GTX 970, does the name brand matter?

[Punky159]

When it comes to the GTX 970, does the name brand really matter?

I know very little about building my own computer, however, got some help and am putting together the following build. http://pcpartpicker.com/p/9PCCMp All thanks to TomThePotato.

I started looking for my parts, but ran into a snag... not only can't I find an Asus GTX 970, it seems that most places are sold out of that model in several brands. I did find the following, but am not sure if they are quality or not. Wait time on Asus is about 1 to 2 months on most sites I looked at.

I found a PNY XLR8 gtx 970 for 350 plus shipping; an MSI GTX 970 Gaming 4G for 450, and a Zotac GTX 970..... the Asus was $350 also.

Thanks!!!

 

[turkey3_scratch]

I would go with MSI. They have very little differences, just clock rate some and fans.

 

[Gam3r01]

The brand can entail better PCB design, better coolers different clock speeds, and better customer support.
I personally recommend MSI and ASUS, but not 100 dollars extra for the MSI over the ASUS.

 

[Valkyrieneos]

Asus has the best gtx 970 hands down. My philosophy is this "Im paying for an expensive part why cheap out on it to save a few quid" A Gpu in my eyes is not somthing woth saving money on just get the best version available is my motto even if that means sacrificing somthing else in the system

 

[Punky159]

there were actually 2 MSI cards, the MSI GTX 970 4GD5T OC card which was $340, but out of stock at several sites, the other is called the MSI GTX 970 Gaming 4G graphics card.... I don't what the difference is

 

[Gam3r01]

The gaming runs at higher clock speeds, and has a nicer cooler for the most part.

 

[JackNaylorPE]

Asus ruled the market with the 670's but they have cut back on the quality of the components they use on the PCB which **is** what separates one card from another. Throughout the 7xx and 9xx series their cards are the lowest factory clocks out of the Big 4(EVGA, Asus, MSI and Gigabyte) and by a large margin.

If ya look at this review (Asus, MSI and EVGA), it details what parts where used on the PCB and the MSI clearly outclasses both the Asus and EVGA cards in this respect as well as how they cooled them (some didn't). Look at the bottom of each page as they address each card's components and you will see significant differences in quality .... some provided direct cooling for the components (thermal pads and contact plates) and others did nothing.

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/graphics/2014/09/19/nvidia-geforce-gtx-970-review/1

These differences led to the performance differences you see at the end of the review.

Also look here ....only the Gigabyte and MSI broke 1500 MHz.

EVGA http://www.guru3d.com/news-story/evga-geforce-gtx-970-acx-has-misaligned-gpu-vs-heatpipes.html
Gigabyte http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/gigabyte_geforce_gtx_970_g1_gaming_review,26.html
MSI http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/msi_geforce_gtx_970_gaming_review,26.html
Asus http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/asus_geforce_gtx_970_strix_review,26.html

Her's another set from same site....1567 is the highest OC I have seen so far.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vuh132EsuA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-j4ZQCQo6k

MSI and Asus have the fan cutoff feature ... fans shut off at low temps.

I haven't as yet seen a tear down of the Gigabyte so can't comment as to how it's constructed but the performance seems to be every bit as good as the MSI so I think those two should top ya shopping list.

Be aware that both fans work independently on the MSI card so if only 1 card spins on ya MSI , that doesn't mean its broken....it's designed that way .... some peeps have had issues getting that 2nd fan to spin up but the issue seems to go away for most folks after running them at full speed for an hour.