Reference GPU or Branded GPU?

[xtobymc]

I recently took my full tower PC and shrank it down to micro-ATX size for portability reasons. Having done this I've decided to switch back to a single GPU after initially using SLI 970's as they're just too cramped inside the case and I've found most games don't support SLI too well anyway.

I'm looking at getting a GTX 980ti but I'm not sure what the best type of cooler design would be for my build. With a reference card (blower design) the air would be chucked right out of the case and avoid spreading to the nearby components in an already tight space. However, the card will run hotter and have less overclocking potential, benchmarks show the reference GPU hitting about 85 celcius on load.

With a branded 980ti cooler I'd be running about 10 celcius lower and likely with less noise, but these cards are also much more expensive and larger in size, reference GPU's seem to have smaller dimensions which may be ideal for micro-ATX.

What would you guys say is best for Micro-ATX? I'm leaning more towards the reference design which I can pick up about £100 less than branded ones, but I'm not sure :/

Here's a brief photo of the size/design of my current build:

 

[rcald2000]

Wow, I love how your build looks. Would you mind posting your specs, including your case, cpu cooler, and power supply? Btw, where is your power supply?

Back to your question: Have you considered getting an EVGA 980 Ti hybrid?

 

[NightAntilli]

No love for the Fury X? It would look awesome in that case. The colors match it perfectly.

 

[xtobymc]

Wow, I love how your build looks. Would you mind posting your specs, including your case, cpu cooler, and power supply? Btw, where is your power supply?

Back to your question: Have you considered getting an EVGA 980 Ti hybrid?

Hi rcald2000

Here's a link to my build if you want to check it out:
http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/user/xTobyMc/saved/B2jQzy

The beauty of this case is that it has two chambers, the power supply and messy cables just get hidden behind the motherboard so you're left with just the components you want to see.

With regards to the 980TI hybrid, I do really like the idea of it, but I'm not sure I can afford the £650 price tag. I'm currently selling my 970's but will only make perhaps £500 from them, and the reference 980ti's are selling for less than £550 which is more ideal for me. I'll look into it though, maybe it's worth saving up for

 

[rcald2000]

Check out this review.

JayzTwoCents - EVGA 980Ti Hybrid - Performance Review
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtRqmzRMar8

 

[FreshPineApples]

That is a really nice build but what is your airflow I think it would be better to take air in from the back and exaust through your radiator so your not just pushing hot air through your pc right from the start. Most nonrefrence gpus are designed to push a lot of air out through the back of the card but some does escape because of your setup I think a reference would be better.

 

[xtobymc]

No love for the Fury X? It would look awesome in that case. The colors match it perfectly.

I hadn't even noticed there was such thing as a Fury X 😛

I'll have a look into it, from brief benchmarks it looks fairly on par with the 980ti. I must admit I'm a bit of an Nvidia fanboy, but I'll still check it out, the cooling looks really good.

 

[rcald2000]

Fury X: If you consider that card, just make sure that AMD has fixed the pump noise first. There are a lot of articles and reviews about that issue. But ignoring that and just looking at specs, it's a fascinating card.

 

[xtobymc]

That is a really nice build but what is your airflow I think it would be better to take air in from the back and exaust through your radiator so your not just pushing hot air through your pc right from the start. Most nonrefrence gpus are designed to push a lot of air out through the back of the card but some does escape because of your setup I think a reference would be better.

The airflow right now isn't particularly great. I went from a full tower PC with 9 fans to this one with just 5, two of which are only 80mm at the back. In terms of temperature the case doesn't seem to be suffering though. My GPU's and CPU still looked very normal and I can feel cold air if I place my hand over the RAM region.