GTX 970 3.5GB HELP!

[jakecurrier33]

Does the GTX 970 use all 4GB GDDR5 or just up to 3.5GB and is it still worth it I can spend up to $560CAN 

[Aytex]

it physically has 4gb

only 3.5 is fast and the lower 0.5 is slower

 

All in all if you want 4gb or more for the same price get a 390/x

 

ayyy 
http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/sapphire-video-card-100381ocl

390x

[JustCallMeVlad]

What resolution do you game at? The whole 3.5gb issue is all smoke

[thekeemo]

Better off with a 390

anyway it can use 4gb of vram its just that the last 0.5gb is very very slow

[Atmos]

In 99% of programs, and all games it can only use 3.5gbs.

 

Check pricing, if its similar in your area, which it most likely is, the 390 performs all around better, costs about the same, and has more than twice the usable vram.

[Aruxx]

If I understand correctly, it has 4GB of VRAM, but .5GB of that is a lower speed.  So once you use up the 3.5GB that is faster, it starts to bog down.  It's still a good card, but at that price range maybe look at what AMD has to offer.  That's my 2c

[Stardar1]

being an owner of such a card i can confirm that the last half gig is slightly slower, but i still use 3.8GB on GTA V and notice no problems

[Aytex]

 but i still use 3.8GB on GTA V

 lel

[kennypotato]

3.5GB runs at full speed (224-bit bus), where .5 GB runs at 1/8 the normal speed (32-bit bus). As i understand it you will stutter after using past 3.5 GB VRAM since the .5 isn't fast enough. An R9 390 is the same price usually and has 8 GB VRAM, also kills the 970 in benches ive seen it run in.

[Stardar1]

 lel

(⌐■_■)

[Decon]

just get a 390; similar if not better performance with more than double the vram at the same price

[Vapour_Trail]

Generally, games will just max at 3.5GB and the last 0.5 won't get used. I have one, and have experienced no performance problems. Depending on where you live, AMD's offering might be similarly priced, but here in Japan a 390 starts at about 20% more expensive than a 970. Also, it will cost you more in electricity, if that's a concern. All in all, the 3.5GB thing is unlikely to cause you any problems, and both mentioned cards are good.

[PlayStation 2]

What resolution do you game at? The whole 3.5gb issue is all smoke

...up until you SLI 'em and do 4K gaming.

[Whorax]

What resolution do you game at? The whole 3.5gb issue is all smoke

It's not all smoke, though it's mainly an issue with ethics. It should be advertised properly, not as a normal 4GB card.

 

Nonetheless, the 390 is a better card with better value at this point in time and there's no real reason to buy the 970 anymore.

[Enderman]

it can use all 4, but the last 500MB are slow and can cause some bad performance

but the 390 performs better at about the same price, so thats a better option anyway

[JustCallMeVlad]

It's not all smoke, though it's mainly an issue with ethics. It should be advertised properly, not as a normal 4GB card.

Nonetheless, the 390 is a better card with better value at this point in time and there's no real reason to buy the 970 anymore.

Sure there isnt.

[jakecurrier33]

it physically has 4gb

only 3.5 is fast and the lower 0.5 is slower

 

All in all if you want 4gb or more for the same price get a 390/x

 

ayyy 

http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/sapphire-video-card-100381ocl

390x

So like DDR3 VRAM like in my r7-240?

[xAcid9]

The card can use 4GB but depend on how much Nvidia able to optimize their driver to actually use the faster 3.5GB partition for games and 0.5GB for everything else that doesn't need fast RAM(DWM,decoder,etc).

 

I say go for 390 since Pascal is coming next year and we know how Nvidia treat their older architecture.

[watts300]

Sure there isnt.

I just bought one a few weeks ago for my kid's birthday. Just recently got it installed and slightly overclocked. Like you, I'm quite pleased with it.

It had a good rebate, sale, and free MGS5. I'd say those were all good reasons. Subtracting the value of the game, the card was about $250.

[Aytex]

So like DDR3 VRAM like in my r7-240?

hell i dont know, all I know is that 390 beats a 970 in terms of preformance

390x even farther

[jakecurrier33]

hell i dont know, all I know is that 390 beats a 970 in terms of preformance

390x even farther

Prob getting at 

GIGABYTE Radeon R9 390X and Intel Core i7-4790K Devil’s Canyon to replace my i5-4460 and r7-240 got a great msi z97-g45 mobo and Rosewill 750w mod psu so 

[Andrew Storlie]

This topic is old and has multiple tests done, idk why people and still freaking out about the 3m5gb vram... its plenty for a 970, stop worrying about it, or just dont get it. 970sli still only have 3.5gb of usable ram yet will kill a 980ti that has 6gb of ram? Come on people use some common sense here

[Aytex]

 

Prob getting at 

GIGABYTE Radeon R9 390X and Intel Core i7-4790K Devil’s Canyon to replace my i5-4460 and r7-240 got a great msi z97-g45 mobo and Rosewill 750w mod psu so 

 

gigabyte makes horrid coolers for amd series

get sapphire one i suggested you

if not then MSI

power cooler and xfx would be the last of the choises b4 going into the shit coolers like asus and gigabyte also voltage is locked on the gigabyte card

[Suika]

I owned a GTX 970. I own a GTX 980. The segmented memory is not as crippling to the card as some users in this thread will claim. A friend of mine has his 970 overclocked a bit and his card matches my 980 at stock settings in benches.

[watts300]

I owned a GTX 970. I own a GTX 980. The segmented memory is not as crippling to the card as some users in this thread will claim. A friend of mine has his 970 overclocked a bit and his card matches my 980 at stock settings in benches.

That's what I like to hear.  Because not two weeks after I bought a 970 (and before it was installed) I saw that 390 prices dropped quite a bit. We've also got a 290 so I have no brand loyalty.  I'm a rookie overclocker, but tonight I spent 30 minutes tinkering with Afterburner. I got 7 more FPS (on the "minimum" measurement) on the Valley benchmark.