GTX 980 Reference vs Non Reference

[NumeroSieben]

Hello everyone, i had a thread a while ago in the build forum asking about the best way to push the screen i'm going to have (ROG swift 144hz) to the absolute highest performance i can get. the consensus was GTX 980 2 way SLI (best option within my budget)

 

So it really comes down to GTX 980 reference cards vs non reference. I have a case with good airflow (Air 540) and want the best overclock possible. So are the aftermarket models (MSI gaming, Gigabyte g1 gaming, Asus STRIX etc) worth the price premium (80-130 dollars over reference where i am) or am i effectively getting no extra performance. When it comes to overclocking reference cards, which already seem to run hot at 80 degrees, am i going to hit performance throttling very early on? It's very important to me that i get maximum frames per second out of my build (Even if it's not tangibly visible, say 100 frames per second at 1440p in a game over 90, hititng the 100 is still important to me.)

 

I have searched all over the web and can't seem to get a straight answer to this question. Especially not for this specific card setup. Also, theres decent card spacing and the high airflow on the case makes the blower vs aftermarket coolers a non-issue i believe, so please answer in terms of performance of what i can get, rather than an answer i see a lot "reference blowers are better for SLI"

 

thanks a lot!

 

[hiyayhi]

Yes, the after market solutions will perform much better especially the gigabyte windforce 980 seems to be a clear winner this time around. If you can, try and get a pcie space (or two) between the cards, but if not, it shouldn't bee too much of a problem in that case.

[ImBleu]

People rave about the Gigabyte G1 970 and 980. It must be good. Consider Zotac's AMP! Extreme or whatever they call it too. 

 

Personally, reference is beautiful and the difference between coolers is negligible to me. Once I'm at a playable frame rate (24fps according to ubisoft) and have quality up I'm happy.

[Recon97]

People rave about the Gigabyte G1 970 and 980. It must be good. Consider Zotac's AMP! Extreme or whatever they call it too.

Personally, reference is beautiful and the difference between coolers is negligible to me. Once I'm at a playable frame rate (24fps according to ubisoft) and have quality up I'm happy.

Correct.970 and 980 don't even need aftermarket coolwr on it since it consumes less power so less heat production.

[BrandedUpontheGrave]

You can't get a straight answer because you're never going to be guaranteed that level of performance, namely not all games support SLI most AAA titles do these days but not necessarily at launch, and different games will be harder to run than others, and even if SLI is supported not all games scale as well across the two cards.

 

That said the 980s aren't just the best performers in your budget they're the most powerful graphics cards on the market PERIOD regardless of budget, in other words if they can't pull the feat off it cannot yet be done.

[bomerr]

Do not get a reference gtx 980 no matter what you do. I'm returning mine later today. It's crazy overpriced for the minimal gains over the 970. the increased efficiently by the maxwell architecture means it's suited to overlocking and that is exactly what you need to do on a gtx 980 or else the cost isn't worth it. 

 

Gigabyte G1 is probably the best aftermarket cooler. Second would be asus strix. 

[Recon97]

Do not get a reference gtx 980 no matter what you do. I'm returning mine later today. It's crazy overpriced for the minimal gains over the 970. the increased efficiently by the maxwell architecture means it's suited to overlocking and that is exactly what you need to do on a gtx 980 or else the cost isn't worth it.

Gigabyte G1 is probably the best aftermarket cooler. Second would be asus strix.

980 wins 970 by 15 to 20 fps

[Chelsi_Gamer]

I was able to get 120fps solid on every game at 1440p with low AA. But I was overclocking my monitors refresh rate which isn't that safe. However, my cards start to coil whine (slightly audible) at 100+ fps so keep that in mind. 2 970's are a beast!

[Recon97]

I was able to get 120fps solid on every game at 1440p with low AA. But I was overclocking my monitors refresh rate which isn't that safe. However, my cards start to coil whine (slightly audible) at 100+ fps so keep that in mind. 2 970's are a beast!

2 980s are beast.

[Chelsi_Gamer]

2 980s are beast.

Ya but I paid less than 700 for 2 970s. So much value

[NumeroSieben]

Ya but I paid less than 700 for 2 970s. So much value

 

I know the 970s are incredible value, but i'm deliberately trying to push as hard as i can, not just stay on the area of value haha. I want dat 144fps in as many games on as highest settings as possible because ive seen some amazing benchmarks with a SLI 980 setup even before overclock

 

Seems like everyone here really loves the gigabyte g1 and for the most part reccomends the aftermarket solution rather than reference, i think i will be going with gigabyte this time although i certainly was interested in MSI a bit due to the looks, but i cant argue with a card that everyone says is the best everywhere i go haha. Thanks everyone!

[Chelsi_Gamer]

I know the 970s are incredible value, but i'm deliberately trying to push as hard as i can, not just stay on the area of value haha. I want dat 144fps in as many games on as highest settings as possible because ive seen some amazing benchmarks with a SLI 980 setup even before overclock

Seems like everyone here really loves the gigabyte g1 and for the most part reccomends the aftermarket solution rather than reference, i think i will be going with gigabyte this time although i certainly was interested in MSI a bit due to the looks, but i cant argue with a card that everyone says is the best everywhere i go haha. Thanks everyone!

I have an air 540. Even with zero dba mode on my EVGA SC models they stay under 80*C.

[bomerr]

gigabyte g1 has the biggest aftermarket cooler with the most cooper which is why its highly recommended; numbers back up the product. 

[harharri]

In my opinion there is only one 980 to go for and thats a gigabyte G1 gaming with a windforce cooler, great clock speed and good TDP non reference card as non reference tend to have the higher performance at not to much higher cost.

[Real_PhillBert]

You have a good case that offers decent airflow, no doubt I would go for an aftermarket cooler.

 

As for which one, the silicon lottery has more effect on performance than the differences between the cards. So pick whichever one looks best to you. Asus, Gigabyte, MSI etc. they are all good cards.