Gtx970 Non reference

[Rodrigo Moreira]

wich is the best non reference gtx970 card??

 

[frag06]

wich is the best non reference gtx970 card??

The MSI GTX 970 Gaming and the Gigabyte G1 seem to be the best so far. This is based on the best OC results and temps from threads here and OCN, and much debate over the specs of each card. The STRIX is also a solid choice.

 

[rockie_]

my preference : Asus Strix , MSI , EVGA ACX 2.0

 

[Rodrigo Moreira]

and the evga ftw??

 

[rockie_]

and the evga ftw??

it has the ACX 2.0 cooler , so why not
http://www.evga.com/Products/Specs/GPU.aspx?pn=63D27A41-4AC9-49F6-9FD2-757596181CFF

 

[frag06]

and the evga ftw??

I'd stay away from EVGA 970 cards. They screwed up this round of cards, choosing to cheap out instead of add features and improve their 970 over reference.

 

[jay2tall]

So far the majority consensus is that the MSI Gaming 4G and Gigabyte G1 cards are the "best" 970 cards to pick up. The MSI has upgrade their power delivery system from the 4+1 stock setup (4 phase GPU 1 phase memory) to mil spec parts providing a 6+2 phase setup. This allows it to OC extremely well. The Gigabyte G1 also uses 6 phase GPU power, but I can not find if it kept the 1 phase memory arrangement. From card pictures it looks like they did. However, Gigabyte offers a higher stock OC than MSI, but has a very large cooler. It also has more outputs than many of the 970 cards. It has 3 display ports similar to the 980, rather than 1 on most 970s.

The ASUS STRIX card is a bit dissapointing for me. It has 6 phase GPU power, but stock memory. However, it's biggest downfall is the one 8 pin power connector that seems to limit the max boost speed you'll see. The EVGA cards are almost entirely stock, which is a huge disappointment. With other manufactures upgrading power delivery, they should have given us a little more for our money. The ACX 2.0 cooler is nice though on the FTW, but you are paying to much for that.

I am also unsure about the Zotac AMP cards. There is an Omega and Extreme version. I can't find much on these right now, but everyone seems to breeze right by them. They were late to the show and we are only seeing their upgraded offerings now, but from the few pictures I've seen they have upgraded their power delivery a lot and could potentially be a big contender. Another thing to note, I've never heard anyone complain about their cards failing. Though they don't come up in conversation much, but I would think if people were having issues. Just some food for thought.

 

[frag06]

So far the majority consensus is that the MSI Gaming 4G and Gigabyte G1 cards are the "best" 970 cards to pick up. The MSI has upgrade their power delivery system from the 4+1 stock setup (4 phase GPU 1 phase memory) to mil spec parts providing a 6+2 phase setup. This allows it to OC extremely well. The Gigabyte G1 also uses 6 phase GPU power, but I can not find if it kept the 1 phase memory arrangement. From card pictures it looks like they did. However, Gigabyte offers a higher stock OC than MSI, but has a very large cooler. It also has more outputs than many of the 970 cards. It has 3 display ports similar to the 980, rather than 1 on most 970s.

The ASUS STRIX card is a bit dissapointing for me. It has 6 phase GPU power, but stock memory. However, it's biggest downfall is the one 8 pin power connector that seems to limit the max boost speed you'll see. The EVGA cards are almost entirely stock, which is a huge disappointment. With other manufactures upgrading power delivery, they should have given us a little more for our money. The ACX 2.0 cooler is nice though on the FTW, but you are paying to much for that.

I am also unsure about the Zotac AMP cards. There is an Omega and Extreme version. I can't find much on these right now, but everyone seems to breeze right by them. They were late to the show and we are only seeing their upgraded offerings now, but from the few pictures I've seen they have upgraded their power delivery a lot and could potentially be a big contender. Another thing to note, I've never heard anyone complain about their cards failing. Though they don't come up in conversation much, but I would think if people were having issues. Just some food for thought.

I haven't seen such an issue with the STRIX. It only has the one 8 pin, which is disappointing, but I haven't seen anyone report problems because of it. It can draw up to 225W, which should allow for a very nice OC.

The low boost clock could be because the cards in question have a low ASIC score, possibly.