Which GTX970 to get..

[Janeyadonnah]

The time has come around build a new PC for my sister and as her processor (i7-2600 @3.4Ghz) is still quite good and the RAM (12GB) is plenty the GPU is worth an upgrade.

Now the GTX550ti is getting pretty toasty and I decided to go with a GTX970!

 

As it is supposed to be quite quiet I don't think a Blower Style Cooler would be appropiate.

So with which Vendor to go?

Here are the options in my country with current pricing: (Read here) (I know its german but I think you should be able to identify them!)

The price shouldn't overgo the 350€ mark!

Idc about the length as long as it is not more than 300mm

 

So with which model to go?

Please tell me your suggestions!

[PlayStation 2]

just get a 390 unless you're doing photoshop/premier pro/after effects

[DarkBlade2117]

Sapphire R9 390 8...

I MEAN EVGA ACx2.0 or any MSI.

Wait.. You know what I meant

[don_svetlio]

Sapphire or MSI 390

[Shoob]

http://www.heise.de/preisvergleich/sapphire-radeon-r9-390-nitro-11244-00-20g-a1280763.html?hloc=at&hloc=de

or

http://www.heise.de/preisvergleich/msi-r9-390-gaming-8g-v308-041r-a1282069.html?hloc=at&hloc=de

[Bananasplit_00]

if you want a blower 970 go for the stock or the gtx 970 turbo, its awesome looking

[jimakos234]

Get the gtx R9 390 8gb(msi,nitro,powercolor,xfx).....

 

or the gigabyte g1 970.

[manikyath]

so, waving over the users recommending AMD, i'm gonna get into the GTX970 side of things.

 

what'll your sister be doing with her system?

 

if she's the stereotypical sister, it'll be used for cat videos and sims.

 

in which case, get one with the zero fan thingy. it's amazing.

 

i have the strix, which isnt known for its legendary cooling performance, and when my system is idle, the entire system is whisper quiet, to the point the highway half a mile away with a forest in between makes more noise.

--

i cant confirm this, but i've heard the gigabyte G1 is loud as all hell compared to the others.

[Kinda Bottlenecked]

Get the gtx R9 390 8gb(msi,nitro,powercolor,xfx).....

 

or the gigabyte g1 970.

 

Sadly the G1 is 312mm. 12mm over OP's requirement. 

[jimakos234]

Sadly the G1 is 312mm. 12mm over OP's requirement. 

my bad, evga seems the best option here, or the gigabyte one that has 1 fan and is designed for mATX builds.

[Janeyadonnah]

- snip -

 

Yeah she's playing GTAV, Lol in 1080p and I already thought about that zero-fan-mode-thingy.

 

As everybody is recommending the R9 390, is it really a performance gain over the gtx970?

[AresKrieger]

 

--

i cant confirm this, but i've heard the gigabyte G1 is loud as all hell compared to the others.

I have one and it's stock boost speed is around 1440 Mhz it is beast

 

snip

The G1 gaming is the best in performance I know of for 970's so if you get a 970 I'd say go with that, it is 348 euros so at the top of you budget, but it won't fit sorry about that

Edited September 17, 2015 by AresKrieger

[manikyath]

my bad, evga seems the best option here, or the gigabyte one that has 1 fan and is designed for mATX builds.

i've heard much good from evga, but for some reason they arent all that common around here. (i actually only know of one store in belgium that carries them)

 

i'm probably gonna bet on one of the ACX2 EVGA cards, or one of the red MSIs

[AresKrieger]

Yeah she's playing GTAV, Lol in 1080p and I already thought about that zero-fan-mode-thingy.

 

As everybody is recommending the R9 390, is it really a performance gain over the gtx970?

generally yes

[xAcid9]

Yeah she's playing GTAV, Lol in 1080p and I already thought about that zero-fan-mode-thingy.

 

As everybody is recommending the R9 390, is it really a performance gain over the gtx970?

Yes but not in GTA5.

[manikyath]

Yeah she's playing GTAV, Lol in 1080p and I already thought about that zero-fan-mode-thingy.

 

As everybody is recommending the R9 390, is it really a performance gain over the gtx970?

http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/gta_v_pc_graphics_performance_review,5.html

 

according to this source the 290 and 290x perform similar to the 970, but theres more things to consider than straight forward performance (for me at least)

[EarthboundHero]

Yeah she's playing GTAV, Lol in 1080p and I already thought about that zero-fan-mode-thingy.

 

As everybody is recommending the R9 390, is it really a performance gain over the gtx970?

They throw punches back and forth. It really depends on the game. But the 390 has double hte usable VRAM and over double the amount of fast VRAM.

[manikyath]

They throw punches back and forth. It really depends on the game. But the 390 has double hte usable VRAM and over double the amount of fast VRAM.

which honestly, the "3.5GB" is *fine* for GTA V. VRAM doesnt equal performance. and i'm running my singular 970 just fine, even when playing multiple games at once every so often.

 

from my experience, unless your game is an absolute VRAM hog, the core caps out before the memory does.

[manikyath]

I have one and it's stock boost speed is around 1440 Mhz it is beast

interesting how you quote a post about nosie with a post about performance.

i feel like theres regrets burried deep inside somewhere?

[EarthboundHero]

which honestly, the "3.5GB" is *fine* for GTA V. VRAM doesnt equal performance. and i'm running my singular 970 just fine, even when playing multiple games at once every so often.

 

from my experience, unless your game is an absolute VRAM hog, the core caps out before the memory does.

I've had over 4GB of VRAM usage on my 390. Mainly when using VSR.

[manikyath]

I've had over 4GB of VRAM usage on my 390. Mainly when using VSR.

wellyes, because you're "rendering" in 4K

 

i should actually do some tests on source engine (my favourite engine to test on, mainly because i like watching lostcoast) to see how much resolution impacts vram usage.

[AresKrieger]

interesting how you quote a post about nosie with a post about performance.

i feel like theres regrets burried deep inside somewhere?

No it's not that loud--> if it didn't resonate with my glass side window  , but it might be louder than some other ones idk I don't have those

[manikyath]

No it's not that loud--> if it didn't resonate with my glass side window  , but it might be louder than some other ones idk I don't have those

ah, the good old resonating.

 

my hard drive resonates with my fan filter. fun times

[Shoob]

Yeah she's playing GTAV, Lol in 1080p and I already thought about that zero-fan-mode-thingy.

 

As everybody is recommending the R9 390, is it really a performance gain over the gtx970?

 

In most games they perform within 2-3 FPS difference and in some the 390 really pulls ahead. Overall the 390 is a better bang for the buck and the only downside of it is the higher power consumption. If you want a GTX 970, check EVGA GeForce GTX 970 SSC ACX 2.0+. It's a solid card.

 

For GTA 5 check this

[Janeyadonnah]

SO with an emphasis on quietness i think I'll take the 970 over the 390 as the 390 runs really hot and the fans always spin unless it has a *massive* cooler.

And to the suggestion of @manikyath i took al look at the zero-fan-mode ones and found the Palit GeForce GTX 970 JetStream with quite good rezensations!

what's your opinion on that one?