GTX 970

[deathtoaster45]

So I'm in the process of buying a new gaming rig. (My first personal build!) Anyways, I've been studying graphics cards and decided on the 970 over the 980, but just because the 980 is a bit over my budget and doesnt offer a whole lot more than the 970. At least not $150-$200 more. So my question is, what is the best GTX 970 card to buy? There are many different brands with some being superclocked , SC+, and SSC? Im just confused as to what really changes and how big of  an impact and difference there is between the SC, SC+, SSC, and the standard edition. Thanks!

 

[Codymm03]

Go for the 390x over the 970. I have a 970 and a 390x but the 390x is in my main rig and the 970 is in my home theater because its cooler and not as good.

[ace_cheaply]

Super clocked is just a factory overclock out of the box, with sc+ and ssc just being slightly higher clocks than the sc.  Do you plan on overclocking the card yourself? If not, just get the one with the highest factory clock and you'll be fine. If so, the g1 gaming, EVGA ftw and classified cards are great for overclocking. 

 

nb4 the best 970 is a R9 390

[DarkBlade2117]

Ifmthe GTX 980 is a little over your budget what about the 390x?

[acercon]

standard edition will come with the stock cooler and clock speed, if you get the EVGA 970 or the G1 970 it will be factory overclocked and usually has a better cooler on it.

[Untouchable]

The EVGA cards that you have listed are factory overclocked, which means when you put it in your rig, it will give better performance then a stock clocked GTX 970.

 

As for your question about which GTX 970 card is the best to buy, I'd recommend the EVGA SSC model, Gigabyte G1 Gaming, or maybe some of the Zotac cards.

 

You may also want to consider an R9 390/X.

[TheKDub]

So I'm in the process of buying a new gaming rig. (My first personal build!) Anyways, I've been studying graphics cards and decided on the 970 over the 980, but just because the 980 is a bit over my budget and doesnt offer a whole lot more than the 970. At least not $150-$200 more. So my question is, what is the best GTX 970 card to buy? There are many different brands with some being superclocked , SC+, and SSC? Im just confused as to what really changes and how big of  an impact and difference there is between the SC, SC+, SSC, and the standard edition. Thanks!

 

Go with the Gigabyte GTX 970 G1 Gaming, compared to the rest of the 970s, it tends to OC the highest, run the coolest and quietest, and it also looks pretty damn nice. (use this tutorial to make it silent at idle: http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/275897-tutorial-how-to-make-your-900-series-video-card-have-a-0-fan-mode/ I used it on my 970 g1 gaming and it worked flawlessly)

[acercon]

Go for the 390x over the 970. I have a 970 and a 390x but the 390x is in my main rig and the 970 is in my home theater because its cooler and not as good.

the 390x is the card that just got released recently right? and what is the differences from 390?

[hoot.]

Don't get a 390X. Get a normal 390. The extra price is not justified in performance. 

[ace_cheaply]

the 390x is the card that just got released recently right? and what is the differences from 390?

390 is $329.99, 390x is $429.99.  The price is 30% for 10-15% performance increase

[19_blackie_73]

If you don't care about power consumption you could also take a look at r9 390/390X.

BUT to your question which 970 to get:

If you are not overclocking or not much and you don't care about backplate, I'd get the Gigabyte GTX 970 Windforce Edition.

If you are overclocking like hell or you like to have a nice backplate, get the Gigabyte GTX 970 Gaming G1.

If you can't get a over 30cm card in your case (that's the problem with the gigabytes), I'd get the MSI GTX970 Gaming 4g or some sort of EVGA superclocked.

I really give you the advise to get an aftermarket cooler, not the reference design. If you want to water cool in the future you should also look if the card has a custom pcb. For watercooling, it is easier to get a waterblock if you have a reference pcb.

[ace_cheaply]

If you don't care about power consumption you could also take a look at r9 390/390X.

BUT to your question which 970 to get:

If you are not overclocking or not much and you don't care about backplate, I'd get the Gigabyte GTX 970 Windforce Edition.

If you are overclocking like hell or you like to have a nice backplate, get the Gigabyte GTX 970 Gaming G1.

If you can't get a over 30cm card in your case (that's the problem with the gigabytes), I'd get the MSI GTX970 Gaming 4g or some sort of EVGA superclocked.

I really give you the advise to get an aftermarket cooler, not the reference design. If you want to water cool in the future you should also look if the card has a custom pcb. For watercooling, it is easier to get a waterblock if you have a reference pcb.

If you're not overclocking, you might as well go with the EVGA ftw as it has the highest clocks, other than zotac amp extreme.