The GTX 970 Dilemma

[diArcipE]

Hi everyone.


So I've gotten myself into some sort of a graphic card dilemma. I will presume this topic has been discussed many times over the years. But I hope you will solve my dilemma and ease my conscious regardless of the gtx970s status.

I decided to buy a new graphic card, since I'm still using a card from 2010(!). I've narrowed it down to two choices. Initially, I was going to buy the MSI gtx970 twin frozen 4gb which cost about 460$ here in Norway.

But suddenly I stumble upon the Asus STRIX gtx970 bundle. Which included a 240gb ssd, The Division and Far Cry Primal. This bundle is priced at 495$

So I've read a couple of forum threads and reviews about the different 970s cards. And what it seems like, it's not a HUGE difference between the cards(Asus / MSI) when it comes down to gaming with high def, settings and fps.

But there we're a few pros and cons with both, but they didn't seem to conclude which one is the better choice.

I bought the bundle(COD), picking it up tomorrow. But I'm not convinced it's the right choice. The reason why I bought the Asus instead of the MSI card. Was because of the bundle offer. I can sell the ssd and the two games and still come out with a decent price. But I've read so many good things about the MSI card, even if I'm a sworn Asus man.

What would you guys choose in my situation?

MSI gtx 970 - 460$
Asus Strix gtx 970 BUNDLE - 495$

Or even
Asud Strix card only - 385$

Also, a side note:

Is it worth buying the gtx970 now. I mean the revealing and upcoming if the new nvidia card is on the horizon.
Should I wait, incase of a decrease in the price of the gtx970?

Please clear my conscious

 

[X79]

You did the right thing. You're overthinking it. Even if there was a performance difference, you probably wouldn't notice.
It's so unlikely that Nvidias new card will somehow make your GTX 970 a bad choice. It's an excellent card for what it is.
It's not worth waiting for price decreases if you need performance now. They're not guaranteed and even if they were,
they might not be worth it and then the only thing you would've done is waste time. You'll likely be very happy, regardless
of which GTX 970 you get. Getting an SSD in a bundle means that it offers pretty superior value, since as you said, you can
sell the SSD, if you're not going to use it. If you don't have an SSD, then I'd suggest keeping it and loading some of those
games unto it; then you get even more performance.

 

[Spectre694]

I'd get the bundle (sell what you don't want) if it is the same price as the MSI card the Strix is a good card. Can't tell you on the wait thing we still basically know nothing about the upcoming cards

 

[10tacle]

Are you stating US$ dollars in price? If you are gaming at 1080p resolutions and you need a card *now*, then that ASUS Strix was a good choice! I wish we'd have had something that good in the US as a bundle for a new 970 purchase. All we got last year were two free games, Arkham Knight and Witcher 3, and we all know what a dungfest AK was for PC gamers.

If I add up what these items would cost separately in the US, here's what it would be in $US dollars (and the store):

GPU - $350 (NewEgg, but comes with $20 rebate)
FC Primal - $60 (Steam)
The Division - $60 (Steam)
240GB SSD - $70 (NewEgg) <-not sure of the make/model of the SSD they are throwing in, so I picked the cheapest

Total: $540(US)

So you could easily offload that SSD for $50US and those game codes for $40-$50US each (at least I could here in the States) for a net profit of $20-$40 on the bundle if that bundle is only $110 more in US dollars (385 vs 495). I'd be all over it if I needed a new GPU and wanted a 970.

 

[cosmoji]

personally i would wait if you can for the new cards, get the best you can then. however, as for the difference between the cards, i think you made the right choice. there really is not much of a difference from one card to the next. ofcourse there's different clocks and coolers, but none of them are terrible, and you'll only really see a change in performance if you're buying one of the super expensive highly binned ones and then overclock it a ton. it really comes down to preference and cost.

 

[diArcipE]

Thank you all for replying to my dilemma.

After reading your replies, I have concluded to give the Asus STRIX Bundle a try. As some of you stated, I wouldn't notice the difference between the two cards ingame. And the bundle is a ' too good offer to turn down'.
Either way, I have been playing with a Radeon HD 6790 card for 5 years, so everything with will be better.

I forgot to mention that this store has an open return policy, so I could try it for 30 days after its purchased. So even if I'm not satisfied, I could return it and buy MSI or something else.

Off topic:
Has anyone tried selling Nvidia's games promo/voucher code that follows the bundle? I'm thinking about putting both up on G2A. If it's possible. They have to be redeemed at Nvidia's site, but it shouldn't be problem, should it?

 

[10tacle]

Has anyone tried selling Nvidia's games promo/voucher code that follows the bundle? I'm thinking about putting both up on G2A. If it's possible. They have to be redeemed at Nvidia's site, but it shouldn't be problem, should it?

I can't remember exactly what I had to do for my two "free" Nvidia games. But I do remember having to plug in the codes. I see no reason why they cannot be sold. A quick check on the classified here at Tom's shows that at least one person sold his game codes:

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-1626078/sold-nvidia-promo-codes-sold.html