970 FTW or FTW+

[CyDa SlumBummer]

I am building a new rig and have narrowed my gpu down to either the FTW or FTW+. Normally it would be a no brainer with the FTW+ pulling ahead, but I want to put the gpu into my watercooling loop. From the research I have done there are no plans to make a full coverage water block that will be compatitble with the FTW+. The FTW however already has a very nice full cover water block w/ matching backplate from EK. The only thing keeping me on the fence about this is that I keep hearing that the FTW is plagued with all sorts of problems. So I am wondering if I should go ahead and get the FTW or get the FTW+ with no watercooling. Keep in mind that it isn't a huge deal if I can't put it in the loop, I just prefer to if I can. Also, I am not really that worried about the power limit on the FTW vs the FTW+. The extra headroom would be nice but it isn't a deal breaker for me.

[Maslofski]

ive the pcb is the same then the waterblock should also work with the ftw+

[Necrodead]

ive the pcb is the same then the waterblock should also work with the ftw+

It is not, and does not unfortunately.

 

Personally I would go for the FTW and watercool it, but I like watercooling. Most of the bad things I've read about the 970 FTW were to do with its cooler, which you would be removing to watercool, so make your decision based on how you want to cool the card.

[CyDa SlumBummer]

ive the pcb is the same then the waterblock should also work with the ftw+

 

 

It is not, and does not unfortunately.

 

Personally I would go for the FTW and watercool it, but I like watercooling. Most of the bad things I've read about the 970 FTW were to do with its cooler, which you would be removing to watercool, so make your decision based on how you want to cool the card.

Necrodead is right. It would be great if the block would fit but it isn't compatitble. I'm not sure on the details of how the pcb is different but from what I have read it is enough that the block won't fit.

[Maslofski]

Necrodead is right. It would be great if the block would fit but it isn't compatitble. I'm not sure on the details of how the pcb is different but from what I have read it is enough that the block won't fit.

then go with the ftw and OC them to the point where you wont care about the ftw vs ftw+ diference

[CyDa SlumBummer]

then go with the ftw and OC them to the point where you wont care about the ftw vs ftw+ diference

My main issue is that I've heard that there a bunch of problems with the FTW. Are there any notable problems other than the ones that will be fixed when replacing the cooler?

[Necrodead]

My main issue is that I've heard that there a bunch of problems with the FTW. Are there any notable problems other than the ones that will be fixed when replacing the cooler?

Not that I read. The only thing that came up when I searched was that the FTW cooler dosen't always contact the VRM properly, which can lead to a whole host of problems. So I would assume most complaints are based off that issue. Like instability etc.

[CyDa SlumBummer]

Not that I read. The only thing that came up when I searched was that the FTW cooler dosen't always contact the VRM properly, which can lead to a whole host of problems. So I would assume most complaints are based off that issue. Like instability etc.

My research has yielded the same. I have been trying to dig deeper to make sure that there aren't any other obvious causes for the throttling that so many people have been reporting. I did read something about the FTW having bad throttling issues that had to be fixed with a modded BIOS. http://forums.evga.com/Modded-BIOS-to-fix-970-FTW-severe-throttling-issues-w-link-m2247507.aspx

 

The need for modded BIOS to fix the problem doesn't exactly make me confident that using an aftermarket cooler will do the trick. I do however recognize that the throttling could be caused by the misaligned VRM like you said. If that is making it to where it doesn't cool properly then that would definitely make it throttle prematurely just because it is reaching higher temps at lighter loads. This card is going to be an enormous upgrade for me either way since I will be moving to it from my 6 year old GTX 260, but I still want to make sure that my money is going to a quality product.

[Necrodead]

Check this link here, I guess it really down to the TDP limit of the card. I'm not 100% on this, but TDP has something to do with temperature, so keeping it cooler should help, if not solve the problem.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/8568/the-geforce-gtx-970-review-feat-evga/15

 

also this is where I learned about TDP just now so I could make more sense of the article.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDWO177BjZY