Picking Version of GTX 970

[jacksony12]

I was thinking about getting a GTX 970 and was looking at some different versions of that card. I was looking at the Zotac GTX 970, the Gigabyte Mini GTX 970, and the Asus mini GTX 970. I have a smaller case so I was wanting a smaller card. Which one of these would be best?

 

[Zerk2012]

Their all close I would get the GB.

 

[jacksony12]

Their all close I would get the GB.

Why? I was actually leaning towards the Zotac. It looks like it has better performance and cooling.

 

[geofelt]

A standard GTX970 is 10.5" long.
Assuming that is not a problem, they most any version will do.
10.5" is not particularly long for a graphics card, so I would not chase the mini version.
Actually, I prefer cards with stock direct exhaust double slot coolers.
They get the hot vga air directly out the back of the case.
Other aftermarket coolers do a good job of cooling the vga chip in an open testbed.
But in a case, they just dump hot air back into the case where case cooling has to deal with it.
That heats up both the graphics card AND the cpu..... not good.
EVGA and others make them.
I also think you get good value from a factory overclocked card.
It is a small price premium. I would avoid the cards with fancy fan coolers that come at a price premium.

 

[jacksony12]

A standard GTX970 is 10.5" long.
Assuming that is not a problem, they most any version will do.
10.5" is not particularly long for a graphics card, so I would not chase the mini version.
Actually, I prefer cards with stock direct exhaust double slot coolers.
They get the hot vga air directly out the back of the case.
Other aftermarket coolers do a good job of cooling the vga chip in an open testbed.
But in a case, they just dump hot air back into the case where case cooling has to deal with it.
That heats up both the graphics card AND the cpu..... not good.
EVGA and others make them.
I also think you get good value from a factory overclocked card.
It is a small price premium. I would avoid the cards with fancy fan coolers that come at a price premium.

I just looked into some of the blower coolers, I found this one http://www.amazon.com/MSI-GTX-970-4GD5-OC/dp/B00OC2CFYG
And this one
http://www.esaitech.com/asus-nvidia-geforce-gtx-970-oc-4gb-gddr5-2dvi-hdmi-displayport-pci-express-video-card-turbo-gtx970-oc-4gd5.html?pk_campaign=ga-pla&gclid=CjwKEAjwwN-rBRD-oMzT6aO_wGwSJABwEIkJR1jVcmnyl9fV7I5iW7-7_SE3RM2kQZUoB4qePP8mgRoCcmnw_wcB
How hot can those get?

 

[jacksony12]

Why is this so expensive? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814487070

 

[geofelt]

Why is this so expensive? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814487070

First of all, all three cards are comparable in price and performance.
Actually, the EVGA unit is the cheapest at $305 after rebate.
If you are in the US, pick the EVGA unit; their support is good and they have a 90 day upgrade option.
You might look closely at the outputs that each card has.
The msi has only one dvi output which might preclude some dual 1440P monitor setups.

 

[geofelt]

The heat generated is related to the amount of overclock that is given to a card. And, on how good a chip you have.
Better binned chips will reach a specified output frequency at lower voltages, resulting in cooler running.

Then is a matter of cooler efficiency and your case cooling to get rid of that heat from the case.
It really is not an issue with current Maxwell cards, they are quite power efficient.
Some cards may get hot, perhaps 85c. or so, but they can tolerate heat.