980ti vs 980ti

[Drez]

Please pardon my blissful ignorance, but I haven't quite mastered the complete differences between hardware yet.  Figured I'd consult the people that know.  I'm getting ready to do a new build and I was torn between two graphics cards.  I am doing a black and white build, so obviously I'd prefer to stick to the color scheme; not to the detriment of the build however.  So without further yammering, are these two cards about the same or would I be sacrificing quality for aesthetics on these two in SLI:

 

MSI GTX 980ti Gaming 6g

https://pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-video-card-gtx980tigaming6g

 

MSI GTX 980ti Armor 2X

https://pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-video-card-gtx980ti6gd5toc

[TechStyle]

As far as I can tell, the gaming 6g has a higher base core clock (basically the speed at which they run at) out of the box. However, this shouldn't matter as both GPUs offer Nvidia's GPU boost tech which allow them to overclock on their own. There should be minimal to no difference. Get the white one.

[OAcesync]

Pretty sure gaming edition is better for overclocking and has nice backplate

[JebKerman]

the Gaming has a slightly better cooler than the Armour from what i can gather. hence the slightly higher price tag. Neither are bad though.

[rmac52]

the black and white one has a slight factory overclock but other than than that nothing

[xAcid9]

For MSI

 

Gaming/Dragon = 1st Tier

Armor/Tiger = 2nd Tier

[Drez]

Awesome.  I didn't think there would be a large difference between the two.  Thanks for the fast advice everyone.  I'll stick with the black and white.  I was considering the 6G simply because of the nice backplate and the fact that the MSI logo lights up to make the overall look a little better.  Honestly though, I'll never overclock them.  

[Drez]

For MSI

 

Gaming/Dragon = 1st Tier

Armor/Tiger = 2nd Tier

 

If I did decide to overclock it, would there be that much of a difference?

[jimakos234]

For MSI

 

Gaming/Dragon = 1st Tier

Armor/Tiger = 2nd Tier

what about the snake on the krait mobo?

[Benji_w]

If I did decide to overclock it, would there be that much of a difference?

 

You're best asking people who overclock them over on like overclock.net to give you accurate information. More than likely there will be an owners club.

[watts300]

If I did decide to overclock it, would there be that much of a difference?

I'm not an expert at overclocking my own gear... however, I've read plenty from people that are that say the ability to overclock depends on the specific graphics card. The one in your hand, not the model you buy. They call it "silicon lottery" which means that some can overclock higher than others. 

[Drez]

As I said though, I don't plan to overclock any of my systems.  I don't feel comfortable enough to do it and it generally wears the parts down quicker.  So if I don't plan to overclock either card, am I fine going with the black and white or will the black and red offer up that much more of a difference?

[JebKerman]

As I said though, I don't plan to overclock any of my systems.  I don't feel comfortable enough to do it and it generally wears the parts down quicker.  So if I don't plan to overclock either card, am I fine going with the black and white or will the black and red offer up that much more of a difference?

chances are the card will overclock itself slightly anyway. But yea, may as well go with the Armour 2x for colour matching.

[Drez]

Thanks everyone for the help.  I'll go with the Armor 2X.

[Benji_w]

As I said though, I don't plan to overclock any of my systems.  I don't feel comfortable enough to do it and it generally wears the parts down quicker.  So if I don't plan to overclock either card, am I fine going with the black and white or will the black and red offer up that much more of a difference?

 

The chance of you reducing the life of your part lets say the GPU so that it will die prematurely if overclocked correctly won't be noticeable, you will have upgraded before any noticeable degradation has taken place. I honestly don't understand why everyone gets so worried about overclocking if you do it correctly the performance gains outweigh the risk.

 

Suppose this could be seen purely as opinion which is fair enough I guess but having my parts at stock is a waste of money.

[Drez]

Don't get me wrong. I wouldn't mind overclocking my system, it's just I haven't learned the "correct" way to do it. It is something I plan on learning. Also, it was a misconception for me that overclocking your system put more stress on the parts and would cause them to burn out faster. Again, that falls back on my own lack of knowledge on the subject. I appreciate your explanation though.