GTX 970 Gigabyte vs MSI vs Asus.

[MrDynamicMan]

I recommend the gigabyte, I'm not sure if it's just me but I saw a vid and the fan shroud on the msi looked plasticky and cheap. The gigabyte on the other hand has a sexy backplate, three fans, and a fully metal fan shroud. I just think it'll last longer and look quality.

[MrDynamicMan]

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

Th msi fan shroud is also plastic, I wouldn't recommend it.

[Bhav]

That Inno one looks amazing, the small top fan is placed where the heatpipes rise out of the GPU, so the bit of cooling from that could help significantly.

Its 2.5 slot though, so watch out for that.

Backplates don't really help at all with cooling, they do add to durability, prevent sagging, and look nice. However my Gigabyte Windforce OCs don't have a backplate and still OC to over 1500 Mhz core and 8200 mhz ram, and I actually like the look of the bare PCB through my side window.

I havnt gotten any sagging yet, but if that does happen it might take a while. But the cards felt very light to me compared to my previous 680s, so I don't think sagging would become an issue.

And as mentioned, the Windforce OC is a nice way to get a sweet clocking 970 while saving approx £20-£25 per card.

[Demozwolf]

Msi be a use it cheaper and it's a great overclocker and it's sexy

and you get swagg

[Bhav]

If you want cheaper and great overclocker, the Gigabyte windforce OC is great for that.

 

I was going to get the Gainward Phantoms first, but then I noticed the Gigabytes in stock and they are even cheaper.

 

If it costs more than a Windforce OC, and isnt a G1, MSI, Asus or EVGA, its not recommended. 

[ZmanFTW]

If you want cheaper and great overclocker, the Gigabyte windforce OC is great for that.

 

I was going to get the Gainward Phantoms first, but then I noticed the Gigabytes in stock and they are even cheaper.

 

If it costs more than a Windforce OC, and isnt a G1, MSI, Asus or EVGA, its not recommended. 

 

I thought I would be Asus cards from here on out but I have to admit that the Gigabyte currently sounds like the best option. Good luck trying to find one in stock though! By the time I am ready to upgrade there may be even better 980's. When GTX 1080(?!) comes I will get a GTX 980...it might be a while! Does anybody know the naming scheme of the next generation of cards from Nvidia? Hard for me to believe that they will name it GTX 1080p!

[Bhav]

This is pretty silly, OCUK raised the price on the Windforce OC to the same as the G1, maybe because they have too many backorders on it?

 

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-149-GI&groupid=701&catid=1914&subcat=1010

 

Scan have the price at £279 now:

 

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/4gb-gigabyte-gtx-970-windforce-3-oc-7010mhz-gddr5-gpu-1114mhz-boost-1253mhz-1664-cores-3x-dp-1x-dvi-

 

Both OOS though, I got mine for £275, at that price they were the cheapest custom cooled version, even less than the Palit Jetstream and Gainward Phantom.

[The Guy That Loves Pc's]

I say gigabyte but MSI is a good option as well. The gigabyte version stays slightly cooler and has the highest voltage limit out of all 970's, BUT it's very tall and might not fit in your case. As of looks i prefer the gigabyte version as well but that's just my opinion, I can't say the MSI version looks bad though it looks pretty cool imo as well.

[Doughnutnator]

If you want performance, go with the G1. It's the best 970 for OC, and it's the only one that it's allowed to draw 280 watts for more OC. I will give you my opinion: I will never buy semi passive cards. Yeah, maxwell is efficient and can be passively cooled. But I watched a video of a thermal camera recording a Strix 970. The VRM's gets too damn hot. Like 95+ C°. That doesn't happen in the actively cooled cards.

I think that a G1 970 will last more than a MSI-Strix 970.

It's not that expensive, has a backplate, it's cherry picked and has a lot of OC headroom. Anyways if you don't have money the MSI is a good option.

[Krytopsy]

EVGA

[Kaarlis_]

I am still torn between the 3 even after reading tons of reviews, etc.

I am dropping G1 because it cannot shut off fans when running low temp.

While ASUS has a backplate, it is super limited to OC, because you have to remove max spin for fans which disables fans not running on low temps.

MSI doesn't have a backplate so it might sag and get hotter, hence loosing speed.

 

Or am I just paranoid and ASUS can be OCed to 1500 without tinkering with fans and MSI's sagging isn't that bad lack of backplate is no issue.

 

I have also considered EVGA, but its super hard to get in eastern Europe.

 

Rest of systemfor reference:

i5-4690K

ASUS Z97 PRO-GAMER

EVO 840 250 GB SSD

ETS-T40-TB

Crucial Ballistix 8GB

FSP 600W Gold

FD Define R4

 

Going for LG 34UC97

[Zweihander]

 

I am still torn between the 3 even after reading tons of reviews, etc

 

All the 970s perform relatively well...keep an eye out for a good sale, or buy whichever one suits your needs most. 

[arniks8]

I am still torn between the 3 even after reading tons of reviews, etc.

I am dropping G1 because it cannot shut off fans when running low temp.

While ASUS has a backplate, it is super limited to OC, because you have to remove max spin for fans which disables fans not running on low temps.

MSI doesn't have a backplate so it might sag and get hotter, hence loosing speed.

Or am I just paranoid and ASUS can be OCed to 1500 without tinkering with fans and MSI's sagging isn't that bad lack of backplate is no issue.

I have also considered EVGA, but its super hard to get in eastern Europe.

Rest of systemfor reference:

i5-4690K

ASUS Z97 PRO-GAMER

EVO 840 250 GB SSD

ETS-T40-TB

Crucial Ballistix 8GB

FSP 600W Gold

FD Define R4

Going for LG 34UC97

Go for G1. Yes it doesn't have 0dB mode, but screw that shit, it's cooler than others while remaining silent engouh and G1 yields higher overclocking potential.

Starp citu Latvijā strix maksā vairāk kā G1 un MSI( translation: BTW in latvia strix is overpriced and costs more than G1 and MSI).