So.. GTX 960 vs. GTX 970 and manufacturer ranking

[adagiogray]

OK... It's time to retire my factory OC Zotac GTX 570.

I'm weighing the new/cheap GTX 960 ($200ish) vs. the GTX970($350ish).

I do a lot of MMOs, EQ2, DA:I, Skyrim, SWTOR, Minecraft, WoW, GW2, and the like. I will likely never run a resolution higher than 1920x1080. However, I'd like at least a little 'futureproofing.'

I know 'overkill' is rarely a term used when GPUs come to mind, but do I need a 970? I can budget it in, I just... Dunno. Also, other big question.. RAnking of manufacturers? EVGA better than MSI, Gigabyte, ASUS?

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

MSI , GIGABYTE , ASUS , EVGA.

Get the 970.

 

[turkey3_scratch]

The GTX 970 has a much better performance/priced ratio than the 960. AMD's 280 actually beats the new 960, so the 960 being a cool and low-power card is better than its predecessor the 760 but not much to merit it a great purchase. Is it a good purchase? Yes, it runs games very well and you should be able to run games on 1080p 60FPS high-max settings. The 970 will last for a few years as an optimal 1080p gaming experience.

Gigabyte makes great 900 series cards. EVGA came out rough on the 900 series due to fan issues (it was the main brand of the 700 series) but I think the fan issue was addressed with its 960. Asus, Gigabyte, and MSI are all great brands, it comes down to brand preference.

So all in all, both the 960 or 970 will provide you with great graphics and improvement over the 570. I just think that the 970 will be a wiser upgrade. The 960 is better-priced and better performing than the 760 so it is a very well-rounded card. It comes down to your decision. Both run games great at 1080p, one will give you better graphics and last longer at the top for more money.

 

[eddieb101]

price to performance ratio the gtx970 absolutely smashes the 960 all over the park. It has an extra 1.5GB of usable memory and has double the bandwidth. IF you can afford a gtx970 then it's a no brainer. Both the Asus and MSI versions are very good!

 

[royalcrown]

IMO, the top 2 are EVGA and ASUS for Nvidia, then Gigabyte and MSI. Although MSI has been putting a lot more effort into their MBs and GPUs lately. They've been pushing better components for about 18 months now. It's quite possible that MSI >Gigabyte.

I really wouldn't worry about brand so much because none of these are junk, or going to just drop dead due to poor quality. Pick based on the features you want and can afford and you'll be happy long term.

As far as AMD, there really is ony one top teir partner and that is Sapphire.

 

[royalcrown]

I will say that MSI wins hands down with their new Twin Frozr design for bad a55 looks !

 

[adagiogray]

This MSI 970 is only $319 after a $10 rebate. The fans look really exposed, though. Maybe it's better airflow. *shrug* The price gap seems to be closing. No tax, and shipping's only a few bucks. Might have to do this over the local micro center. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127833&SortField=0&SummaryType=0&PageSize=10&SelectedRating=-1&VideoOnlyMark=False&IsFeedbackTab=true#scrollFullInfo

Not that looks matter for something hidden in my case, but I'm not sure what else is different about this MSI for $20 more: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127832

 

[royalcrown]

Nice card ! My stepson got the 270 version and it's real quiet, can't even hear it in his cheap crappy hole ridden case.

This MSI 970 is only $319 after a $10 rebate. The fans look really exposed, though. Maybe it's better airflow. *shrug* The price gap seems to be closing. No tax, and shipping's only a few bucks. Might have to do this over the local micro center. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127833&SortField=0&SummaryType=0&PageSize=10&SelectedRating=-1&VideoOnlyMark=False&IsFeedbackTab=true#scrollFullInfo

Not that looks matter for something hidden in my case, but I'm not sure what else is different about this MSI for $20 more: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127832

 

[adagiogray]

I guess I should also add: Will the last 512MB VRAM performance drop in the 970 be an issue for someone gaming at my resolution? I wouldn't think so, but I'm wondering if we're looking forward to a near-future price drop, either due to the class action suit, competition, or new tech coming out.