Why the Gigabyte GTX 1070 Windforce OC isn't popular despite being the cheapest?

[k4ever]

Its the cheapest of all the GTX 1070s out there selling for $400. Still I only see people getting other cards for around $30~$70 more. I know there are cards out there with better clocks, thus giving you more frames per second on your favorite games, but doesnt the GTX 1070 overclock easily? If one is willing to OC the gpu by themselves, then one can save some dollars there. Is that it? Or maybe the Windforce is super loud? I read reviews in many places and they all say the Windforce OC temps are very cool, if not even coolest than msi under load. I know MSI makes silent cards, so that may be a reason why people choose that brand over Gigabyte (besides being it the most popular).

The clocks of a Windforce OC and of a MSI Gaming X are exactly the same on the gaming option: Base 1582MHZ, Boost 1771MHZ.

Opinions?

 

[k4ever]

I guess nobody owns the Windforce OC. Didnt I say it was unpopular? lol

Still would like to know why.

 

[Jay Santos]

Maybe because they are HUUUUUUUUUUUUUGE!
I bought one of those. It was the Strix ROG 1070. It wouldn't fit my case. I have an Antec 900 and I had to move a drive cage forward to accommodate the card. It looked retarded.

I returned it and bought a Founders instead.

 

[k4ever]

Maybe because they are HUUUUUUUUUUUUUGE!
I bought one of those. It was the Strix ROG 1070. It wouldn't fit my case. I have an Antec 900 and I had to move a drive cage forward to accommodate the card. It looked retarded.

I returned it and bought a Founders instead.

According to the specifications in the newegg website the Windforce OC dimensions are: 11.22" x 5.12"
The Gaming G1 is 11.26" x 4.53"
The MSI Gaming X is 10.98" x 5.51"

The G1 is a little bit more half an inch shorter, and the MSI is larger by a little less than half an inch. Still people buy the MSI gpu like crazy. Aesthetics? Fancy lights?

 

[Jay Santos]

The Gaming G1. Too big for my case.

The MSI Gaming X. Horrid looking for me.

Fits just right in my case and oh so sexy! Full of metal too! It feels like it'll survive a fall. Runs 10 degrees hotter than the Asus I bought but still doesn't go above 62 degrees on the curve I set. OCs good to. I can get mine to 2.1ghz stable.

 

[k4ever]

Founder's Edition are a no no for me because of the temps. I really dont care for looks since the gpu will be well hidden inside my haf 912 case.

 

[Jay Santos]

Founder's Edition are a no no for me because of the temps. I really dont care for looks since the gpu will be well hidden inside my haf 912 case.

FEs only reaches the 80s then you leave it at the factory curve. At 65% fan speed, you still can't hear it and doesn't go above 65 degrees. My ambient temp is about 82 degrees.
Besides, I plan to SLI in the future.

 

[k4ever]

Im going to gamble and get the windforce OC gpu. $365 final price after everything looks like a deal too good for a gtx 1070 with exact same clocks than a msi gaming X.

 

[Isokolon]

honestly, people aren't buying it for 3 reasons:

- like in JaySantos case it's too big
- in the US you can get an EVGA for almost the same price
- ASUS & MSI marketing works, people don't consider other brands

I did an even bigger "gamble" and went with a Gainward Phoenix GS (1632/1835MHz, with boost 3.0 stable at 1972MHz without OC at 60°C, 28% fan duty) which was even cheaper than the Gigabyte one (and faster apparently)
didn't regret it one second so far
well, we'll see how the card does in a few years

the Gigabyte also suffers from a bad first tranche. from what I heard early buyers have complaint about coil whine. haven't read about that problem with the card in over a month now though.

 

[oobymach]

I have a Thermaltake Core v71 case so I bought 2 1070's to sli, I got the Asus strix gaming triple fan version and they perform nicely, I got over 6200 pts in Firestrike Ultra. But yeah cards are long, the longest I've had yet, I have about an inch to spare in my case.

 

[k4ever]

With the money I save I can finally get a 750 evo 250gb and see what the fuss is all about.
I guess its just like people say: just get any. They all perform the same at a certain level.

 

[Jay Santos]

Im going to gamble and get the windforce OC gpu. $365 final price after everything looks like a deal too good for a gtx 1070 with exact same clocks than a msi gaming X.

How did you get it at that price? I thought my FE at $380 was a steal 😀

 

[MyNewRig]

I never considered it myself because it looks ugly as sin and is made out of cheap flimsy plastic and i have had a lot of issues with Gigabyte products in the past .. the upside is that thin flimsy plastic makes the card lighter than the ASUS Strix for example, but who cares?

 

[Jay Santos]

I never considered it myself because it looks ugly as sin and is made out of cheap flimsy plastic

It's what made me go FE instead.
You drop the plastic bodied gpu at any height and you are probably certain to crack something. The FE has metal everywhere. Even the fan appears to be made of metal.

 

[MyNewRig]

I never considered it myself because it looks ugly as sin and is made out of cheap flimsy plastic

It's what made me go FE instead.
You drop the plastic bodied gpu at any height and you are probably certain to crack something. The FE has metal everywhere. Even the fan appears to be made of metal.

What about noise levels and cooling performance? the Strix i have is almost inaudible during extreme load and stays below 70c at all times with the default fan curve ... how is the FE performing in that department? i am considering one myself ..

 

[Jay Santos]

I never considered it myself because it looks ugly as sin and is made out of cheap flimsy plastic

It's what made me go FE instead.
You drop the plastic bodied gpu at any height and you are probably certain to crack something. The FE has metal everywhere. Even the fan appears to be made of metal.

What about noise levels and cooling performance? the Strix i have is almost inaudible during extreme load and stays below 70c at all times with the default fan curve ... how is the FE performing in that department? i am considering one myself ..

Once you exceed the 70% throttle, then the FE gets louder. At 70% throttle and under heavy load, I get around 71 degrees with an ambient temperature of 82F. I'm sure it'll get louder the higher the throttle goes. It does get a little loud but not R9 290 reference loud. Keep in mind my case is next to my monitor.

The Strix 1070 I had never broke 65 degrees under heavy load and with probably about 40% fan speed. But the size and cheap plastic construction turned me off.

You can try out the FE from Best Buy. You have 2 weeks to return it if you don't like it and they don't have a restocking fee. You can then get your money back or get the Strix.

I would have kept the Strix if it weren't so ridiculously large.

 

[MyNewRig]

Once you exceed the 70% throttle, then the FE gets louder. At 70% throttle and under heavy load, I get around 71 degrees with an ambient temperature of 82F. I'm sure it'll get louder the higher the throttle goes. It does get a little loud but not R9 290 reference loud. Keep in mind my case is next to my monitor.

The Strix 1070 I had never broke 65 degrees under heavy load and with probably about 40% fan speed. But the size and cheap plastic construction turned me off.

You can try out the FE from Best Buy. You have 2 weeks to return it if you don't like it and they don't have a restocking fee. You can then get your money back or get the Strix.

I would have kept the Strix if it weren't so ridiculously large.

The plastic on the Strix is not cheap or flimsy by any means it is a really thick solid plastic, i have held this card with its plastic shroud many times and it is really pretty solid unlike the Gigabyte G1 or Xtreme where you can press the plastic down with a finger, the Strix although is a heavy card and a tall one, but i have a very roomy case so it did not bother me, cooling wise like you said about 40-45% fan and sub 70c is one of the things i like a lot about this card besides the AURA RGB of course ..... but a founder's craftsmanship surely has its appeal and it is also cheaper than the Strix so it has compelling reasons to buy, but i am just worried about noise and heat throttling the most ...

What is your OC numbers and throttling under load?

 

[Jay Santos]

Once you exceed the 70% throttle, then the FE gets louder. At 70% throttle and under heavy load, I get around 71 degrees with an ambient temperature of 82F. I'm sure it'll get louder the higher the throttle goes. It does get a little loud but not R9 290 reference loud. Keep in mind my case is next to my monitor.

The Strix 1070 I had never broke 65 degrees under heavy load and with probably about 40% fan speed. But the size and cheap plastic construction turned me off.

You can try out the FE from Best Buy. You have 2 weeks to return it if you don't like it and they don't have a restocking fee. You can then get your money back or get the Strix.

I would have kept the Strix if it weren't so ridiculously large.

The plastic on the Strix is not cheap or flimsy by any means it is a really thick solid plastic, i have held this card with its plastic shroud many times and it is really pretty solid unlike the Gigabyte G1 or Xtreme where you can press the plastic down with a finger, the Strix although is a heavy card and a tall one, but i have a very roomy case so it did not bother me, cooling wise like you said about 40-45% fan and sub 70c is one of the things i like a lot about this card besides the AURA RGB of course ..... but a founder's craftsmanship surely has its appeal and it is also cheaper than the Strix so it has compelling reasons to buy, but i am just worried about noise and heat throttling the most ...

What is your OC numbers and throttling under load?

The highest number I saw it hit was 2,100 mhz. It did fluctuate and throttled from time to time. Thermal throttling isn't a bad thing so long as it happens in boost range. You probably already know this. But just in case. There are so many people that like to spit that out without really thinking.

Honestly if you have the case space I would go with the Strix. Superior cooling > looks. I mean you look at the monitor when you game and not the card 😀

The smaller size of the FE was my deciding factor since I didn't want to spend the money on a new case which I don't really need. Not to mention 10 degrees warmer wasn't the end of the world and a slightly louder cooler doesn't bother me. I can always place my case on the floor and the fan noise will no longer be an issue. The all metal construction and uber sexy looks is just a bonus

 

[k4ever]

Im going to gamble and get the windforce OC gpu. $365 final price after everything looks like a deal too good for a gtx 1070 with exact same clocks than a msi gaming X.

How did you get it at that price? I thought my FE at $380 was a steal 😀

Through Jet.com I never ordered from them before since I mostly buy my stuff through newegg, but the reviews say its mostly ok. I just cross my fingers that I wont fall under the 10% that has to go through issues.

I never considered it myself because it looks ugly as sin and is made out of cheap flimsy plastic and i have had a lot of issues with Gigabyte products in the past .. the upside is that thin flimsy plastic makes the card lighter than the ASUS Strix for example, but who cares?

This will be my first gigabyte item. I have done corsair, coolermaster, sapphire, asus, and they all performed good.

By the way, Im upgrading from a 7870 XT. I wanna get my mind blown away 😀

 

[MyNewRig]

Im going to gamble and get the windforce OC gpu. $365 final price after everything looks like a deal too good for a gtx 1070 with exact same clocks than a msi gaming X.

How did you get it at that price? I thought my FE at $380 was a steal 😀

Through Jet.com I never ordered from them before since I mostly buy my stuff through newegg, but the reviews say its mostly ok. I just cross my fingers that I wont fall under the 10% that has to go through issues.

I never considered it myself because it looks ugly as sin and is made out of cheap flimsy plastic and i have had a lot of issues with Gigabyte products in the past .. the upside is that thin flimsy plastic makes the card lighter than the ASUS Strix for example, but who cares?

This will be my first gigabyte item. I have done corsair, coolermaster, sapphire, asus, and they all performed good.

By the way, Im upgrading from a 7870 XT. I wanna get my mind blown away 😀

Going from 7870 to a GTX 1070 is sure a mind blowing upgrade

I went from Radeon 7970 -> GTX 780 -> GTX 970 -> GTX 980 Ti -> GTX 1070 so i never had my mind blown away before haha

 

[k4ever]

Im going to gamble and get the windforce OC gpu. $365 final price after everything looks like a deal too good for a gtx 1070 with exact same clocks than a msi gaming X.

How did you get it at that price? I thought my FE at $380 was a steal 😀

Through Jet.com I never ordered from them before since I mostly buy my stuff through newegg, but the reviews say its mostly ok. I just cross my fingers that I wont fall under the 10% that has to go through issues.

I never considered it myself because it looks ugly as sin and is made out of cheap flimsy plastic and i have had a lot of issues with Gigabyte products in the past .. the upside is that thin flimsy plastic makes the card lighter than the ASUS Strix for example, but who cares?

This will be my first gigabyte item. I have done corsair, coolermaster, sapphire, asus, and they all performed good.

By the way, Im upgrading from a 7870 XT. I wanna get my mind blown away 😀

Going from 7870 to a GTX 1070 is sure a mind blowing upgrade

I went from Radeon 7970 -> GTX 780 -> GTX 970 -> GTX 980 Ti -> GTX 1070 so i never had my mind blown away before haha

My first one was when I discovered pc gaming by an act of luck. I went to a gamestop to buy portal 2 for the ps3, and had to argue with the employee in order to get the original box with the manuals. I loved the game, but later realized there was a code inside the case to download the game for pc for free. I thought "why not?" and thats also how I discovered steam. I was only running an i3-2120 integrated graphics and suffered from stuttering in the game. After coming to Toms hardware I bought my very first gpu: a radeon 6670 HD. From that moment on I embraced pc gaming and forgot about consoles.

So my WOW moment was PS3 < 6670 HD
That moment you experience for the first time 60fps .... is just amazing.

 

[k4ever]

Quick update:

I got the gpu from jet.com fullfilled by newegg, and it was dead on arrival. I already printed out a return label and will have to wait around 2 weeks to get my money back as soon as I send the gpu back.
Terrible experience with gigabyte and jet.com
Whats good if I get a great price with fast shipping, if the item doesnt work at all and I have to return it while waiting for weeks to get my money back?
Not good at all.

 

[Jay Santos]

Im going to gamble and get the windforce OC gpu. $365 final price after everything looks like a deal too good for a gtx 1070 with exact same clocks than a msi gaming X.

How did you get it at that price? I thought my FE at $380 was a steal 😀

Through Jet.com I never ordered from them before since I mostly buy my stuff through newegg, but the reviews say its mostly ok. I just cross my fingers that I wont fall under the 10% that has to go through issues.

I never considered it myself because it looks ugly as sin and is made out of cheap flimsy plastic and i have had a lot of issues with Gigabyte products in the past .. the upside is that thin flimsy plastic makes the card lighter than the ASUS Strix for example, but who cares?

This will be my first gigabyte item. I have done corsair, coolermaster, sapphire, asus, and they all performed good.

By the way, Im upgrading from a 7870 XT. I wanna get my mind blown away 😀

Going from 7870 to a GTX 1070 is sure a mind blowing upgrade

I went from Radeon 7970 -> GTX 780 -> GTX 970 -> GTX 980 Ti -> GTX 1070 so i never had my mind blown away before haha

My upgrade went like this:
MX-4000: Noob at PC gaming. I bought it at Walmart. I liked the box in the shape of an "X". LOL
9600 ATI: Someone told me it was a good card. They were right. I enjoyed it.
6600GT: I wanted to run Doom 3 at a respectable rate.
6800LE (Effectively a regular 6800 since I was lucky enough to unlock the "locked" pipelines. All were fine): I had extra money and wanted Far Cry to run "smooth".
X1950XT ATI: Decided to give ATI a try again.
8800GTS 640mb: ATI card above burned to death. Swore to never touch ATI once again.
GTX 260 C216: A game called Crysis came along.
GTX 650ti: DX11
GTX 960 2gb: GPU above not enough vram. I was a cheap bastard and somewhat regret this purchase.
GTX 970: GTAV. I gave the 960 to my son.
GTX 1070: I wanted all eye candy turned on. I gave the 970 to my son and the 960 for my media player.

I will probably pick up another 1070 next year and go down the SLI route.

 

[Ahhsum]

Im going to gamble and get the windforce OC gpu. $365 final price after everything looks like a deal too good for a gtx 1070 with exact same clocks than a msi gaming X.

How did you get it at that price? I thought my FE at $380 was a steal 😀

i got my gigabyte windforce oc 1070 for 351 shipped from jet.com about a month after release.

 

[Goku Black]

My experience with Windforce OC gtx 1070 is actually pretty good. The thing is cool as hell compared to the rest of my motherboard ( as my cpu is bottlenecking the gtx 1070 so it's working extra hard all the time ) and it arrived pretty soon from ebay. I upgraded from GT 730 which was a PAIN to have as a gaming card, but now my entire gaming life just went upside down.