

 

     As far as brand offering, EVGA is the best.. BY FAR.  Their customer service, warranty, and RMA functions are some of the best in the business.  Where they really take the cake is with their Step-Up program.  If you register your card with them, which you will do already for their warranty, they allow you a one time "step-up" to a newer, better card, and you only pay the difference in price.  So say you buy the 780, and in a couple years, you want to upgrade, send in your old 780, pay the difference in price for the new card you want, and viola! You just stepped up.

[Face2Face]

@LeRandomNoob

     The "best" and when we say best, meaning unlocked voltage for higher overclocks, the answer is EVGA Classified or MSI Lightning.  Honorable mention to the Asus GTX 780 Poseidon for built in water cooling capabilities.  Those two cards are on the higher end of the price spectrum and are specifically made for extreme overclocks.  If you are looking for a more "plain" non-reference GTX 780 that comes factory overclocked they will all perform roughly the same, so the best way to differentiate them is by cooling capabilities, noise, and brand offerings.

 

     Cooling:  Asus > EVGA > MSI > Gigabyte

     Noise: Gigabyte < EVGA < MSI < Asus

 

The card that offers the best cooling, and the least amount of noise is the Asus GTX 780 DCUII.  But this is not by a large margin, only 2C if I am remembering correctly.  I recently purchased a GTX 780, so I went through this same process.

 

     As far as brand offering, EVGA is the best.. BY FAR.  Their customer service, warranty, and RMA functions are some of the best in the business.  Where they really take the cake is with their Step-Up program.  If you register your card with them, which you will do already for their warranty, they allow you a one time "step-up" to a newer, better card, and you only pay the difference in price.  So say you buy the 780, and in a couple years, you want to upgrade, send in your old 780, pay the difference in price for the new card you want, and viola! You just stepped up.

Are you sure the step up program still works like that? I thought it was only valid for the first 90 days? 

[DamDirtyApe]

Are you sure the step up program still works like that? I thought it was only valid for the first 90 days? 

Only 90 days for step up regardless of extended warranty.

 

Though if you have an extended warranty, say the 10 year, and your GPU burns out finally in 7 or 8 years, they'll give you whatever they have available that is equal to your original card.  So a 780 might get A... 1150 Ti, or something, lol.

[hal9001]

I just got a Gigabyte 780 Ghz edition yesterday and it's fantastic! Almost 780ti performance for lazy overclockers (:

[VSG]

MSI Lightning, Gigabyte  Galaxy Hall of Fame or, my favorite, EVGA Classified.

 

The Classified is pretty renown as a heavy overclock, but all three of these have monster coolers, look amazing and come out of the box at light speeds.

 

FTFY

[DamDirtyApe]

FTFY

 

<3