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[Kelli Lemondrop]

Expected, but I was still hoping for a different answer

I guess I could wait for the new cards, but with TW3 coming soon I'd like to play it on Ultra comfortably which won't happen on a 680. Awkward situation to be in lol.

see my above post think the 295X2 would be a good choice if you don't want to wait, provided some benches for you as well (minimum framerate in mordor is a thing that happens on SLi configs as well, its not stuttery at all).

the 290X is a better choice than the 970 or the 980, its $300, faster than the 970 in most cases at 1440p, and won't have a vram issue if your game has any sort of decent textures.

 

[dr_rus]

Damn. I've been wanting to start using my 1440p monitor again for the new games coming out. I don't really care about 'maxing' absolutely everything and expecting 60fps, but still I generally prefer running with the higher settings and compromising the framerate until it gets too low (below 35-40 range).

Would a 980 (or better) be my only options right now?

If you're ok with lowering settings for fps then you'll be fine with a 970.

980 is like two times more expensive while being only +10% of performance. This pretty much guarantees that 980 will struggle in the same cases as 970 does but the latter one will cost you much less. If you want significantly more performance then TitanX is the only single chip option at the moment. I myself is waiting on that fabled "980Ti" which I hope will be at least 20-30% faster than my 970 with a reasonable price attached to it.

 

[Seanspeed]

Yes. I really dont think the 970 is a good 1440p card.

The 980 is hardly some massive leap. You get about 15% more performance and an extra 0.5GB vRAM.

I think it really depends on your specific expectations and preferences. For me, I'm not sure if I'd want to do it. But I've read other people who are very happy with their 970 at 1440p.

 

[Kelli Lemondrop]

Expected, but I was still hoping for a different answer

I guess I could wait for the new cards, but with TW3 coming soon I'd like to play it on Ultra comfortably which won't happen on a 680. Awkward situation to be in lol.

^^ Thanks Kelli, I will look into it. I wished there was something in that $400 price range that can handle 1440p well.

http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/7037/sapphire-radeon-r9-290x-8gb-tri-video-card-review/index8.html here's a review of the 290X, they compare it to the 970 and the 980 in these tests, thats the 1440p page (there presently isn't any difference between the 4GB and 8GB models at 1440p performance wise) have a look . It's pretty much trading blows with the 980 at 1440p, as you can see. Also, if you want 8GB vram, the 8GB 290X is only ~$400, as you mentioned is your price limit.

 

[Jimrpg]

Damn. I've been wanting to start using my 1440p monitor again for the new games coming out. I don't really care about 'maxing' absolutely everything and expecting 60fps, but still I generally prefer running with the higher settings and compromising the framerate until it gets too low (below 35-40 range).

Would a 980 (or better) be my only options right now?

I'll be doing the same. 970 overclocked at 1440p. My monitor hasn't arrived yet but I'll let you know.

I think it should be fine. There are a few games that won't run maxed out and you'll have to turn it down a bit, but they'll look good. Heck I'm playing dark souls locked at 30 at the moment and its not a big deal. I don't play FPS though so I don't have to worry about not being able to run Crysis, Metro etc.

I decided not to get a 980 because the 970 after overclocking can offer close to the same performance as a stock 980 according to benchmarks.

 

[Jimrpg]

I just got a GTX970 like a couple of weeks ago, is it still possible to get 30% discount from Amazon?

Update: Emailed them, got a crappy response that they understood the situation but no partial refund. Tried again this morning but via chat and they gave me 20%. $72 off putting it towards my insanely expensive xb270hu. happy!

 

[Godan]

Dunno about UK, but there's a load of used 780's for sale here in Norway. Usually for £20-30 more than 290x's sell for.

Thanks. Just wasn't sure if it would sell with it being discontinued and all.


Had a look around about the 980 Ti and it seems like it might be out soon. They are just waiting to see how AMD do with their new cards.


Hope the UK price for the 980 Ti will be not to big.

 

[Windom Earle]

I am currently RMA'ing my card due to coil whine. God bless the amazing EVGA customer support. I am paying the collateral for advanced RMA. WTF is going on with those 970 prices? I got mine at launch for about 300, now they are about 400?

edit: And I am getting the better ACX 2.0+ model, awwww yis.

 

[BIGWORM]

Best Buy has the ACX2.0 version of the 970 for 329, while the reference version is 379. The fuck?

 

[Dictator93]

I am currently RMA'ing my card due to coil whine. God bless the amazing EVGA customer support. I am paying the collateral for advanced RMA. WTF is going on with those 970 prices? I got mine at launch for about 300, now they are about 400?

edit: And I am getting the better ACX 2.0+ model, awwww yis.

I have no idea what happened to price deflation. Everything is still basically at part with or above the original MSRP btw.

 

[Richard the Lionheart]

I have a 760 in my PC atm, I am now gunning for the 970. Need to start saving up!

 

[Bebpo]

I've been wanting to buy myself a present as I just passed the CA Broker License exam this week, and am really close to buying a 2nd 980 to SLI because GTAV is showing me that my 980 just isn't enough to get 60fps on 1080p with max settings, and clean image (from either 4x MSAA or no AA but downsampling from 1600p) and my single 980 already struggled on AC Unity. But a 2nd 980 seems like it should allow that for all PS4/XB1 based games for the rest of the generation, which is cool.

My only worry is that with the Directx 12 stuff right around the corner, I'm worried that buying a 2nd 980 now is a bad idea if it turns out these cards can't use DX12 and then I'm better off waiting a year, selling my single 980 card and buying whatever new generation card comes out that is made for DX 12 benefits.

Basically I just want a card that will last me until PS5-based games start coming out. I was hoping 980 would do it, but more and more it's looking like it won't if I care about clean image quality. So before I pull the trigger on a second 980, would like some input.

 

[AJLma]

Damn. I've been wanting to start using my 1440p monitor again for the new games coming out. I don't really care about 'maxing' absolutely everything and expecting 60fps, but still I generally prefer running with the higher settings and compromising the framerate until it gets too low (below 35-40 range).

Would a 980 (or better) be my only options right now?

No, a 970 is perfect for 1440p. Even an R9 290 is fine at 1440p with higher(not maxed) settings. If you're only aiming for 1440p/60, then a 970 is probably your best bet.

EDIT: I see you said you like to keep it above at least 40FPS, then a 980 definitely isn't necessary. I could reasonably max nearly every game out on my 970 with about a 10% OC and maintain 40+FPS.

 

[Windom Earle]

I have no idea what happened to price deflation. Everything is still basically at part with or above the original MSRP btw.

I guess Nvidia realized that the 970 was too much of a deal and 980 sales were probably a fair bit behind.

EVGA already shipped my replacement and I should have it on Monday. I don't see myself buying from another company, this service is just too good.

 

[bobby2times]

No, a 970 is perfect for 1440p. Even an R9 290 is fine at 1440p with higher(not maxed) settings. If you're only aiming for 1440p/60, then a 970 is probably your best bet.

EDIT: I see you said you like to keep it above at least 40FPS, then a 980 definitely isn't necessary. I could reasonably max nearly every game out on my 970 with about a 10% OC and maintain 40+FPS.

A 970 will definitely get you 40+ at 1440p. It wont do a stable 60 though from my experience.

 

[23qwerty]

my 970 is fairly stable with mostly 1440p@60 in GTA V with mostly very high

 

[ValfarHL]

I'm planning to get my Asus 970 black to perform as a stock 980. Going for them 1500 MHz stable!

 

[robgrab]

I recently decided to try my hand at overclocking my brand new MSI Geforce GTX 980 4G based on this article. It's been running super stable and it's a noticeable improvement over my already factory overclocked card, especially in games like Crysis 3.

 

[j-wood]

So I just bought a 970 on sale from best buy (and it came with witcher 3!).

The rest of my rig is a 2600k, 8gb ddr3, and a regular HDD, dual 1080p monitors. The 970 should be able to run witcher 3 at 1080p 60fps yeah?

 

[Napalm_Frank]

So I just bought a 970 on sale from best buy (and it came with witcher 3!).

The rest of my rig is a 2600k, 8gb ddr3, and a regular HDD, dual 1080p monitors. The 970 should be able to run witcher 3 at 1080p 60fps yeah?

Sure but you probably need to tone down some Ultra options.

 

[aravuus]

So I just bought a 970 on sale from best buy (and it came with witcher 3!).

The rest of my rig is a 2600k, 8gb ddr3, and a regular HDD, dual 1080p monitors. The 970 should be able to run witcher 3 at 1080p 60fps yeah?

Yeah, most likely not on ultra though. Maybe on a very high preset.

e: i'm slow f u frank

 

[Mascot]

Had a look around about the 980 Ti and it seems like it might be out soon. They are just waiting to see how AMD do with their new cards.


Hope the UK price for the 980 Ti will be not to big.

What's the perceived wisdom (ie educated guesswork?) regarding price and performance premiums over the vanilla 980?

 

[SmartWaffles]

My ASUS Strix 970 is coming in today

 

[Exentryk]

I recently decided to try my hand at overclocking my brand new MSI Geforce GTX 980 4G based on this article. It's been running super stable and it's a noticeable improvement over my already factory overclocked card, especially in games like Crysis 3.

What numbers did you end up with? I also have my Asus Strix model moderately overclocked (1440 / 7600).

 

[Windom Earle]

Received this card from EVGA as replacement for my old 970SC:
http://hexus.net/tech/news/graphics/78613-evga-launching-new-improved-geforce-gtx-970-ssc-card/

It has dual bios, a better cooler and runs over 1400 mhz boost clock. I am impressed!

 

[j-wood]

Received this card from EVGA as replacement for my old 970SC:
http://hexus.net/tech/news/graphics/78613-evga-launching-new-improved-geforce-gtx-970-ssc-card/

It has dual bios, a better cooler and runs over 1400 mhz boost clock. I am impressed!

This is the card I just bought from best buy. Loving it.

 

[dEvAnGeL]

so, still no news about a 980ti? man i really want that card to play the witcher 3 on all its glory

 

[Lockjaw333]

Received this card from EVGA as replacement for my old 970SC:
http://hexus.net/tech/news/graphics/78613-evga-launching-new-improved-geforce-gtx-970-ssc-card/

It has dual bios, a better cooler and runs over 1400 mhz boost clock. I am impressed!

I like my SSC a lot. I seem to get a decent boost vs. others with a reference clocked 970.

I did however make a customm fan profile in afterburner. My card was getting hot sometimes, peaking at 80C, which I attributed to the default profile having the fans not kick on until 60C or whatever and having to play catch up.

 

[Jarrod357]

Best Buy has the ACX2.0 version of the 970 for 329, while the reference version is 379. The fuck?

Where did you see this sale? Online it shows $379.

 

[Windom Earle]

This is the card I just bought from best buy. Loving it.

It really is extremely nice. I tried to mount the backplate from my old card till I noticed that it is a bit longer too, lol. No contest with my old SC. Much cooler, quieter and no coil whine.

I like my SSC a lot. I seem to get a decent boost vs. others with a reference clocked 970.

I did however make a customm fan profile in afterburner. My card was getting hot sometimes, peaking at 80C, which I attributed to the default profile having the fans not kick on until 60C or whatever and having to play catch up.

I am using the "OC" bios to have a cooler card. This is from the article I posted:

Enthusiasts will likely appreciate the presence of twin BIOSes. The default shipping BIOS provides zero-fan support at temperatures up to 60°C, and flicking over to the second offers a more rigourous fan-speed profile better suited to overclocking. Pertinently, the second BIOS' fan remains switched on at all times, spinning at approximately 600RPM until the GPU temperature exceeds 40°C. Thereafter, it increases in speed linearly as the temperature increases to 80°C (2,000RPM), and then ramps up to a potential 4,500RPM when under the most silicon duress.

600rpm is basically silent, so I think I will stick with this.

 

[littlepooch21]

so which brand 970 is the best to buy? I have heard some are better than others. I want the best and something that is quiet as i'm putting it in my htpc.

 

[dr_rus]

so, still no news about a 980ti? man i really want that card to play the witcher 3 on all its glory

What news do you expect? NV's waiting for AMD's move. Nothing will happen before that.

 

[cyrok]

I have a 760ti, you guys think its worth the jump to the 970?

 

[mbmonk]

so which brand 970 is the best to buy? I have heard some are better than others. I want the best and something that is quiet as i'm putting it in my htpc.

I wanted a quite card as well. I went with the Asus strix 970. But I can't say definitively its the best 970. But I am liking the purchase so far.

 

[ThoseDeafMutes]

What news do you expect? NV's waiting for AMD's move. Nothing will happen before that.

I'm expecting it just to be the GTX 1080 or whatever, not 980Ti. August/September launch. The 300 series would have to be utterly mindblowing at an affordable price to warrant an instant reaction. Then we get rebadged 980 -> 1070 etc etc. Everything else looks just like the 600->700 series transition so far, including releasing the big chip as Titan first.

 

[lowrider007]

I have a 760ti, you guys think its worth the jump to the 970?

Depends if your unhappy with your current performance or not, the 970 is certainly a massive leap up from the 760ti.

 

[cyrok]

Depends if your unhappy with your current performance or not, the 970 is certainly a massive leap up from the 760ti.

I'm not really unhappy, but I would love a bump in graphics. I have an i5-2500k running @ 3.30ghz, my RAM is good but not sure if its worth jumping up in the processor or in the graphics department.

 

[lowrider007]

I'm not really unhappy, but I would love a bump in graphics. I have an i5-2500k running @ 3.30ghz, my RAM is good but not sure if its worth jumping up in the processor or in the graphics department.

I have an i5-2500k also, but @ 4.4ghz, it's still a very capable CPU, I have mine paired with a 980, I'd upgrade your GPU but also clock you CPU to at least 4ghz, really not worth upgrading you CPU yet if it's just for gaming.

 

[Kama_1082]

Is there a 970 GTX brand that I should stay away from? I'm looking to pick up the MSI 4GD5T OC

 

[dr_rus]

I'm expecting it just to be the GTX 1080 or whatever, not 980Ti. August/September launch. The 300 series would have to be utterly mindblowing at an affordable price to warrant an instant reaction. Then we get rebadged 980 -> 1070 etc etc. Everything else looks just like the 600->700 series transition so far, including releasing the big chip as Titan first.

It will launch as GTX990 in May or June probably. NV almost always reacts instantly. As for your idea regarding the pointless renaming of Maxwell range in the autumn - I believe we already had this discussion. I don't think that we'll see any new GPU series from NV until Pascal in spring 2016.

 

[ThoseDeafMutes]

It will launch as GTX990 in May or June probably. NV almost always reacts instantly. As for your idea regarding the pointless renaming of Maxwell range in the autumn - I believe we already had this discussion. I don't think that we'll see any new GPU series from NV until Pascal in spring 2016.

990? That's the dual GPU naming scheme. Why would they call it that? 980ti would also be inconsistent with recent naming conventions for chips, but at least would make more sense than using the dual GPU slot in the branding. Rebadging is a time honored tradition, and would be perfectly in keeping with the 600->700 transition. Literally 1 new chip, the 780, with the rest of the series (barring 750ti which was maxwell) was a rebadged 600 series card knocked down one notch. A later 2016 release for Pascal would not be surprising, that would still let them have a new series this year to compete with the 300 series, roughly one year after the last and roughly one year before the next. AMD would need to murder it with the 300 series for them to want to skip over more profits in favor of rushing pascal to market.

 

[Rodin]

Guys a good deal in Europe for a 970, possibly with TW3 code? I really don't want to pay 359€ for it, even with TW3 code, but i can't seem to find a better deal than this one.

Is there a 970 GTX brand that I should stay away from? I'm looking to pick up the MSI 4GD5T OC

The MSI gaming is one of the best, the one you're looking at should be good too. You should probably stay away from the old versions of the EVGA cards (e.g. from this one), if you want one of them buy this or another version with the 2.0+ cooler.

 

[HariKari]

Is there a 970 GTX brand that I should stay away from? I'm looking to pick up the MSI 4GD5T OC

MSI, Gigabyte, ASUS, EVGA are all usually safe bets.

990? That's the dual GPU naming scheme. Why would they call it that?

Is there a reason they don't do those cards as often anymore? I fondly remember have 2 GX2s, which was the equivalent of four 8800GTs. Good stuff. Also doubled as a space heater.

 

[Maastricht]

Guys a good deal in Europe for a 970, possibly with TW3 code? I really don't want to pay 359€ for it, even with TW3 code, but i can't seem to find a better deal than this one.

The MSI gaming is one of the best, the one you're looking at should be good too. You should probably stay away from the old versions of the EVGA cards (e.g. from this one), if you want one of them buy this or another version with the 2.0+ cooler.

I got that deal with the code, and really happy with it so far. Will be interesting to see what The Witcher III looks like.

I bought but then never really played The Witcher II on PC, so now I'm playing it on the 970. For the heck of it, I plugged in an additional screen I had laying around and am playing it with 3 screens (5000x1000 res), and that works quite well with the Witcher II actually. I'm sure that with III it will require too much prettiness to be sacrificed, but for older games I'm finding that everything on max settnigs is rarely worth it.

 

[Pancakes]

Is there a 970 GTX brand that I should stay away from? I'm looking to pick up the MSI 4GD5T OC

That's the card I have. Runs quiet and I have it decently OC'd with no issues.

 

[Chinbo37]

Guys a good deal in Europe for a 970, possibly with TW3 code? I really don't want to pay 359€ for it, even with TW3 code, but i can't seem to find a better deal than this one.

Deal ... in EUROPE ... for a 970 :


You are killing me

Spoiler

If you find a deal let me know

 

[akileese]

Is there a 970 GTX brand that I should stay away from? I'm looking to pick up the MSI 4GD5T OC

The EVGA 970 GTX SSC I got failed out of the box. Seemed like the fans never activated and when I got into GTA V for about 3 hours it just melted. I returned it with the intention of getting another one (this was the first EVGA card I've had fail on me out of about 5 or 6), but they had just sold the last one so I had to get the Nvidia branded one, which runs really well.

 

[Rodin]

I got that deal with the code, and really happy with it so far. Will be interesting to see what The Witcher III looks like.

I bought but then never really played The Witcher II on PC, so now I'm playing it on the 970. For the heck of it, I plugged in an additional screen I had laying around and am playing it with 3 screens (5000x1000 res), and that works quite well with the Witcher II actually. I'm sure that with III it will require too much prettiness to be sacrificed, but for older games I'm finding that everything on max settnigs is rarely worth it.

I'm sure you'll run it perfectly at 1080p, but that res may be a bit too much haha

Deal ... in EUROPE ... for a 970 :


You are killing me

Spoiler

If you find a deal let me know

Yeah i feel your pain lol. Actually i feel stupid for not grabbing it at 329+TW3 and free shipment.

Spoiler

I won't let you know because i'll never find it anymore

The EVGA 970 GTX SSC I got failed out of the box. Seemed like the fans never activated and when I got into GTA V for about 3 hours it just melted. I returned it with the intention of getting another one (this was the first EVGA card I've had fail on me out of about 5 or 6), but they had just sold the last one so I had to get the Nvidia branded one, which runs really well.

Damn. Was it the 2.0 or the 2.0+ cooler?

 

[Chinbo37]

I'm sure you'll run it perfectly at 1080p, but that res may be a bit too much haha



Yeah i feel your pain lol. Actually i feel stupid for not grabbing it at 329+TW3 and free shipment.

Spoiler

I won't let you know because i'll never find it anymore

As an American living in Europe I dont understand these prices at all. Why are 970s about 330 USD and here like 360+ EUR?

Why?

 

[Collateral22]

As an American living in Europe I dont understand these prices at all. Why are 970s about 330 USD and here like 360+ EUR?

Why?

Taxes I presume. It's like 69.99 releases here for retail console games yet 59.99 in the US.