EVGA GTX 970 base vs SC

[Blake Trebelhorn]

Is it worth the extra $20 for the superclocked version of EVGA's GRX 970 ACX2.0 card? The clock is significantly higher, going from a boost clock of 1178 to 1317, but could I overclock close to it? And would it even give a noticeable difference?

 

[smackers_12]

You will be able to overclock it just as much for 20 bucks less. It will give a small difference in the framerate.

 

[i7Baby]

Its worth it to most. Most can't be bothered OCing.

 

[Jborg]

I would stay away from the EVGA cards tbh... Heard they were having some issues with the bearings in the fans or something. Anywho... I Just purchased a Gigabyte GTX 970 Windforce Super OC'd.... this thing is a beast.... I upgraded from a GTX 650 and wow is it a major difference. I have upgraded nearly my entire computer. But the before and after was substantial. Heres what I upgraded from and to:

Before:
MOBO: 970 Extreme4 ASROCK
CPU: AMD FX 4100 Quad core @ 3.6Ghz
Video: GTX 650 Gigabyte
RAM: Some generic 4x2gb DDR3 1366
PS: Some shitty old brand 600W power supply ( was unstable with the 8350 )
Old case: DiabloTek Case

New:

MOBO: ASrock 970 extreme 4
CPU: AMD FX 8350 8 core @ 4.0ghz
Video: Gigabyte GTX 970 Superclocked
Video: Gigabyte GTX 970 Superclocked
RAM: 2x8 Corsair Ballistix DDR3 1866
PS: EVGA Supernova G2 750W

Lets just say I was playing games like Far Cry 3, Crysis and Battlefield on lower detail.... Upgraded to this set up in the last few weeks one part at a time... And now im playing Far Cry 3, Crysis 3, and Battlefield 4 on Ultra high detail without a hiccup of frame lag. I am very impressed. I would say its worth it for the OC'd version. Even under load this GPU is staying near 50c. Great card!

Edit: I had to swap to a new case to fit this video card in. It is nearly a foot long! the Corsair 300R is a good option with clearance specifically for longer video cards. (wont be able to fit 2 in this case tho)

 

[i7Baby]

EVGA - that's why there's now acx2.0

See http://www.tomshardware.de/nvidia-geforce-gtx-970-gtx-980-roundup-vergleichstest,testberichte-241658-12.html

Gigabyte, MSI, EVGA, Asus - all good.

 

[smackers_12]

Its the acx 1 that has issues, the 2.0 is fine, the 1 has an alignment issue on the chip

 

[Bighairyman]

I would pay the extra $20 for the SC version.

 

[Damn_Rookie]

Its the acx 1 that has issues, the 2.0 is fine, the 1 has an alignment issue on the chip

Are you sure about that? If you're referring to the alignment of the heatpipes issue, the ACX 2.0 certainly does/did* suffer from it, as shown in this review of the "EVGA GeForce GTX 970 SC ACX2", which also features EVGA's official statement over the concerns of the ACX2 cooler.

* I don't know whether EVGA have done anything to alter the situation since initial launch

 

[smackers_12]

Its the acx 1 that has issues, the 2.0 is fine, the 1 has an alignment issue on the chip

Are you sure about that? If you're referring to the alignment of the heatpipes issue, the ACX 2.0 certainly does/did* suffer from it, as shown in this review of the "EVGA GeForce GTX 970 SC ACX2", which also features EVGA's official statement over the concerns of the ACX2 cooler.

* I don't know whether EVGA have done anything to alter the situation since initial launch

So it does; i thought that was only on the acx 1, thanks for pointing that out. There are better 970s out there anyway and evga kind of lost my trust a bit after that.

 

[Damn_Rookie]

Its the acx 1 that has issues, the 2.0 is fine, the 1 has an alignment issue on the chip

Are you sure about that? If you're referring to the alignment of the heatpipes issue, the ACX 2.0 certainly does/did* suffer from it, as shown in this review of the "EVGA GeForce GTX 970 SC ACX2", which also features EVGA's official statement over the concerns of the ACX2 cooler.

* I don't know whether EVGA have done anything to alter the situation since initial launch

So it does; i thought that was only on the acx 1, thanks for pointing that out. There are better 970s out there anyway and evga kind of lost my trust a bit after that.

No worries Yeah, I was certainly saddened to hear about the issue too. It won't stop me from buying a future EVGA card that reviews well of course, but it's still disappointing to see them damage their name like this. The overly expensive FTW version of the 970 doesn't have this issue (uses a solid plate in contact with the GPU), and reviewed pretty well, but it's selling for $399.99 on Newegg...