EVGA vs MSI 970

[ownedinthedome]

Alrighty, so Newegg is having their sale, and I just so happened to get a bonus from work haha.

The EVGA Geforce GTX 970 ACX is $290, and the MSI 4G gaming LE is $340. I know the MSI has the better specs, but is it really going to be worth the extra $50?

I would like to run BF4 on ultra, as well as Battlefront 2 and Rainbow 6 Siege, but don't know how much of a difference I am really going to get out of $50. I am assuming maybe 5fps? Let me know, sale ends at the end of tonight. Thanks

 

[Gamer Cat]

You won't really notice a difference between the two, but the MSI has a higher core clock than the EVGA.

It is really up to you; I feel like there will be no real difference between the two since both are pretty much similar.

 

[pedrochin]

You should get neither. There's a controversy with the EVGA ACX 2.0 cooler (you can google it), so only consider the ones with ACX 2.0"+". As far as the MSI LE, all of the other MSI options have higher clock speeds at the same or lower price (after rebate).

 

[glamdringfh]

The single best GTX 970 is the Gigabyte G1 Windforce, and yes, if you were already looking at a $300 card the improved performance would be worth the extra $50. You certainly COULD get similar performance by overclocking a less expensive model, but getting a card like the MSI or G1 you are guaranteed of the overclock being supported and working well for the lifetime of the card's warranty.

Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB WINDFORCE Video Card ($349.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $349.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-11-08 20:10 EST-0500

Here's a great article comparing the 970 ASUS STRIX vs MSI Gaming vs Gigabyte G1: http://www.overclock.net/t/1516121/gtx-970-comparison-strix-vs-msi-gaming-vs-gigabyte-g1

 

[ownedinthedome]

hmmm looks like they all come with a free game anyway and the gigabyte g1 is $330 with $20 mail in rebate, looks like I should have looked at other cards as well as the ad

 

[glamdringfh]

If you can get the G1 I highly recommend it.

 

[ownedinthedome]

Uh oh...I just got wind of the Galax HOF 970, and I see the company is located in Grayslake, IL which isn't far from me at all. I emailed them asking if they offer a free game similar to if I were to go with the Gigabyte. It is $40 more ($60 after MIR)....damn what has my research gotten me into haha.

 

[Karadjgne]

While technically the MSI is the better card that you'd not notice, Evga has the absolute best by far service and support dept. Just something to think about.

 

[Gam3r01]

Im going to accumulate all the brands down to single sentence recommendations.
EVGA: Superior service, solid quality, decent clock speeds and cooling.
MSI: Great cooling, great OCing, solid service.
ASUS: Very quiet cards
Gigabyte: Highest clock speeds, best OCer, highest failure rate.
Galax: HOF, nothing really special to the normal consumer, not worth the premium.

My recommendation: MSI Gaming.
The card OCs extremely well, which is the 970s strong suit, as well as maintaining low temperatures at a good noise level. Their quality is great, service is solid as well. EVGAs card runs a tad warmer, and is louder, but amazing service. The G1 has higher clock speeds, but fails more often, ASUS is a solid option, Galax is overpriced.