# GTX 970 Comparison: STRIX vs MSI Gaming vs Gigabyte G1



## santanac

Awesome review, very useful for people debating between these cards. Just a little observation, you mentioned the MSI GTX 970 being the smallest/thinnest, is that out of all GTX 970s or between these 3 cards?


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## rv8000

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *santanac*
> 
> Awesome review, very useful for people debating between these cards. Just a little observation, you mentioned the MSI GTX 970 being the smallest/thinnest, is that out of all GTX 970s or between these 3 cards?


Between these three, but it is possible it is thinner then some of the other cards (EVGA ACX X.0, Zotac etc...), thats actually something I haven't checked. I'll make sure to note that explicitly thank you.


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## fleetfeather

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *santanac*
> 
> Awesome review, very useful for people debating between these cards. Just a little observation, you mentioned the MSI GTX 970 being the smallest/thinnest, is that out of all GTX 970s or between these 3 cards?


Out of those 3 cards only


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## TheMentalist

Nice work mate








I'm still waiting for ASUS their standard DirectCu series, hopefully it will be as good as the previous generations.


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## Razzaa

Great post and thank you for taking the time to do this!! + rep


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## sadeter

Great post. Very helpful. The only negative I have is a very slight one. Those graphs are severely zoomed in on the ends of those bars. The difference between them is not nearly as large as it would appear there.


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## rv8000

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *sadeter*
> 
> Great post. Very helpful. The only negative I have is a very slight one. Those graphs are severely zoomed in on the ends of those bars. The difference between them is not nearly as large as it would appear there.


Noted. The purpose was to highlight the fact the ASUS an MSI card were throttling but I do see how this can be a poor representation for overall performance. I'll redo the graphs and attempt to come up with a better way to highlight the throttling issue.

** I will also be editing a few sections to better state that all the cards should perform exactly the same when power/temp throttling is not an issue.


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## Masterchief3k

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *sadeter*
> 
> Great post. Very helpful. The only negative I have is a very slight one. Those graphs are severely zoomed in on the ends of those bars. The difference between them is not nearly as large as it would appear there.


That's the downside to some bar graphs. They can look exaggerated. Just ignore the bars, look at the numbers.


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## n4p0l3onic

Need to dp this comparison with other brands too like zotac amp version, evga, galax etc


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## apoe

Nice and informative post, thanks!


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## rv8000

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *n4p0l3onic*
> 
> Need to dp this comparison with other brands too like zotac amp version, evga, galax etc


I can do so. For testing purposes I need users with the cards in hand though, if I had the $$$ to pick up each card and test I would do so in a heartbeat but college does not so nice things to my wallet. The EVGA cards would be easy, but the Zotac amp cards don't seem to be super popular and some of the versions aren't released to the public yet (as far as I know). Again the same issue for the Galax. It's also hard to make general comments on pros and cons when not all the cards have reviews on the web to draw conclusions from. Either way I will try to do my best to add a few more cards in the coming week.


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## n4p0l3onic

Zotac amp cards are supposedly to be powered with 2 (!!!) 8 pins cable, that is insane and I wonder if they can overclock like crazy


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## rv8000

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *n4p0l3onic*
> 
> Zotac amp cards are supposedly to be powered with 2 (!!!) 8 pins cable, that is insane and I wonder if they can overclock like crazy


They will be limited by cooling and voltage before power becomes an issue, that will end up being the case for these cards as well. Even with a voltage of 1.25v the Gigabyte card couldnt break it's 100% power limit (250w). Bios mods done through KBT will allow for ~1.3v before vdroop and llc (hex edited and hard mods will allow for more voltage), but even with 1.3v it's going to be hard to go over 280w; cooling may likely start to become an issue on air (at least for certain cards VRMs). Voltages, cooling, and cherry picked GPUs are going to the whole "overclocking like crazy".


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## Booty Warrior

Nice write-up. I hadn't heard the new MSI Gaming series ran in passive mode at idle too. Good to know.


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## andrejse

guru3d reviews have really good thermal imaging measurements for all three cards

http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/asus_geforce_gtx_970_strix_review,9.html

http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/msi_geforce_gtx_970_gaming_review,9.html

http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/gigabyte_geforce_gtx_970_g1_gaming_review,9.html

G1 gaming has an amazing cooling, cant wait for mine to arrive


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## jdc122

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *rv8000*
> 
> They will be limited by cooling and voltage before power becomes an issue, that will end up being the case for these cards as well. Even with a voltage of 1.25v the Gigabyte card couldnt break it's 100% power limit (250w). Bios mods done through KBT will allow for ~1.3v before vdroop and llc (hex edited and hard mods will allow for more voltage), but even with 1.3v it's going to be hard to go over 280w; cooling may likely start to become an issue on air (at least for certain cards VRMs). Voltages, cooling, and cherry picked GPUs are going to the whole "overclocking like crazy".


speaking of cherry picking, gigabyte brought back their GPU Gauntlet for these new G1 cards. AKA what they used on their old Super Overclock cards. ive had great luck with them in the past, the 460 and 470 etc. so im going to be getting two of those 970 G1's as asoon as I sell my 780ti classy. Here's hoping these hand picked chips can do something!


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## staryoshi

I know you wish to display the minute differences between the benchmark scores, but truncated graphs like that are silly. (And I will never consider the single 8-pin PCIE connector on the Asus card as anything but an advantage







)


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## rv8000

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *staryoshi*
> 
> I know you wish to display the minute differences between the benchmark scores, but truncated graphs like that are silly. (And I will never consider the single 8-pin PCIE connector on the Asus card as anything but an advantage
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> )


I understand, another user already mentioned this and as soon as I'm back from work I'll be reworking the graphs from 0









I will also be re-working and explaining the power connection situation in more detail.


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## Cyro999

Looks like g1 is dominating option, higher power limit, guru3d reports VRM temps ~25c lower than the msi gaming 970. Glad i saw this before i bought, thanks


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## doza

i knew you were going to make a comparison, but this is betther than review!

i just hate my self, could not wait for 5 days for gigabyte to come so picked strix, only now i see dual bios and extra tdp on gigabyte

so much easier and safer to flash and extra oc that gigabyte than strix( lower max wattage and single bios on strix)


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## Razzaa

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doza*
> 
> i knew you were going to make a comparison, but this is betther than review!
> 
> i just hate my self, could not wait for 5 days for gigabyte to come so picked strix, only now i see dual bios and extra tdp on gigabyte
> 
> so much easier and safer to flash and extra oc that gigabyte than strix( lower max wattage and single bios on strix)


I cant figure out how to access the dual bios though.


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## doza

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Razzaa*
> 
> I cant figure out how to access the dual bios though.


dont know what u mean

i only care about dual bios when i flash and flash wrong, i manage to fix that fail bios flash by booting with second one! and correcting previous one

that is my only concern with strix, as i wont have a second chance;( if i fail


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## a_ak57

I have a preorder in for the MSI Gaming at NCIX, but now I'm considering getting the Giga G1 since I'd like to get max overclock. If/when there is an unlocked BIOS allowing higher power limit, will that even things out or will the G1 always be better at OCing due to cooling? Or I guess more importantly, is the difference going to actually be enough to care about?


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## MaN227

thanks for all that contributed to gathering all provided info, good stuff boys


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## rv8000

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *a_ak57*
> 
> I have a preorder in for the MSI Gaming at NCIX, but now I'm considering getting the Giga G1 since I'd like to get max overclock. If/when there is an unlocked BIOS allowing higher power limit, will that even things out or will the G1 always be better at OCing due to cooling?


Once we have a way to flash unlocked bioses all of the cards should be dead even when restricted to tdp and voltages. Overall the gigabyte card still offers the best cooling solution, better cooled vrms = potential higher overclocks due to increased stability and efficiency. The Gigabyte card should remain the best of the three when air cooling, for water its a toss up.


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## a_ak57

I see, guess it seems obvious now that I think about it. I suppose the better question is, how much of a difference will we see in actual games at the end of the day? I know that's kind of impossible to answer, but I'm just trying to get a feel for how much better the cooling is (like if it's really only an enthusiast difference).


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## Xerin7

Great review, thanks. I'm thinking about 2 Gigabyte 970s on an Asus 99-a board....do you think they will fit ok and not generate too much heat?


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## Razzaa

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doza*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Razzaa*
> 
> I cant figure out how to access the dual bios though.
> 
> 
> 
> dont know what u mean
> 
> i only care about dual bios when i flash and flash wrong, i manage to fix that fail bios flash by booting with second one! and correcting previous one
> 
> that is my only concern with strix, as i wont have a second chance;( if i fail
Click to expand...

Let me clarify, on some cards like a 290 they have a bios switch. I dont see a bios switch on the Gigabyte. I am assuming there is another way to switxh to the second bios, i am just not sure how to do that.


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## Razzaa

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *a_ak57*
> 
> I see, guess it seems obvious now that I think about it. I suppose the better question is, how much of a difference will we see in actual games at the end of the day? I know that's kind of impossible to answer, but I'm just trying to get a feel for how much better the cooling is (like if it's really only an enthusiast difference).


The VRM's are up to 25c cooler on the Gigabyte.

The MSI is a good card and it still comes down to Silicon lottery when overclocking. With that being said, i have yet to see a Gigabyte G1 Gaming not get to 1550-1600mhz so far from what people have reported.


----------



## Razzaa

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Xerin7*
> 
> Great review, thanks. I'm thinking about 2 Gigabyte 970s on an Asus 99-a board....do you think they will fit ok and not generate too much heat?


Lots of variables involved with that question. Like airflow and space etc.


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## Olper

MSI's buck controller is for a maximum of 4 phases. The card claims to have 6 phases. It seems like MSI has put two sets of chokes/fet pairs in parallel and therefore has ONLY 3 PHASES! There is still a lot of ferrite on MSI's PCB, which indicates it should be able to provide much current, but pairing up phases means there is more ripple!

I did a bit similar thread yesterday for water coolers and hardware modders. The goal there is to _dig deeper_ into the hardware. Input from gpu owners is needed, check it out: http://www.overclock.net/t/1516169/best-gtx-970-for-watercooling-and-for-mods


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## Razzaa

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Olper*
> 
> MSI's buck controller is for a maximum of 4 phases. The card claims to have 6 phases. It seems like MSI has put two sets of chokes/fet pairs in parallel and therefore has ONLY 3 PHASES! There is still a lot of ferrite on MSI's PCB, which indicates it should be able to provide much current, but pairing up phases means there is more ripple!
> 
> I did a bit similar thread yesterday for water coolers and hardware modders. The goal there is to _dig deeper_ into the hardware. Input from gpu owners is needed, check it out: http://www.overclock.net/t/1516169/best-gtx-970-for-watercooling-and-for-mods


I have a Gigabyte 970. If i can provide any info juat let me know.


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## Olper

You could check what volt controller IC it has, but you need to remove backplate to do so. Its typically close to pcie connector. Just read the couple of lines on the chip. You may need magnifying glass..


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## rv8000

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Olper*
> 
> You could check what volt controller IC it has, but you need to remove backplate to do so. Its typically close to pcie connector. Just read the couple of lines on the chip. You may need magnifying glass..


If Razza can't get you the info before my G1 comes, ill gladly take the gpu apart to get some pictures. I would eventually like to include better descriptions/explanations of these cards power delivery system, but my technical understanding of the pieces isn't what'd I'd like it to be to do so







.


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## Olper

Love your commitment!


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## rv8000

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Xerin7*
> 
> Great review, thanks. I'm thinking about 2 Gigabyte 970s on an Asus 99-a board....do you think they will fit ok and not generate too much heat?


As long as you space the cards out enough and have a large case with good airflow you should have zero issues and temperatures should be great, you will need a flexible sli connector though.


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## Xerin7

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *rv8000*
> 
> As long as you space the cards out enough and have a large case with good airflow you should have zero issues and temperatures should be great, you will need a flexible sli connector though.


That's good to hear. This is the first time I'm trying SLI, do I need to buy a separate connector?


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## rv8000

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Xerin7*
> 
> That's good to hear. This is the first time I'm trying SLI, do I need to buy a separate connector?


No, the ASUS X99-A appears to come bundled with a flexible SLI connector in it's retail packaging.


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## bastian

No love for the 980 versions of these cards? My Gigabyte GTX 980 G1 is on its way. Can't wait to push its 8+2+2 phase power design.


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## Edkiefer

""- Dual fan HSF design featuring idle fan shutoff (when under 40c); the overall height of the cooling solution is slightly less than two slots to provide better cooling for sli configurations.""

On my 970 gaming the fans kick in at 62c and then go back to idle at 50c point (after load drops ) .

On VRM , I wonder if they have tape under that heaksink and if some paste would help .


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## delellod123

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Razzaa*
> 
> The VRM's are up to 25c cooler on the Gigabyte.
> 
> The MSI is a good card and it still comes down to Silicon lottery when overclocking. With that being said, i have yet to see a Gigabyte G1 Gaming not get to 1550-1600mhz so far from what people have reported.


Download Gigabyte VGA tools software.
http://www.gigabyte.us/products/product-page.aspx?pid=5209#utility


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## Razzaa

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *delellod123*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Razzaa*
> 
> The VRM's are up to 25c cooler on the Gigabyte.
> 
> The MSI is a good card and it still comes down to Silicon lottery when overclocking. With that being said, i have yet to see a Gigabyte G1 Gaming not get to 1550-1600mhz so far from what people have reported.
> 
> 
> 
> Download Gigabyte VGA tools software.
> http://www.gigabyte.us/products/product-page.aspx?pid=5209#utility
Click to expand...

Why?


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## GamingWiidesire

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Razzaa*
> 
> The VRM's are up to 25c cooler on the Gigabyte.
> 
> The MSI is a good card and it still comes down to Silicon lottery when overclocking. With that being said, i have yet to see a Gigabyte G1 Gaming not get to 1550-1600mhz so far from what people have reported.


My G1 only goes to 1542 MHz


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## Razzaa

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GamingWiidesire*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Razzaa*
> 
> The VRM's are up to 25c cooler on the Gigabyte.
> 
> The MSI is a good card and it still comes down to Silicon lottery when overclocking. With that being said, i have yet to see a Gigabyte G1 Gaming not get to 1550-1600mhz so far from what people have reported.
> 
> 
> 
> My G1 only goes to 1542 MHz
Click to expand...

Ha ha only........


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## GamingWiidesire

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Razzaa*
> 
> Ha ha only........


Let's see how it goes with the unlocked bios


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## Razzaa

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GamingWiidesire*
> 
> Let's see how it goes with the unlocked bios


That is what i am waiting for....


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## bastian

Can anyone with a Gigabyte 970/980 G1 test through DVI/Displayport that 120hz is working correctly for them? There are some reports of 120hz issues with the G1 and it may be related to Gigabytes Flex display.


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## djgrimey

Nice review! Now im stuck between MSI or ASUS, not sure what to do now. ASUS not in stock tho so looking like MSI.


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## rv8000

Thanks for all the positive feedback people







. I will be adding some new cards to the round-up I just haven't had a lot of free time this week. The next card will most likely be one of the EVGA variants (an ACX 2.0 based card), are there any other specific cards people would like to see added to the comparison?


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## a_ak57

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *bastian*
> 
> Can anyone with a Gigabyte 970/980 G1 test through DVI/Displayport that 120hz is working correctly for them? There are some reports of 120hz issues with the G1 and it may be related to Gigabytes Flex display.


I'll be getting one in the mail early next week (in part thanks to this thread BTW







) so if nobody replies by then I can post my findings.


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## Guinibee

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *andrejse*
> 
> guru3d reviews have really good thermal imaging measurements for all three cards
> 
> http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/asus_geforce_gtx_970_strix_review,9.html
> 
> http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/msi_geforce_gtx_970_gaming_review,9.html
> 
> http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/gigabyte_geforce_gtx_970_g1_gaming_review,9.html
> 
> G1 gaming has an amazing cooling, cant wait for mine to arrive


The thermal images really caught me off guard. I have 2 MSI cards in SLI right now...no wonder why the top card runs so hot...it's breathing in the heat coming off of the back of the other card >.
I just ordered 2 more MSI cards because my current ones are giving an odd ticking noise during 3D Mark Firestrike test, but I noticed the Gigabytes were in stock as well at newegg. I picked up 2 of those as well before they go out of stock again. I have newegg premier so I can just return what I don't need. I think I may just wait for the Gigabyte cards to arrive and return my four msi cards. Do you guys think the gigabyte cards will fit in my case?

I have a Cooler Master Haf X 932...I'll have to work on cable management a little, but I think I measure around 14" worth of space for the card.


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## Guinibee

although there's also tomshardware's thermal tests too

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/nvidia-geforce-gtx-980-970-maxwell,3941-15.html

it looks like the gigabyte is going to hotbox your computer just as harsh as MSI anyway...


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## rv8000

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Guinibee*
> 
> although there's also tomshardware's thermal tests too
> 
> http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/nvidia-geforce-gtx-980-970-maxwell,3941-15.html
> 
> it looks like the gigabyte is going to hotbox your computer just as harsh as MSI anyway...


It's tough to compare Guru3d's results with toms as the setups, thermal hardware, and scenarios are totally different. The only thing that's going to end up resulting in a cooler case temp would be a blower HSF or water, and while the blower HSF designs are good at exhausting air out of the case they're normally not as efficient at cooling the actual card, especially when considering noise levels.


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## djgrimey

Read a bit more on your comparison and it seems that Gigabyte GTX 970 Gaming G1 is the one. Badass!


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## Cyro999

I should get my MSI Gaming 970 in the next 1.5 - 3 hours









Giga looks better but since this is just a value card and nowhere near flagship (wtb 1080ti HOF) i figured it wasn't worth paying £20 ($32) extra for it, and having to wait ~1-10 days for it to be back in stock somewhere


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## GamingWiidesire

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *a_ak57*
> 
> I'll be getting one in the mail early next week (in part thanks to this thread BTW
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ) so if nobody replies by then I can post my findings.


I already replied to this on another thread, but maybe it got burried.
Quote:


> Never heard of this.
> 
> My G1 is connected with 3x DVI-only monitors.
> 
> 2x DVI (1080p 144hz and 120hz) through the DVI connections and 1x 1080p 120hz from a Displayport with an active DVI Dual link Adapter on it.
> Working flawlessly.


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## Dadius

Anyone know how the MSI GTX 970 OC (non gaming version) compares on this list? (GTX 970 4GD5T OC) The main difference between it and the gaming seems to be it has a bit less of a factory OC, uses two 6 pin power connectors instead of one 6 pin and one 8 pin, and it's missing some of the features like having fans that shutt off when under 60 degrees. People seem to be getting similar overclocks and temps with it though.

the gaming version was out of stock when I purchased and it was a bit cheaper.


----------



## apoe

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Dadius*
> 
> Anyone know how the MSI GTX 970 OC (non gaming version) compares on this list? (GTX 970 4GD5T OC) The main difference between it and the gaming seems to be it has a bit less of a factory OC, uses two 6 pin power connectors instead of one 6 pin and one 8 pin, and it's missing some of the features like having fans that shutt off when under 60 degrees. People seem to be getting similar overclocks and temps with it though.
> 
> the gaming version was out of stock when I purchased and it was a bit cheaper.


I read it has a max TDP of 106%, not sure how the base power draw compares to the gaming version though.


----------



## Dadius

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *apoe*
> 
> I read it has a max TDP of 106%, not sure how the base power draw compares to the gaming version though.


Mine has not actually arrived yet (using GTX 760 right now), but I just found a thread in another forum where the guy says the slider only goes to 106% but the card actually goes to 110%-116%, and he had no problem getting 1505 with it at stock voltage. (however he later complained about throttling.

I was planning on only pushing my card to 1400 anyway, as i don't like pushing cards to their limits, so hopefully, it can run 1400 with no throttle issues.


----------



## glyphx

Hi! Could somebody PLEASE post some benchmarks for oclHashcat on the gtx 970, I'm particularly in the WPA cracking potential. I would really appreciate it!
http://hashcat.net/oclhashcat/


----------



## Viper2

The ASUS Strix is the best built GTX 970 and it's quite obvious.

A few frames per second performance difference between the three 970 cards is irrelevant.


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## Cyro999

My MSI gaming 970 goes to about 1500 or so on 1.2v. I can set 1.25v though, but i'm not sure i want to run that as a 24/7.

I wasn't actually aware of the white LED


----------



## rv8000

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *apoe*
> 
> I read it has a max TDP of 106%, not sure how the base power draw compares to the gaming version though.


If I can get my hands on the card's bios I'll let you guys know in ~2 hours, currently at work.


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## sadeter

There is a waterblock out that fits the Asus 970 strix.
That is the EK-FC670 GTX DCII
look here http://www.coolingconfigurator.com/waterblock/3831109856826


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## specopsFI

As soon as anyone comes across a Gigabyte G1 revision 1.1, I'd appreciate all insights to what exactly they changed. I'm a bit worried about all Gigabyte revisions to be honest.


----------



## Razzaa

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *specopsFI*
> 
> As soon as anyone comes across a Gigabyte G1 revision 1.1, I'd appreciate all insights to what exactly they changed. I'm a bit worried about all Gigabyte revisions to be honest.


What would the revision be for?


----------



## specopsFI

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Razzaa*
> 
> What would the revision be for?


Who knows. Could be components, could be new BIOS. Best case: they could have fixed the idle fan speed and done something to prevent coil whine. Worst case: cheaper PCB and a more limited BIOS. But again: who knows.

Edit: But the revision itself is a fact. It's up on Gigabyte's web page.


----------



## rv8000

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Dadius*
> 
> Anyone know how the MSI GTX 970 OC (non gaming version) compares on this list? (GTX 970 4GD5T OC) The main difference between it and the gaming seems to be it has a bit less of a factory OC, uses two 6 pin power connectors instead of one 6 pin and one 8 pin, and it's missing some of the features like having fans that shutt off when under 60 degrees. People seem to be getting similar overclocks and temps with it though.
> 
> the gaming version was out of stock when I purchased and it was a bit cheaper.


Do you have the card in hand? If you would could you please upload/pm me the bios after saving it through GPU-Z; they don't see to have the regular MSI GTX 970 OC bios on TPU yet.


----------



## Sharadeos

This is the PNY GTX 970 Power Table. I get significantly less FPS in all benchmarks because of this card compared to the three you listed. The best score that I have gotten in 3DMark Firestrike GPU score with overclocking is 11220 with this card.

I will be receiving the GALAX GTX 970 today or tomorrow and I will upload its table as well.


----------



## Razzaa

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *specopsFI*
> 
> Who knows. Could be components, could be new BIOS. Best case: they could have fixed the idle fan speed and done something to prevent coil whine. Worst case: cheaper PCB and a more limited BIOS. But again: who knows.
> 
> Edit: But the revision itself is a fact. It's up on Gigabyte's web page.


Ya, i searched and couldnt find any info on what they changed. Im curious as well.


----------



## Arizonian

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Razzaa*
> 
> Ya, i searched and couldnt find any info on what they changed. Im curious as well.


Nothing has changed. I think it may be a mistakenly misinformed member. There has been a new revision of the G1 card which is less overclocked @$349.99 than the original SOC that debuted at $369.99. I think Gigabyte calls them revisions for some reason.

Guru3D did an analysis of that card and it got praises for how well it stay cool under thermal imaging. I concur.


----------



## rv8000

Update

- Fixed some grammar errors
- Updated graphs
- Updated the temp threshold for the MSI card, it is in fact 60c and not 40. The ASUS card and MSI feature the same threshold; conclusion has been edited to reflect as well as pro/con section.

Coming Soon

- TDP/Power limit table for all available 970 cards
- EVGA ACX 2.0 base card being added


----------



## a_ak57

Wait, Gigabyte is releasing a G1 with lower clocks for $20 less? Man, I hope it's at least worse in some other way otherwise I'll feel sad at just having bought one yesterday when I could have saved some money.


----------



## nagle3092

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Arizonian*
> 
> Nothing has changed. I think it may be a mistakenly misinformed member. There has been a new revision of the G1 card which is less overclocked @$349.99 than the original SOC that debuted at $369.99. I think Gigabyte calls them revisions for some reason.
> 
> Guru3D did an analysis of that card and it got praises for how well it stay cool under thermal imaging. I concur.


Thats a windforce, not G1 card.

Gaming
http://www.gigabyte.us/products/product-page.aspx?pid=5209

Windforce
http://www.gigabyte.us/products/product-page.aspx?pid=5212#ov

As for the change its probably something minor, it could be bios tweak, heatsink change, backplate change, pcb change. If you email them they will probably let you know.

Another member broke it down here http://www.overclock.net/t/1514085/official-nvidia-gtx-970-owners-club/2140_20#post_22943667

"Difference of the Windforce:

different cooler style (Windforce plastic, G1 metal), because of the different used materials also slightly different colour
different clock/boost speeds (G1 faster, may have more selected chips)
only 4 heatpipes (G1 8)
no backplate!
Windforce is 2mm shorter
different package
different fan stickers

Conclusion: Windforce version may be a little bit cheaper, but in my opinion the G1 has way better cooling, higher clocks, backplate etc. -> go for the G1"


----------



## rv8000

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *a_ak57*
> 
> Wait, Gigabyte is releasing a G1 with lower clocks for $20 less? Man, I hope it's at least worse in some other way otherwise I'll feel sad at just having bought one yesterday when I could have saved some money.


http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=5212#ov

The cooler is different, no backplate, lower clocks, and probably less generous power limits on the Windforce card. If the Gigabyte's whole GPU Gauntlet has any truth to it the G1 cards should ultimately clock better than the windforce ones; see silicon lottery


----------



## fleetfeather

probably a bios adjustment which will be available to r1.0 owners using nvflash anyways. It won't be a pcb change or anything like that


----------



## a_ak57

Oh, I know about the non-G1 Windforce, I thought Arizonian was saying that there is/will be an actual G1 revision that sports lower clocks at a lower price. Though I guess it'd be strange to introduce a cheaper (but otherwise the same besides clocks) G1 at the same price as the Windforce.


----------



## jlhawn

one thing I saw when I ordered my Gigabyte yesterday ( I bought the $369 G1) the one for $349 is lower clocks and no backplate.
my Gaming G1 will be here Tuesday


----------



## nagle3092

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *a_ak57*
> 
> Oh, I know about the non-G1 Windforce, I thought Arizonian was saying that there is/will be an actual G1 revision that sports lower clocks at a lower price.


Not a G1, its only a windforce.


----------



## hollowtek

the g1 is not loud! LOL, i can have it on 100%, and its only SLIGHTLY more audible than my AP-15's. Oh, and the all metal shroud sealed the deal.


----------



## rv8000

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *hollowtek*
> 
> the g1 is not loud! LOL, i can have it on 100%, and its only SLIGHTLY more audible than my AP-15's. Oh, and the all metal shroud sealed the deal.


It's a comparison to the other cards; the G1 is the loudest of the three at stock settings, this doesn't mean its necessarily a loud card. Again the purpose was to best point users to the card they wanted.


----------



## TLM-610

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *bastian*
> 
> No love for the 980 versions of these cards? My Gigabyte GTX 980 G1 is on its way. Can't wait to push its 8+2+2 phase power design.


The gtx 980 has been reviewed to yield 12% better overall performance vs a gtx 970 and that gap can be narrowed by overclocking. It doesn't make sense now why someone should churn out $150 extra for a measly less than 12% better performance. It would greatly make sense if instead of going for the gtx 980, you add $150 more and get your money's worth in performance from gtx 970 sli comparatively.
There is usually no love for fleece mode hardware. Quite frankly $550 (gtx 980) vs $350 (gtx 970) for less than 12% improvement is absolutely no sense to me but agree the 8 in 980 makes it look fancy but not enough to get into my pocket.


----------



## Dadius

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *rv8000*
> 
> Do you have the card in hand? If you would could you please upload/pm me the bios after saving it through GPU-Z; they don't see to have the regular MSI GTX 970 OC bios on TPU yet.


It's still being shipped. It should be here monday.


----------



## jlhawn

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *rv8000*
> 
> It's a comparison to the other cards; the G1 is the loudest of the three at stock settings, this doesn't mean its necessarily a loud card. Again the purpose was to best point users to the card they wanted.


the review I read at guru3d shows the fans at max speed are 40db.
My G1 will be here tuesday so I'll know then if it's real loud, but fan noise doesn't bother me really, I'm to busy listening to the game sounds.


----------



## Arizonian

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *nagle3092*
> 
> Thats a windforce, not G1 card.
> 
> Gaming
> http://www.gigabyte.us/products/product-page.aspx?pid=5209
> 
> Windforce
> http://www.gigabyte.us/products/product-page.aspx?pid=5212#ov
> 
> As for the change its probably something minor, it could be bios tweak, heatsink change, backplate change, pcb change. If you email them they will probably let you know.
> 
> Another member broke it down here http://www.overclock.net/t/1514085/official-nvidia-gtx-970-owners-club/2140_20#post_22943667
> 
> "Difference of the Windforce:
> 
> different cooler style (Windforce plastic, G1 metal), because of the different used materials also slightly different colour
> different clock/boost speeds (G1 faster, may have more selected chips)
> only 4 heatpipes (G1 8)
> no backplate!
> Windforce is 2mm shorter
> different package
> different fan stickers
> 
> Conclusion: Windforce version may be a little bit cheaper, but in my opinion the G1 has way better cooling, higher clocks, backplate etc. -> go for the G1"


Thanks for the clarification.









Quote:


> Originally Posted by *a_ak57*
> 
> Oh, I know about the non-G1 Windforce, I thought Arizonian was saying that there is/will be an actual G1 revision that sports lower clocks at a lower price. Though I guess it'd be strange to introduce a cheaper (but otherwise the same besides clocks) G1 at the same price as the Windforce.


Sorry for adding to the confusion trying to clarify what I thought was being said. That the G1 itself had some sort of issue that required a new 'revision' to 'fix' it. Which is *not* the case and maybe it was me just mis-reading what was being said.


----------



## GamingWiidesire

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *fleetfeather*
> 
> probably a bios adjustment which will be available to r1.0 owners using nvflash anyways. It won't be a pcb change or anything like that


I hope so! Has anybody contacted Gigabyte yet?


----------



## Techboy10

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jlhawn*
> 
> one thing I saw when I ordered my Gigabyte yesterday ( I bought the $369 G1) the one for $349 is lower clocks and no backplate.
> my Gaming G1 will be here Tuesday


Same here for my G1 delivery! Can't wait! Bummer that it happens to be the first day of my work week though


----------



## Daxx123

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Techboy10*
> 
> Same here for my G1 delivery! Can't wait! Bummer that it happens to be the first day of my work week though


WOOT! WOOT! Me too! Delivery of my Gigabyte G1 on Tuesday! Sooooo excited.









I do hope there is a water block eventually available for this card but I can wait since this thing rocks on air from what I've read.


----------



## [email protected]

I have no values using AB in my G1. How can i solve it? I'm currently using GPU Tweak


----------



## jlhawn

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Techboy10*
> 
> Same here for my G1 delivery! Can't wait! Bummer that it happens to be the first day of my work week though


I'm retired so I have all the time in the world


----------



## TFL Replica

Thank you, OP.


----------



## DiNet

My gigabyte crashes driver if I go over 180 on core clock









actually 160... jsut takes longer to crash over 160


----------



## rv8000

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *DiNet*
> 
> My gigabyte crashes driver if I go over 180 on core clock


That means your at a base clock of ~1358 and boosting to ~1580, which is actually a fairly high oc if you haven't added any additional voltage yet. Your card, imo, is slightly above average and there is nothing wrong with it's behavior. Remember that all of the 970s from different board partners have different base clocks so their offsets also result in different overclocks. For example: MSI Gaming w/180 core offset = 1294 base, 1489 boost, Gigabyte G1 w/180 core offset ~ 1358 base, ~1580 boost.


----------



## DiNet

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *rv8000*
> 
> That means your at a base clock of ~1358 and boosting to ~1580, which is actually a fairly high oc if you haven't added any additional voltage yet. Your card, imo, is slightly above average and there is nothing wrong with it's behavior. Remember that all of the 970s from different board partners have different base clocks so their offsets also result in different overclocks. For example: MSI Gaming w/180 core offset = 1294 base, 1489 boost, Gigabyte G1 w/180 core offset ~ 1358 base, ~1580 boost.


1178 base, 1338 OC and 1489 boost.
But it seems like volts are not changing, VDDC stays the same 1.0500 and TDP is 99%. Am I reading it right?
Just was curious since this isn't, probably, "first batch" that US got. Revision is A1 in GPUZ and it's clocking at same speed as review sites did without changing the voltage. So it seemed to me obvious if I bump voltage to maximum in afterburner I'd supposedly get higher clocks.

While running benchmark it doesn't go past 1379 clock either.

Overall it's a great card, never ever had a card that idles at 32C








4K global res on 1080 tv set + extremely quiet (Coming from 470/80







) IT becomes rather loud at 70-80% fan speed, but it seems like it doesn't go that high at all. Tried with crysis 3 and I couldn't hear it ramping rpm. 400 series went to 70-80 within minute or two








It's slightly longer than 480 windforce, but probably would still fit into case like node 605.

So maybe MSI is quieter gpu, but I don't see how that would be relevant if you're not running fanless PC


----------



## Olper

Gigabyte card has 5+1 phases, so only 5 for core. Start post has it wrong..


----------



## rdr09

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *rv8000*
> 
> That means your at a base clock of ~1358 and boosting to ~1580, which is actually a fairly high oc if you haven't added any additional voltage yet. Your card, imo, is slightly above average and there is nothing wrong with it's behavior. Remember that all of the 970s from different board partners have different base clocks so their offsets also result in different overclocks. For example: MSI Gaming w/180 core offset = 1294 base, 1489 boost, Gigabyte G1 w/180 core offset ~ 1358 base, ~1580 boost.


+rep. i thought 1200 on my 290 will be enough to match those 970s at 1500 core in FS. nah, have to oc to 1250 MHz.


----------



## rv8000

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Olper*
> 
> Gigabyte card has 5+1 phases, so only 5 for core. Start post has it wrong..


Edited, thank you.

Have you had any contact with MSI on the situation with their buck controller being for 4 phases max only?
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *rdr09*
> 
> +rep. i thought 1200 on my 290 will be enough to match those 970s at 1500 core in FS. nah, have to oc to 1250 MHz.


My 290 at 1200/1550 was just enough to break 13k gpu score on 13.6 I think (can't remember which driver could have been an earlier one). Current highest score with my MSI 970 @ 1566/1990 is just over 13.8k, I'm throttling down to 1489 in the first test on the core but otherwise the core stays at 1566; I'd imagine I would just be hitting 14k without throttling. 1250 core on a 290 would most likely be pretty close to a 970 @ 1500 in FS.


----------



## rdr09

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *rv8000*
> 
> Edited, thank you.
> 
> Have you had any contact with MSI on the situation with their buck controller being for 4 phases max only?
> My 290 at 1200/1550 was just enough to break 13k gpu score on 13.6 I think (can't remember which driver could have been an earlier one). Current highest score with my MSI 970 @ 1566/1990 is just over 13.8k, I'm throttling down to 1489 in the first test on the core but otherwise the core stays at 1566; I'd imagine I would just be hitting 14k without throttling. 1250 core on a 290 would most likely be pretty close to a 970 @ 1500 in FS.


here is 1250 core using 14.X.

http://www.3dmark.com/3dm/4002563?

was able to cross 14K at 1305 core with Win 10 and 14.9 (latest driver).

edit: any news about flashing bios on these cards?


----------



## rv8000

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *rdr09*
> 
> here is 1250 core using 14.X.
> 
> http://www.3dmark.com/3dm/4002563?
> 
> was able to cross 14K at 1305 core with Win 10 and 14.9 (latest driver).
> 
> edit: any news about flashing bios on these cards?


Not yet, the jist is we cannot flash custom bios due to UEFI certs on the bios. The gigabyte cards show promising results however, for the cards that can go higher than 1550 without throttling they're scoring over 14k thanks to Gigabyte not being so restrictive with the power limits


----------



## Razzaa

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *rv8000*
> 
> Not yet, the jist is we cannot flash custom bios due to UEFI certs on the bios. The gigabyte cards show promising results however, for the cards that can go higher than 1550 without throttling they're scoring over 14k thanks to Gigabyte not being so restrictive with the power limits


This is mine @ 14k graphics score. http://www.3dmark.com/fs/2843055

The extreme score impressed me the most http://www.3dmark.com/fs/2842830

I have multiple 14k+ with my G1 Gaming


----------



## rdr09

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Razzaa*
> 
> This is mine @ 14k graphics score. http://www.3dmark.com/fs/2843055
> 
> The extreme score impressed me the most http://www.3dmark.com/fs/2842830
> 
> I have multiple 14k+ with my G1 Gaming


nice. have to oc to 1320 core to reach that extreme graphics score. is that at 1500 core?

my bad. 1330 using old driver . . .

http://www.3dmark.com/3dm/2098310


----------



## Razzaa

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *rdr09*
> 
> nice. have to oc to 1320 core to reach that extreme graphics score. is that at 1500 core?
> 
> my bad. 1330 using old driver . . .
> 
> http://www.3dmark.com/3dm/2098310


Nice! Water cooled?


----------



## rdr09

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Razzaa*
> 
> Nice! Water cooled?


its got to be. its reference. got it at launch. what was the clocks for those results? i think Gigabyte is the fastest of the 970s. its reaching 980 speeds. lol

edit: post your scores here . . .

http://www.overclock.net/f/21/benchmarking-software-and-discussion


----------



## Razzaa

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *rdr09*
> 
> its got to be. its reference. got it at launch. what was the clocks for those results? i think Gigabyte is the fastest of the 970s. its reaching 980 speeds. lol
> 
> edit: post your scores here . . .
> 
> http://www.overclock.net/f/21/benchmarking-software-and-discussion


Clocks were 1591/2000. Throttled a little though. Need more voltage. Temps are great never exceeding 63c.


----------



## Olper

wonder why no-one has found the balls to modify a card. it's a super easy hardware mod to disable/change the power limit...

I tried to ask MSI about their 4-phase volt controller but their customer service is closed until Wednesday..


----------



## Dadius

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *rv8000*
> 
> Do you have the card in hand? If you would could you please upload/pm me the bios after saving it through GPU-Z; they don't see to have the regular MSI GTX 970 OC bios on TPU yet.


Done.


----------



## rv8000

*Update

- Good news for anyone looking at the Zotac Omega edition card. I will have some pcb/hsf shots, bios info, and details on the card by tomorrow; due to be edited into the thread tues-thursday.

- Corrected a few things in the op

- Looking for a user with an EVGA GTX 970 ACX 2.0 based card, preferably a SC, SSC, or FTW (though I don't think these are available).


----------



## n4p0l3onic

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *rv8000*
> 
> *Update
> 
> - Good news for anyone looking at the Zotac Omega edition card. I will have some pcb/hsf shots, bios info, and details on the card by tomorrow; due to be edited into the thread tues-thursday.
> 
> - Corrected a few things in the op
> 
> - Looking for a user with an EVGA GTX 970 ACX 2.0 based card, preferably a SC, SSC, or FTW (though I don't think these are available).










looking forward to the detailed info, it's a 2.5 slots height card isn't it? I wonder how will it behave in SLI? can you deduce it?


----------



## rv8000

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *n4p0l3onic*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> looking forward to the detailed info, it's a 2.5 slots height card isn't it? I wonder how will it behave in SLI? can you deduce it?


Yes it's a 2.5 slot card, site doesn't have dimensions for the card unfortunately though I shouldn't have any problems getting those details if I ask







. I don't personally know how the cooler performs in general and I haven't found a thorough review yet; again I should be able to get a good deal of this info though.


----------



## Olper

Check the voit controller ic!


----------



## Genome852

I've read from a 1star review on newegg (lol) that the Asus Strix 970 is voltage locked. No matter what voltage you set it to in Afterburner or in other programs, in reality it does not take effect according to the reviewer. Can anyone using this card confirm? I got the card yesterday but have had no time to play with it.

edit: GPU-Z and Afterburner both show 1.212V in load condition no matter how much I tweak the voltage in Afterburner. Asus GPU Tweak shows different voltage numbers but also does not seem affected by moving the max voltage slider around. Would be annoying if voltage is locked even though I wasn't planning on bumping it up.


----------



## Daxx123

Anyone know what the difference is between the Gigabyte G1 Gaming GTX 970 rev 1.0 and rev 1.1 ? I just got the rev 1.0 version and was wondering if I should send it back if the rev 1.1 version is a hardware update. Anyone?


----------



## fleetfeather

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Genome852*
> 
> I've read from a 1star review on newegg (lol) that the Asus Strix 970 is voltage locked. No matter what voltage you set it to in Afterburner or in other programs, in reality it does not take effect according to the reviewer. Can anyone using this card confirm? I got the card yesterday but have had no time to play with it.


Yes and No.

The availability of extra voltage is going to depend on what the stock voltage of your card is. If the stock voltage is already at the limit of the bios-limited voltage, you won't be able to add an additional voltage offset. If your stock voltage is not at the limit, you can add additional voltage until you reach the bios limit.

Low ASIC cards (higher voltage leakage) will naturally have a higher stock voltage, and thus might not allow extra voltage to be added in Afterburner


----------



## edruns69

New to SLI & High End GPU cards. Can anyone tell me if both power supply connections have to be connected on cards like the Gigabye G1 that has 2 connections? I have a single rail power supply and cannot figure out what advantage it would be to use both connections. Thanks.


----------



## Techboy10

Got my G1 Gaming today and it has an ASIC quality of 62.2%.

With no plans to ever put it under water, should I be worried about this? Seems like this is the lowest I've seen of anyone who has posted theirs







.


----------



## rv8000

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Techboy10*
> 
> Got my G1 Gaming today and it has an ASIC quality of 62.2%.
> 
> With no plans to ever put it under water, should I be worried about this? Seems like this is the lowest I've seen of anyone who has posted theirs
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> .


The ASIC quality is on the lower end of things, however ASIC != how well the chip will overclock. Ultimately it may be better under water but I honestly have no doubts you'll get to 1500 at the least, the G1 cards I've seen so far range from anywhere to 1550 to the low 1600s. Max stable I've gotten with my G1 is 1587/8208 with the +87mV (which doesn't seem to help all that much for stability).


----------



## rv8000

A little preview of the Zotac 970 AMP Extreme







, thanks to our Zotac Hardware rep!


Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!







*and my first DP


----------



## fleetfeather

Did the Zotac rep give any word on waterblocks for their cards? EK has got nada planned


----------



## rv8000

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *fleetfeather*
> 
> Did the Zotac rep give any word on waterblocks for their cards? EK has got nada planned


Not sure. He's getting back to me with some more info on the card tomorrow, quite the crazy PCB I'd imagine the chances are we won't see a block, or at least not for awhile.


----------



## fleetfeather

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *rv8000*
> 
> Not sure. He's getting back to me with some more info on the card tomorrow, quite the crazy PCB I'd imagine the chances are we won't see a block, or at least not for awhile.


He needs to get on that then. No point having a high-end PCB for mere aircooling. Kinda defeats the purpose


----------



## rv8000

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *fleetfeather*
> 
> He needs to get on that then. No point having a high-end PCB for mere aircooling. Kinda defeats the purpose


Yea, I'll do my best to squeeze him for all the info I can get. There seem to be voltage readout points on the open end of the pcb, I want to say they also had some sort of accessory similar to an evbot for these cards but both the 970/980 product pages loop to the series selection on their website atm; looks like it could use some ln2 lovin' too.


----------



## fleetfeather

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *rv8000*
> 
> Yea, I'll do my best to squeeze him for all the info I can get. There seem to be voltage readout points on the open end of the pcb, I want to say they also had some sort of accessory similar to an evbot for these cards but both the 970/980 product pages loop to the series selection on their website atm; looks like it could use some ln2 lovin' too.


They deffo have a mini-USB port for monitoring voltages, but not sure if you can set voltage through the connection as well. Worth asking about for sure.

Let us know what you find out


----------



## Cyro999

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *rv8000*
> 
> The ASIC quality is on the lower end of things, however ASIC != how well the chip will overclock. Ultimately it may be better under water but I honestly have no doubts you'll get to 1500 at the least, the G1 cards I've seen so far range from anywhere to 1550 to the low 1600s. Max stable I've gotten with my G1 is 1587/8208 with the +87mV (which doesn't seem to help all that much for stability).


My MSI Gaming 970 ASIC is 66.9% and it does about 1500 on 1.2v. It goes a bit higher, but i start to get artifacts in Unigine Heaven if the core clock is "too high" and i don't know how to test for that properly, because it doesn't crash the driver when it's too high, only when it's waaay too high. One problem with too high core clock i have also seen is one screen will just stop working properly and turn grey, and that's fixed with crashing the driver manually so that it resets, and lowering core clock again. That happens veeery occasionally (seen it 3-4 times) and i thought it might have been VRAM at first, but it doesn't seem correlated.

Does anyone have suggestions for how to test core clock? TDP limiting card and testing the memory clock in OCCT with error checking and then validating performance to make sure it's not going down seems to work for VRAM clock, but i'm shooting a little blind for core. Not sure if i can do 1506 or 2-3 bins above it on 1.2 - and then going from 1.2/1.225 to 1.25 will give an extra 13-26mhz.


----------



## Padres84

Hi,

Please let me know if that voltage is safe:
http://postimg.org/image/5093b2y7z/

I got my result:
http://www.3dmark.com/fs/2935921


----------



## rv8000

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Padres84*
> 
> Hi,
> 
> Please let me know if that voltage is safe:
> http://postimg.org/image/5093b2y7z/
> 
> I got my result:
> http://www.3dmark.com/fs/2935921


That voltage is more than safe as long as temperatures are in check. Your score is a little low (by 200-300 points) for that clock, check to make sure you aren't throttling for any voltage limit reasons.


----------



## Cyro999

How safe is 1.25v?

I mean, is it really worth going from 1.2 to 1.25 to gain ~39mhz? Is that a normal gain?

How are you guys checking your core clocks? I very clearly get artifacting from core clock being too high (while my 770 would just eventually driver soft crash) so i'm kinda guessing wildly at appropriate core clock speeds.


----------



## rv8000

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Cyro999*
> 
> How safe is 1.25v?
> 
> I mean, is it really worth going from 1.2 to 1.25 to gain ~39mhz? Is that a normal gain?
> 
> How are you guys checking your core clocks? I very clearly get artifacting from core clock being too high (while my 770 would just eventually driver soft crash) so i'm kinda guessing wildly at appropriate core clock speeds.


It's still a 28nm chip, as long as you can keep temperatures under control 1.25 is safe. In terms of benchmarking that extra 39mhz is totally worth it, in terms of gaming no way! Extra heat/power and you get maybe 1-2 fps more. Gaming alone your best bet would be to push the cards as far as they can go without increasing voltage;on air at least, water is a different story imo.


----------



## Cyro999

Thanks! I'm still curious how to set clocks. How do you know when core clock is too high? I'm uncomfortable looking for visual artifacts because they surely happen a lot earlier than i can obviously see them all over my screen


----------



## rv8000

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Cyro999*
> 
> Thanks! I'm still curious how to set clocks. How do you know when core clock is too high? I'm uncomfortable looking for visual artifacts because they surely happen a lot earlier than i can obviously see them all over my screen


My experience has been really hit or miss lately with these cards. Both my MSI gaming and G1 will flat out blackscreen and I'll have to hard reboot, I haven't seen a single artifact once and oddly others report seeing artifacts. Across all the cards the bios seems to be the limiting factor, including cards with really high power limit adjustments.This is my first time in awhile spending a lot of time overclocking an Nvidia card and I really think it's a nightmare. Boost introduces so many nasty variables alongside their greenlight program. So far it seems certain boost bins are set to require a specific voltage in the bios, and you will otherwise throttle even if you're not hitting a power limit, temp limit, and even if the card is stable. I've been gaming with no artifacts in gw2 under 99% steady gpu load @ 1492/1900 and I'm constantly seeing the V.Rel flag in GPU-Z, so I fluctuate between 1482 and 1492 on the core while my core voltage seems to do whatever it wants because of the V.Rel flag (bios related setting for the boost bin?), even when I'm stable and have seen no artifacts for 2 hours straight.


----------



## Ethrios

Hi there guys, new poster but long time lurker









I been wondering which card to buy, the Strix or the MSI Gaming, i dont plan to OC (too much







) so im mostly going for longevity since i dont plan to change it for a few years. Which one do you guys recommend?

Also, is it true that the MSI is using a low quality voltage controller? (only has 4 phases, as opposed to the ASUS one that has 8) Will this lower the longevity of the card?

Thanks in advance









Edit: Cant get the G1 Gigabyte because it wont fit in my case...and i cant remove the HDD bay, since its part of the whole thing :S


----------



## Razzaa

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *rv8000*
> 
> My experience has been really hit or miss lately with these cards. Both my MSI gaming and G1 will flat out blackscreen and I'll have to hard reboot, I haven't seen a single artifact once and oddly others report seeing artifacts. Across all the cards the bios seems to be the limiting factor, including cards with really high power limit adjustments.This is my first time in awhile spending a lot of time overclocking an Nvidia card and I really think it's a nightmare. Boost introduces so many nasty variables alongside their greenlight program. So far it seems certain boost bins are set to require a specific voltage in the bios, and you will otherwise throttle even if you're not hitting a power limit, temp limit, and even if the card is stable. I've been gaming with no artifacts in gw2 under 99% steady gpu load @ 1492/1900 and I'm constantly seeing the V.Rel flag in GPU-Z, so I fluctuate between 1482 and 1492 on the core while my core voltage seems to do whatever it wants because of the V.Rel flag (bios related setting for the boost bin?), even when I'm stable and have seen no artifacts for 2 hours straight.


I have not seen a single artifact either. It will blackscreen or driver crash but will not artifact. I fold @ 1509 24/7 for 4 days now and no flags. Just steady VRel.


----------



## Padres84

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *rv8000*
> 
> That voltage is more than safe as long as temperatures are in check. Your score is a little low (by 200-300 points) for that clock, check to make sure you aren't throttling for any voltage limit reasons.


I got ASIC 71,2% but I'm not able to push more than +150 MHz on Core and +400 Mhz on Memory thats why I'm asking.


----------



## badenglishihave

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Techboy10*
> 
> Got my G1 Gaming today and it has an ASIC quality of 62.2%.
> 
> With no plans to ever put it under water, should I be worried about this? Seems like this is the lowest I've seen of anyone who has posted theirs
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> .


Mine is 57.6% so feel lucky







. I can get to 1500MHz core stable with +87mv in Afterburner but if I lower the voltage it throttles the max boost clock down to 1486MHz. I've tried 1520MHz at +87mv and games crash, or get driver errors.


----------



## JMattes

A local store has the Asus Overclocked edition for $340.. I only see the STRIX in the 980, but they are sold out..

Is that Asus model ok or should I hold off? They also have the Gigabyte G1 but its $30-40 more and I Am not sure if it is worth it..

Or should I be waiting till 6gb or 8gb vram models come out?


----------



## djgrimey

I said screw it and went with a MSI 970 4G. Got tired of waiting for the G1.


----------



## iRUSH

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *djgrimey*
> 
> I said screw it and went with a MSI 970 4G. Got tired of waiting for the G1.


It's not like you made a bad choice


----------



## Techboy10

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *badenglishihave*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Techboy10*
> 
> Got my G1 Gaming today and it has an ASIC quality of 62.2%.
> 
> With no plans to ever put it under water, should I be worried about this? Seems like this is the lowest I've seen of anyone who has posted theirs
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> .
> 
> 
> 
> Mine is 57.6% so feel lucky
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> . I can get to 1500MHz core stable with +87mv in Afterburner but if I lower the voltage it throttles the max boost clock down to 1486MHz. I've tried 1520MHz at +87mv and games crash, or get driver errors.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I've been having lots of trouble trying to find a stable overclock on mine. I got a run of Firestrike in at 1530/7500 with +87mV (http://www.3dmark.com/fs/2937761, invalid due to me skipping the demo) but there was some screen flickering and BF4 crashes at those clocks. However I have tried 1550/7000 (also +87mV) and Heaven benchmark 4.0 ran fine for an hour, D3 and a few other less graphically intense games also ran fine with no throttling but BF4 crashes with a DirectX error (unstable overclock as I've read) and Firestrike causes a driver crash so that's obviously unstable. Gonna go from the bottom tonight and try to find what I can get to at stock voltages. Probably going to start at 1450 and go up from there.

I'll hopefully be able spend more time this weekend testing. I've only had time for 1-2 hours the past 2 nights (got my card on Tuesday) and it's really not enough time to test for stability. I guess we all can't get cards that go to 1550/8000 at stock voltages lol.

Oh well, luck of the draw. Even at stock clocks this is a massive upgrade from my 560Ti. It just kinda sucks that I paid $20 extra for this over the MSI/Asus and still can't overclock nearly that well.


----------



## badenglishihave

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Techboy10*
> 
> Yeah, I've been having lots of trouble trying to find a stable overclock on mine. I got a run of Firestrike in at 1530/7500 with +87mV (http://www.3dmark.com/fs/2937761, invalid due to me skipping the demo) but there was some screen flickering and BF4 crashes at those clocks. However I have tried 1550/7000 (also +87mV) and Heaven benchmark 4.0 ran fine for an hour, D3 and a few other less graphically intense games also ran fine with no throttling but BF4 crashes with a DirectX error (unstable overclock as I've read) and Firestrike causes a driver crash so that's obviously unstable. Gonna go from the bottom tonight and try to find what I can get to at stock voltages. Probably going to start at 1450 and go up from there.
> 
> I'll hopefully be able spend more time this weekend testing. I've only had time for 1-2 hours the past 2 nights (got my card on Tuesday) and it's really not enough time to test for stability. I guess we all can't get cards that go to 1550/8000 at stock voltages lol.
> 
> Oh well, luck of the draw. Even at stock clocks this is a massive upgrade from my 560Ti. It just kinda sucks that I paid $20 extra for this over the MSI/Asus and still can't overclock nearly that well.


Yeah, I am consoling myself by the fact that my load temps never go above 64C (~20C ambient). That alone is worth a little extra IMO, and the fact that it's one of the highest rated cards means it will probably have good resale value down the line if I want to upgrade.

I'm not really peeved at "only" getting 1500MHz stable, moreso at the fact that Gigabyte advertises that they binned GPUs for the G1 that would clock high. Seeing as I've seen most of the MSI cards reach at least 1500MHz stable (with a lower power limit than the Gigabyte card provides!) I'm questioning the rigor of their binning.


----------



## bastian

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Ethrios*
> 
> Hi there guys, new poster but long time lurker
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I been wondering which card to buy, the Strix or the MSI Gaming, i dont plan to OC (too much
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ) so im mostly going for longevity since i dont plan to change it for a few years. Which one do you guys recommend?
> 
> Also, is it true that the MSI is using a low quality voltage controller? (only has 4 phases, as opposed to the ASUS one that has 8) Will this lower the longevity of the card?
> 
> Thanks in advance


Neither, get the Gigabyte G1 Gaming.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *badenglishihave*
> 
> Mine is 57.6% so feel lucky
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> . I can get to 1500MHz core stable with +87mv in Afterburner but if I lower the voltage it throttles the max boost clock down to 1486MHz. I've tried 1520MHz at +87mv and games crash, or get driver errors.


My 980 G1 Gaming is just above 70% and I can get up to 1516 boost with no voltage increase.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *badenglishihave*
> 
> Yeah, I am consoling myself by the fact that my load temps never go above 64C (~20C ambient). That alone is worth a little extra IMO, and the fact that it's one of the highest rated cards means it will probably have good resale value down the line if I want to upgrade.
> 
> I'm not really peeved at "only" getting 1500MHz stable, moreso at the fact that Gigabyte advertises that they binned GPUs for the G1 that would clock high. Seeing as I've seen most of the MSI cards reach at least 1500MHz stable (with a lower power limit than the Gigabyte card provides!) I'm questioning the rigor of their binning.


The G1 Gaming really is fantastic with temps. I set mine to a fixed 40% and never see it go over 70 degrees in even the most demanding games. The cooler has more copper than aluminum which helps more and of course the 3 fans. When people question the price premium on the G1 over the other custom cards, this is why. The cooler is awesome. And I love that the shroud is made of metal and not cheap plastic.

I'd be happy you get 1500Mhz considering a lot of people cannot even get that. But most G1 Gaming GPUs should be able to reach it or more.


----------



## Ethrios

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *bastian*
> 
> Neither, get the Gigabyte G1 Gaming.
> .


Cant get the G1 Gigabyte because it wont fit in my case...and i cant remove the HDD bay, since its part of the whole thing :S

Thats why i have to choose between the Asus and the MSI.


----------



## stainlineho

Finally got my G1 in! Card is a beast!


----------



## bastian

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Ethrios*
> 
> Cant get the G1 Gigabyte because it wont fit in my case...and i cant remove the HDD bay, since its part of the whole thing :S
> 
> Thats why i have to choose between the Asus and the MSI.


Shame!


----------



## JMattes

Whats the difference between Asus Overclock and Asus Strix?

Walked into Microcenter planning on buying one.. they literally must of sold the G1 20mins before I walked in.. had to be a online order as I was using a gift card and dont think I can do that..

So I was like am I really in that much of a rush that I cant wait a week till or a few weeks until there easily available.


----------



## Techboy10

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *badenglishihave*
> 
> Yeah, I am consoling myself by the fact that my load temps never go above 64C (~20C ambient). That alone is worth a little extra IMO, and the fact that it's one of the highest rated cards means it will probably have good resale value down the line if I want to upgrade.
> 
> I'm not really peeved at "only" getting 1500MHz stable, moreso at the fact that Gigabyte advertises that they binned GPUs for the G1 that would clock high. Seeing as I've seen most of the MSI cards reach at least 1500MHz stable (with a lower power limit than the Gigabyte card provides!) I'm questioning the rigor of their binning.


My temps are pretty good too, I haven't seen anything higher than 62C (not sure what my ambient is) which is fantastic.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *bastian*
> 
> The G1 Gaming really is fantastic with temps. I set mine to a fixed 40% and never see it go over 70 degrees in even the most demanding games. The cooler has more copper than aluminum which helps more and of course the 3 fans. When people question the price premium on the G1 over the other custom cards, this is why. The cooler is awesome. And I love that the shroud is made of metal and not cheap plastic.
> 
> I'd be happy you get 1500Mhz considering a lot of people cannot even get that. But most G1 Gaming GPUs should be able to reach it or more.


I do love the cooler and the backplate which is defintely worth the price increase, but I wouldn't really be _happy_ with a 1500Mhz clock @ +87mV. Sure it might be higher than most 970s, but its definitely lower than what seems like most G1s are (or should be) getting. Like badenglishihave I'm gonna question the "binning" that Gigabyte does for the G1 since there are definitely some people (like me and badenglishihave) who have some crappy chips compared to what seems to be the norm (lots of people saying 1500-1525+ on stock volts, ours seem to be quite a bit lower than that).

Maybe I'm just expecting too much though


----------



## jacksknight

Does anyone know the amperage requirement for the G1? I see they recommend a 550w power supply but cant seem to find out the amperage requirement.


----------



## badenglishihave

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jacksknight*
> 
> Does anyone know the amperage requirement for the G1? I see they recommend a 550w power supply but cant seem to find out the amperage requirement.


You can deduce it from the power consumption numbers. Take that number and divide it by 12 (the input voltage it uses), then add 10% or so to account for efficiency. So for example:

220W power / 12V = 18.3A

18.3A + 10% (18.3A) ~= 20A


----------



## jacksknight

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *badenglishihave*
> 
> You can deduce it from the power consumption numbers. Take that number and divide it by 12 (the input voltage it uses), then add 10% or so to account for efficiency. So for example:
> 
> 220W power / 12V = 18.3A
> 
> 18.3A + 10% (18.3A) ~= 20A


Nice thanks! I r like to learn stuffz..


----------



## bastian

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Techboy10*
> 
> I do love the cooler and the backplate which is defintely worth the price increase, but I wouldn't really be _happy_ with a 1500Mhz clock @ +87mV. Sure it might be higher than most 970s, but its definitely lower than what seems like most G1s are (or should be) getting. Like badenglishihave I'm gonna question the "binning" that Gigabyte does for the G1 since there are definitely some people (like me and badenglishihave) who have some crappy chips compared to what seems to be the norm (lots of people saying 1500-1525+ on stock volts, ours seem to be quite a bit lower than that).
> 
> Maybe I'm just expecting too much though


Sadly, we can't control if we get lucky with a nice overclocker. I'm very happy with my 980 G1.

I wouldn't put too much stock into "GPU Gauntlet" either. Everyone bins their GPU when they are offering a factory overclocked one.


----------



## rv8000

Some interesting finds when dismantling my G1 today...

The G1 has the same voltage controller as the MSI Gaming, there is also a secondary semi on controller (81172 - 2phase) for the memory I'm guessing, and without someone who knows more about the components and actual setup both Gigabyte and MSI went with, it's hard to say what the actual phase setups are.


Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!



PCB shot; total of 10 chokes, possible 6 for vrm 4 for mem >>> 3phase doubled for vrm and 2phase doubled for mem? (just a wild guess)



Memory v controller



Vrm v controller





Anyone who can share some proper insight on Gigabyte's true phase setup?


----------



## specopsFI

I'm kind of stunned by my 970 G1. I just can't believe how effortlessly it OC's. To have a Nvidia card where you don't have to do anything but keep pushing those sliders in AB to the right.... I'm sure some people find all the BIOS tweaking and such a lot of fun, but I love this simplicity. I'm finding the gamer in me again.

Talking about those sliders, they just keep going higher. I'm at 1536/8002MHz at the moment. Haven't touched the voltage yet, haven't done anything to the stock fan profile, haven't even increased the power limit. Just increase the core and memory clocks and go testing, benching or playing games. Max power % I've yet hit was 86%, max temp 65 and both of those are rare peak numbers (Tomb Raider maxed with SSAA).

Astonishingly happy about this card. I was kind of on the edge on going from a good 780 Classy to this, seemed kind of a sidegrade or even downgrade in some aspects, but this G1 is actually putting my 780 performance numbers to shame while having so many other perks to it. Couldn't be happier!


----------



## Chip Pippins

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125684&cm_re=gtx_970-_-14-125-684-_-Product

Gigabyte 970 gamings in stock @ newegg.


----------



## sadeter

Dang it. Just picked up mine at Microcenter. Newegg would have saved me about $15 even after shipping since there's no tax.


----------



## JMattes

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *sadeter*
> 
> Dang it. Just picked up mine at Microcenter. Newegg would have saved me about $15 even after shipping since there's no tax.


But with MC you get the warranty


----------



## Ethrios

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *rv8000*
> 
> Some interesting finds when dismantling my G1 today...
> 
> The G1 has the same voltage controller as the MSI Gaming, there is also a secondary semi on controller (81172 - 2phase) for the memory I'm guessing, and without someone who knows more about the components and actual setup both Gigabyte and MSI went with, it's hard to say what the actual phase setups are.
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> PCB shot; total of 10 chokes, possible 6 for vrm 4 for mem >>> 3phase doubled for vrm and 2phase doubled for mem? (just a wild guess)
> 
> 
> 
> Memory v controller
> 
> 
> 
> Vrm v controller
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Anyone who can share some proper insight on Gigabyte's true phase setup?


I would like to to know this as well...if anyone can help ill pole dance for you







j/k

Edit: Also, does the phase ammount (4,5 or 6) reduce the life spawn of the card?


----------



## rv8000

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Ethrios*
> 
> I would like to to know this as well...if anyone can help ill pole dance for you
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> j/k
> 
> Edit: Also, does the phase ammount (4,5 or 6) reduce the life spawn of the card?


More phases = more voltage step downs (filtering) = less ripple/voltage variance = more stable power. It may have some effect on lifetime but I wouldn't say it is drastic enough to be worried about, you will generally replace most cards before they die otherwise they're covered under warranty.


----------



## Guinibee

Gigabyte has 6 phases right?


----------



## Murinus

I really want to get the Strix because it matches the color scheme I was after perfectly, but those VRM temps worry me. I've asked around and everyone is saying that they are designed to run that hot. I might start considering the G1 one now, but just how louder is it in DB compared to the Strix?

http://tweakers.net/reviews/3724/13/geforce-gtx-970-vier-zuinige-maxwells-vergeleken-energiegebruik-en-geluidsproductie.html

According to this site (under load):

970 Strix: 34 dBa
G1: 48 dBa

That's huge, and it would literally ruin my silent build.


----------



## TFL Replica

I think silence is more significant than a slight improvement in raw cooling performance.


----------



## Murinus

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *TFL Replica*
> 
> I think silence is more significant than a slight improvement in raw cooling performance.


My sentiments exactly. I'm upgrading from a sapphire 6970, horrible temperatures (85+ under load) AND an insanely loud cooler. Never again. All these years.. I just had enough of it. Going for a silent build this time around, Fractal R4, Dark Rock 3, Silent wings for case fans.

Still, rather skeptical on how really 'okay' it is to have such high VRM temps all the time on that Strix.


----------



## rv8000

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Murinus*
> 
> My sentiments exactly. I'm upgrading from a sapphire 6970, horrible temperatures (85+ under load) AND an insanely loud cooler. Never again. All these years.. I just had enough of it. Going for a silent build this time around, Fractal R4, Dark Rock 3, Silent wings for case fans.
> 
> Still, rather skeptical on how really 'okay' it is to have such high VRM temps all the time on that Strix.


Im sure they're well within spec, as far as I know VRMs often have high max operating specs (105, 120). I prefer a good balance between temperatures and relative silence, I don't notice my G1 while gaming even at 75% fan speed (without sound effects or music going it's noticeable but still quieter than my sapphire 290 vapor-x at ~50% fan speed). My case fans are set to ~1000rpm and I generally can't hear the G1 above them. You could always swap out the thermal pad on the vrm to drop temps maybe 2-5c if you go with the STRIX.

As far as I know, due to controller limitations, the Gigabyte card is a 3+2 phase (total of 5) and the MSI card is also not a "true" 6 phase card. The asus card is the only card with a controller that supports 6 true phases (up to 8) and is a 6+1 phase card. So unless I'm horribly wrong, the ASUS card has the best power delivery overall.


----------



## Murinus

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *rv8000*
> 
> Im sure they're well within spec, as far as I know VRMs often have high max operating specs (105, 120). I prefer a good balance between temperatures and relative silence, I don't notice my G1 while gaming even at 75% fan speed (without sound effects or music going it's noticeable but still quieter than my sapphire 290 vapor-x at ~50% fan speed). My case fans are set to ~1000rpm and I generally can't hear the G1 above them. You could always swap out the thermal pad on the vrm to drop temps maybe 2-5c if you go with the STRIX.


Good idea.







I'm sacrificing some cooling performance for my build already (example - going Dark Rock 3 instead of nh-d15) for looks & lower noise, so I might as well go with the Strix, matches my needs nicely from what it seems.


----------



## jchambers2586

can I install a swiftech MCW820 and use the stock VFM sink for cooling?


----------



## rv8000

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jchambers2586*
> 
> can I install a swiftech MCW820 and use the stock VFM sink for cooling?


What card? If the block will fit you can but you're going to want a fan placed somewhere around the vrm area to provide airflow to them.


----------



## Phantatsy

Only ones I'm seeing in stock right now are PNY. Makes me sad.
Not sure which cards to get for dual-sli and water cooling.


----------



## Cyro999

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Murinus*
> 
> I really want to get the Strix because it matches the color scheme I was after perfectly, but those VRM temps worry me. I've asked around and everyone is saying that they are designed to run that hot. I might start considering the G1 one now, but just how louder is it in DB compared to the Strix?
> 
> http://tweakers.net/reviews/3724/13/geforce-gtx-970-vier-zuinige-maxwells-vergeleken-energiegebruik-en-geluidsproductie.html
> 
> According to this site (under load):
> 
> 970 Strix: 34 dBa
> G1: 48 dBa
> 
> That's huge, and it would literally ruin my silent build.


I can literally run my MSI card at 1500mhz (1.2v) with ~800rpm fan speed and peak ~70c

alternatively.. minimum sustained fan speed (~570rpm) and still hold around 90% of OC performance, via temperature and/or tdp limits


----------



## jchambers2586

the ASUS and the MSI card. I thought the VRM heatsink was enough to passively cool it.


----------



## iRUSH

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Murinus*
> 
> My sentiments exactly. I'm upgrading from a sapphire 6970, horrible temperatures (85+ under load) AND an insanely loud cooler. Never again. All these years.. I just had enough of it. Going for a silent build this time around, Fractal R4, Dark Rock 3, Silent wings for case fans.
> 
> Still, rather skeptical on how really 'okay' it is to have such high VRM temps all the time on that Strix.


They're not as high in a case with airflow. The open test benches ruin the passive cooling effect. My STRIX 970 will idle down around 2-3c above ambient. I played Black Ops 2 multiplayer and the max temp was 46c. The fans typically stayed off. It's dead silent under its stock fan profile. When I made my own fan profile that's more effective without compromising noise, my temps never hit above 58c. That's playing BF4 multiplayer for 2 hours straight.

If the STRIX is the one you want, and are concerned about noise, you're good to go


----------



## Edkiefer

I would not worry to much on power delivery of these 3 cards, Maxwell just doesn't draw a whole lot even OC maxed , so its not like last gen where your pulling 250-300w from OC card .

There better than ref and from results it just doesn't seem like it matters , more how good the chip you happen to get .

I have MSI gaming, very happy with it, not loud even with custom fan profile that goes to like 55-58% fan speed ,with temp results of 60c or just under during gaming .
right now if you plan to go max OC your best bet is G1 as it has highest TDP .

Seems around 1500 or so cards like MSI are getting close to TDP limit , I had mine at 1450 and was getting close to 100% (97-98) so take that into consideration .
For me I don't plan to run that high for 24/7 use , 1450 is more than enough .


----------



## bastian

Another plus on my 980 G1 Gaming... zero coil whine!


----------



## mica3speedy

Just ordered a G1 to replace my 470, just hope it treats me as well as the 470 did







.


----------



## Hackslash

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mica3speedy*
> 
> Just ordered a G1 to replace my 470, just hope it treats me as well as the 470 did
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> .


it will


----------



## fwupow

Excellent and informative GTX 970 comparo rv8000 !
It's always nice with things match up with intuition, but buyers need to know what to look for.

My PNY GTX 970 has TWO 6-pin PCIe pwr connectors and I understand it to be one of the several 'reference design' versions out there. The math comes out to 75 x 3 or 225 watts, so ASUS was penny pinching smart with their equivalent single 8-pin formula I guess.

With so many shoes left to drop in the form of more manufacturers joining in on the GTX 970 party and mfgrs already at the party deciding to toss in new and mo-better models, it will be interesting to see which card is crowned King at the end.

This post gives us a good idea of what a King GTX 970 card will look like, as in dual 8-pin pwr conns, mem chips all on GPU side, strong VRM cooling, high factory over-clock and then if you can slap a water-block that comprehensively cools GPU, mem & VRM on it, we'll probably have found the winner.

The battle will rage this winter.

Edit: I spoke rashly. If nVidia want to finish blowing the rest of AMD's product line out of the water, they may give us a dual GPU 970 card, which would of course be more Kinglier.


----------



## oryza

The gigabyte one has the heatsinks perpendicular to the length of the card and no rear exhaust. Do people not get problems with the card recirculating hot air back into the case?


----------



## doza

1 x 8 pin ATX power connector; combined max rated draw of 225w (75w pcie and 150w 8pin).

so asus strix owners are hiting tdp limit of 120% at 1500mhz core (ex. firestrike), even if custom bios arrives with unlocked tdp this card wont have eny extra space to oc since it is using around 195wats alredy (tdp 120%)
i read that the 8pin connector (150w) can give more power than rated, is this true? couse if not i dont think that there will be an strix970 with above 1500mhz core(without throttling)...


----------



## Razzaa

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *oryza*
> 
> The gigabyte one has the heatsinks perpendicular to the length of the card and no rear exhaust. Do people not get problems with the card recirculating hot air back into the case?


Nope


----------



## Cyro999

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *oryza*
> 
> The gigabyte one has the heatsinks perpendicular to the length of the card and no rear exhaust. Do people not get problems with the card recirculating hot air back into the case?


It's only ~200w of heat. If you don't have bad case airflow it's fine. If you have great case airflow, it's a joke.

You can keep case temps low and you can run them very cool. My MSI gaming 970 is capable of sustaining 1500mhz with only ~800rpm fan speed and keeping temps below ~75c..


----------



## n4p0l3onic

so what happened to the zotac card one?


----------



## djgrimey

Finally got a chance to overclock a bit with MSI 970 GTX and im pretty happy with the results. Getting 1319/1458 on the core but just having an issue hitting 1500 tends to artifact even after raising volts. Might take another shot at it in a couple days, been caught up in gaming on it since Saturday and it's holding very well. Looks amazing also in the red/black NZXT H440 case really thinking of going with another 970 for a nice SLI setup. The only thing the case isn't the best for airflow and might be an issue when trying to overclock 2x 970's.


----------



## rv8000

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *n4p0l3onic*
> 
> so what happened to the zotac card one?


Waiting for the hardware rep to send me benchmark results, I'll see about talking to some members but as far as I know they just own the Omega version and not the extreme; they look to have the same pcb though, can't say for sure.


----------



## Retell

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *rv8000*
> 
> Waiting for the hardware rep to send me benchmark results, I'll see about talking to some members but as far as I know they just own the Omega version and not the extreme; they look to have the same pcb though, can't say for sure.


Indeed they are the same PCB, the Extreme's are binned Omega's.


----------



## Trolle BE

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Retell*
> 
> Indeed they are the same PCB, the Extreme's are binned Omega's.


are there still problems with the extreme's?


----------



## Cakewalk_S

I got my strix last week. Its a great card. No coil wine like some other cards. Overclock to 1490mhz stable. I can get the magical 8ghz memory without artifacts, still haven't found the memory max but it stays nice and cool.
Got a asic score of 56%... Crappie low and I max at 1.200 volts. I put my card under water quite quick. Maxes at 42c is the hottest I've seen. It's a nice card. Cooler is a tad noisy. Definitely didn't go passive since I want the best cooling possible. I'd recommend one. It's a surprisingly big card too...


----------



## djgrimey

Is 71.2% ASIC good got the MSI GTX 970?


----------



## harney

I am a little confused are you sure the G1 only had 5 phases i clearly count six and most reviews i read state six


----------



## rv8000

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *harney*
> 
> I am a little confused are you sure the G1 only had 5 phases i clearly count six and most reviews i read state six


Card has 10 chokes; 6 near vrms 4 near memory voltage controller. The G1 also has two voltage controllers one for the vrm and one for the memory phases. The vrm controller allows for up to 4 phases, while the memory controller allows for 2 phases, *so as far as I can tell* it's a doubled setup > 3+2 or "5 phases" for marketing purposes...


----------



## Cyro999

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *djgrimey*
> 
> Is 71.2% ASIC good got the MSI GTX 970?


it's at least decent, maybe good. ASIC isn't the best indicator for OC though so see what clocks you can do at ~1.2 and ~1.25v. Me and a friend have 66.9% and 67% and can do about 1500 on 1.2v (~stock v)


----------



## maddangerous

Has anyone noticed coil whine on these 3 cards? I can't get the G1, it is too long for my case, but have been eyeing the msi and asus cards.


----------



## doza

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *maddangerous*
> 
> Has anyone noticed coil whine on these 3 cards? I can't get the G1, it is too long for my case, but have been eyeing the msi and asus cards.


i woud say every 1/3 card has some tipe of coil whine no mater what manufacter, this in my opinion is only minus of these cards,ul just have to go gamble and try to win silent one...


----------



## djgrimey

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *maddangerous*
> 
> Has anyone noticed coil whine on these 3 cards? I can't get the G1, it is too long for my case, but have been eyeing the msi and asus cards.


Haven't heard on the MSI card I have. I was also waiting on the G1 and decide to just get the MSI card just to avoid staling the G1. Also like you mention it dosen't fit my case either and the MSI is thinner.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Cyro999*
> 
> it's at least decent, maybe good. ASIC isn't the best indicator for OC though so see what clocks you can do at ~1.2 and ~1.25v. Me and a friend have 66.9% and 67% and can do about 1500 on 1.2v (~stock v)


I've been able to get it up to 1463 on core with no voltage increase. But, anything higher even with voltage increased will not show any improvement in FPS. So not sure what the deal is with that.


----------



## PatrickCrowely

Great Comparison...... That Giga a beast.


----------



## Didjo

Anyone know how many phases are in Zotac Omega and Extreme?


----------



## rv8000

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Didjo*
> 
> Anyone know how many phases are in Zotac Omega and Extreme?


No way to tell for sure without knowing what buck/voltage controllers they have. The card has 13 chokes, 11 near the vrm and 2 near the memory. It's possible it's 11+2 but for one thats a peculiar setup and two we have no idea how many true phases it's voltage controllers allow for right now.


----------



## Didjo

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *rv8000*
> 
> No way to tell for sure without knowing what buck/voltage controllers they have. The card has 13 chokes, 11 near the vrm and 2 near the memory. It's possible it's 11+2 but for one thats a peculiar setup and two we have no idea how many true phases it's voltage controllers allow for right now.


Amazing!

I'm curious about these Zotac's cards. Maybe they are the best GTX 970 so far in overclocking.

I saw a user in GTX 970 owner's club who has the Omega Edition. Maybe you can send a message for him and he can check the voltage controllers.

Thanks for helping me!


----------



## NOCIVOX

Hi all! This is my first post here







. I just sold my 780ti DC2 and wanted to mount two of these. Which one should be better for SLI on a Z97 Deluxe and 760T?

Thanks!


----------



## jchambers2586

how does EVGA stack up?


----------



## maddangerous

my apologies if this has been covered already, but how were the cards length measured? PCB size, or overall length including the cooler? I have seen 3-4 different measurements on the web for the G1 so I'm curious about the correct one..


----------



## Cyro999

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *djgrimey*
> 
> Haven't heard on the MSI card I have. I was also waiting on the G1 and decide to just get the MSI card just to avoid staling the G1. Also like you mention it dosen't fit my case either and the MSI is thinner.
> I've been able to get it up to 1463 on core with no voltage increase. But, anything higher even with voltage increased will not show any improvement in FPS. So not sure what the deal is with that.


Make sure that you're not hitting power limit or temp limit and that your clock speeds are staying at the same max level (msi afterburner graph, etc)


----------



## djgrimey

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Cyro999*
> 
> Make sure that you're not hitting power limit or temp limit and that your clock speeds are staying at the same max level (msi afterburner graph, etc)


Looks like it's not but for some reason feels like the volts isn't doing to much. I'm using MSI afterburner. What do you use?

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *NOCIVOX*
> 
> Hi all! This is my first post here
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> . I just sold my 780ti DC2 and wanted to mount two of these. Which one should be better for SLI on a Z97 Deluxe and 760T?
> 
> Thanks!


If you have the space in your case and good airflow then go for two G1's. MSI card is good for SLI setup in smaller cases since it's Skinner then the other 970's.


----------



## NOCIVOX

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *djgrimey*
> 
> If you have the space in your case and good airflow then go for two G1's. MSI card is good for SLI setup in smaller cases since it's Skinner then the other 970's.


Thank you very much! The Corsair 760T has tons of space, so I think will go for the G1







. The Z97 Deluxe has only one free slot between cards, may that be enough?

Thanks!


----------



## rv8000

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jchambers2586*
> 
> how does EVGA stack up?


Not well for all the models that aren't the FTW; cheaper components, voltage restrictions, low tdp limit, worse power delivery. Don't know much about the FTW card at this point I'll have to look into it, unless you care about the warranty and step-up I'd stay away from the EVGA cards if you're looking for good oc potential.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *maddangerous*
> 
> my apologies if this has been covered already, but how were the cards length measured? PCB size, or overall length including the cooler? I have seen 3-4 different measurements on the web for the G1 so I'm curious about the correct one..


The approximate length from the i/o plate on the inside to the end of the backplate is just under 12", there's a picture/measurement in the 970 owner's thread cannot find it while im at work







.


----------



## Fighting Games

can decided to grab 2x Msi 780 lightings or a pair of Gtx 970's.

Am running on a 3440x1440 monitor and i play all the latest games


----------



## djgrimey

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Fighting Games*
> 
> can decided to grab 2x Msi 780 lightings or a pair of Gtx 970's.
> 
> Am running on a 3440x1440 monitor and i play all the latest games


970's all the way.


----------



## roadlesstraveled

Just wanted to report that I've had an MSI Gaming GTX 970 since September 26 and have been happy with the performance/temps/noise. I'm pretty sensitive to coil whine and I haven't noticed any with this card. My previous setup was 2x Zotac GTX 460's in SLI which had quite a bit of coil whine, high temps, and an extreme amount of noise.

Using the default fan profile on the MSI the max temps I have seen are ~65*C (but my room temperature is ~72-81*F). I just checked the ASIC quality (which I know doesn't mean too much) and it's 77.4%. I'll be OC'ing the card in the near future and will report back.


----------



## Cyro999

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *djgrimey*
> 
> Looks like it's not but for some reason feels like the volts isn't doing to much. I'm using MSI afterburner. What do you use?
> If you have the space in your case and good airflow then go for two G1's. MSI card is good for SLI setup in smaller cases since it's Skinner then the other 970's.


Well, i can only gain like ~39mhz going from 1.2 to 1.25v. The performance change there is probably around a couple of percent.

I see big performance differences between etc 1400mhz and 1550 though.

I use MSI AB w/ MSI Gaming 970. No reason to use anything else


----------



## slickric21

I did some ghetto cooling mods to my MSI 970 4G.

I was unhappy about the fact that 5 of the 8 Ram modules are not cooled in anyway.

The 4 on the back of the card were easy, I just put some copper ramsinks on those.

However this one circled red is completley uncooled
http://www.imagebam.com/image/f42a73357908195

I took my cooler off and 'upgraded' the TIM to MX-4, whilst it was off I decided to do abit of a ghetto cooling mod on this lone ram module. As height space is limited due to the heatpipes proximity it needed to be low profile...... so i dug out some old DDR ram with an aluminium heat spreader, prised it off, then cut a length approx 8cm x 2cm.
I then stuck this with a thermal pad onto that ram module.
As its low profile and very light, it stuck well and didn't interfere with the heatpipes/cooler at all when I put them back on.

I didn't take a picture of when i'd done it sadly as forgot to, and now its all reassembled and back in the rig, but in effect this is what my card now looks like now with the cooler off.
http://www.imagebam.com/image/f84b3f357705916

I'm runnning my card at 1500/8000 (stock voltage) and load temps are 63'c with a fixed fan of 70% (basically as high I can go without hearing the fan over my case ones)

Next mod will be to sort out some better cooling for the VRM area.... any ideas ?????


----------



## TFL Replica

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *slickric21*
> 
> I did some ghetto cooling mods to my MSI 970 4G.
> 
> I was unhappy about the fact that 5 of the 8 Ram modules are not cooled in anyway.
> 
> The 4 on the back of the card were easy, I just put some copper ramsinks on those.
> 
> However this one circled red is completley uncooled
> 
> 
> I took my cooler off and 'upgraded' the TIM to MX-4, whilst it was off I decided to do abit of a ghetto cooling mod on this lone ram module. As height space is limited due to the heatpipes proximity it needed to be low profile...... so i dug out some old DDR ram with an aluminium heat spreader, prised it off, then cut a length approx 8cm x 2cm.
> I then stuck this with a thermal pad onto that ram module.
> As its low profile and very light, it stuck well and didn't interfere with the heatpipes/cooler at all when I put them back on.
> 
> I didn't take a picture of when i'd done it sadly as forgot to, and now its all reassembled and back in the rig, but in effect this is what my card now looks like now with the cooler off.
> 
> 
> I'm runnning my card at 1500/8000 (stock voltage) and load temps are 63'c with a fixed fan of 70% (basically as high I can go without hearing the fan over my case ones)
> 
> Next mod will be to sort out some better cooling for the VRM area.... any ideas ?????


Sounds pretty neat.









What were you loads temps before you performed these mods?


----------



## slickric21

Well the vram cooling was not designed to lower the core temps, i just wanted to ensure that they had _some_ form of cooling, rather than none as MSI left it.

Reapplication of the TIM to MX-4 shaved a couple of 'c off previous temps though.


----------



## Edkiefer

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *slickric21*
> 
> Well the vram cooling was not designed to lower the core temps, i just wanted to ensure that they had _some_ form of cooling, rather than none as MSI left it.
> 
> Reapplication of the TIM to MX-4 shaved a couple of 'c off previous temps though.


I looked at it but they have sticker on the one screw and didn't want to mess with new card in case RMA was needed .

Looking at placement of mounting screws for VRM HS with regard to there small size .
I don't like how the lower screw is offset so far from VRM that it may cant towards the screw and not make solid contact with that lower VRM near PCI-E connector .
Did you notice if it laid real flat ?

bigger pics here

http://www.xbitlabs.com/picture/?src=/images/graphics/msi-geforce-gtx-970-gaming/12_msi97_pcbo_big.jpg


----------



## WalderX

Hi all, long time lurker - first time poster!

Just like to add my findings of using 2 different Gigabyte G1 GTX 970's.

1st card I had an ASIC quality of 63.8%. Tops I could achieve with this was 1560 core and the memory would go to about 8100 tops (+550 in AB). Stock voltage at load was 1.225v and max voltage would allow was 1.250v - vOP flag kicks in here.

2nd card I have now with an ASIC quality of 71.8 and due to this the idle voltage is lower by about 7mv, reads 1.218v at load I think. Overclocking this card I have got it to 1610Mhz core and it allows max voltage of 1.261v (due to the lower stock voltage I assume). However the memory on this one craps out with artifacts at +400 or higher (7800MHz) - perhaps this correlates to the stock voltages being lower at load and overclocked voltage higher at load than the 1st card?
Regardless I am happier with the 2nd card as it has lower stock voltage, higher available OC voltage and higher core clock which has pushed my max combined firestrike score to 12058, graphics score: 14339, http://www.3dmark.com/fs/2975770

Both cards have faint coli whine, the 2nd one slightly more pronounced than the first but nothing that bothers me.

Overall they are fantatsic cards, just wanted to share my results with the different ASIC qualities as it is an ongoing debate! Not sure whether the marginally lower performing memory on the 2nd card has anything to do with the ASIC quality and voltages but perhaps it does....

WalderX


----------



## Phantatsy

Cancelled my order for my PNY 970 because they said it was on backorder, and meh.

Going to be doing SLI and water. Trying to decide which will be the best for OC/WC.


----------



## slickric21

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Edkiefer*
> 
> I looked at it but they have sticker on the one screw and didn't want to mess with new card in case RMA was needed .
> 
> Looking at placement of mounting screws for VRM HS with regard to there small size .
> I don't like how the lower screw is offset so far from VRM that it may cant towards the screw and not make solid contact with that lower VRM near PCI-E connector .
> *Did you notice if it laid real flat ?*
> 
> bigger pics here
> 
> http://www.xbitlabs.com/picture/?src=/images/graphics/msi-geforce-gtx-970-gaming/12_msi97_pcbo_big.jpg


TBH It didnt look like it was on 100% level no


----------



## n4p0l3onic

so how is the analysis on the zotac amp omega / extreme compared to the big 3? or should I just forget this?


----------



## clerick

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *n4p0l3onic*
> 
> so how is the analysis on the zotac amp omega / extreme compared to the big 3? or should I just forget this?


It's a good card but it's voltage locked atm and it's unclear whether the manufactuer will unlock it via bios or not (there has been contact between zotac and reviewers about a possible fix).

I'm personally happy with the 1500 boost with the stock 1.212v voltage and have no desire to push it further, plus it's very quiet on load as well.


----------



## n4p0l3onic

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *clerick*
> 
> It's a good card but it's voltage locked atm and it's unclear whether the manufactuer will unlock it via bios or not (there has been contact between zotac and reviewers about a possible fix).
> 
> I'm personally happy with the 1500 boost with the stock 1.212v voltage and have no desire to push it further, plus it's very quiet on load as well.


is yours omega or extreme?


----------



## JMattes

Whats the difference between the Gigabyte G1 Gaming Edition and the Gigabyte Overclock Edition?

Looks to me like the OC has a bit slower Core and Shader clock... for $20 can't I just tweak that myself?


----------



## GamingWiidesire

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JMattes*
> 
> Whats the difference between the Gigabyte G1 Gaming Edition and the Gigabyte Overclock Edition?
> 
> Looks to me like the OC has a bit slower Core and Shader clock... for $20 can't I just tweak that myself?


Take a look here, I summarized the differences: http://www.overclock.net/t/1514085/official-nvidia-gtx-970-owners-club/2140#post_22943667


----------



## Frozenoblivion

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GamingWiidesire*
> 
> Take a look here, I summarized the differences: http://www.overclock.net/t/1514085/official-nvidia-gtx-970-owners-club/2140#post_22943667


IIRC, the GTX 970 G1 has only 4 or 6 heatpipes, while the GTX 980 G1 has 8 heat pipes. The GTX 970 version has also thinner 6mm heatpipes as to the 8mm of the GTX 980, AFAIK.


----------



## JMattes

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GamingWiidesire*
> 
> Take a look here, I summarized the differences: http://www.overclock.net/t/1514085/official-nvidia-gtx-970-owners-club/2140#post_22943667


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Frozenoblivion*
> 
> IIRC, the GTX 970 G1 has only 4 or 6 heatpipes, while the GTX 980 G1 has 8 heat pipes. The GTX 970 version has also thinner 6mm heatpipes as to the 8mm of the GTX 980, AFAIK.


This may sound stupid but.. The Overclock edition and the Windforce are the same thing? On Microcenters website it says nothing about a Windforce so I just want to make sure there are 3 editions..
G1 > Windorce > Overclock.. just dotting the i's and crossing the t's


----------



## Didjo

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *clerick*
> 
> It's a good card but it's voltage locked atm and it's unclear whether the manufactuer will unlock it via bios or not (there has been contact between zotac and reviewers about a possible fix).
> 
> I'm personally happy with the 1500 boost with the stock 1.212v voltage and have no desire to push it further, plus it's very quiet on load as well.


What about the temperatures? And the power limit?


----------



## maddangerous

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *rv8000*
> 
> Not well for all the models that aren't the FTW; cheaper components, voltage restrictions, low tdp limit, worse power delivery. Don't know much about the FTW card at this point I'll have to look into it, unless you care about the warranty and step-up I'd stay away from the EVGA cards if you're looking for good oc potential.
> The approximate length from the i/o plate on the inside to the end of the backplate is just under 12", there's a picture/measurement in the 970 owner's thread cannot find it while im at work
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> .


Thanks for the response, I actually started reading theowners thread and found it







im stoked it will fit in my little node 804!

so i heard that gigabyte will allows watercooling without voiding the warranty? is this true? I couldn't seem to find that info anywhere after I initially saw it, and can't even find that now. Heck and even if not, a 3 year warranty I think? Pretty awesome. I haven't had an nvidia gpu in a loooong time but i can't wait to pick this up for my new rig


----------



## Frozenoblivion

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JMattes*
> 
> This may sound stupid but.. The Overclock edition and the Windforce are the same thing? On Microcenters website it says nothing about a Windforce so I just want to make sure there are 3 editions..
> G1 > Windorce > Overclock.. just dotting the i's and crossing the t's


They're the only website I've seen with 3 versions so far.
I'm going to presume that there are two version, G1 and Windforce. That card just isn't named properly and is a G1 Gaming card. It looks identical, so it's pretty safe to assume so.


----------



## r0ach

I think the Gigabyte 970/980 cards have issues. Here's my experience with the Gigabyte 970. I knew beforehand that this Flex Display stuff was going to be shady:

http://www.overclock.net/t/1519162/gigabyte-970-980-is-the-most-ridiculously-designed-card-ive-ever-seen

Does anyone know what 970 cards have a reference BIOS straight from Nvidia? I don't think I want any kind of 3rd party BIOS whatsoever.


----------



## Razzaa

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *r0ach*
> 
> I think the Gigabyte 970/980 cards have issues. Here's my experience with the Gigabyte 970. I knew beforehand that this Flex Display stuff was going to be shady:
> 
> http://www.overclock.net/t/1519162/gigabyte-970-980-is-the-most-ridiculously-designed-card-ive-ever-seen
> 
> Does anyone know what 970 cards have a reference BIOS straight from Nvidia? I don't think I want any kind of 3rd party BIOS whatsoever.


My Gigabyte G1 Gaming 970 definitely has an issue........i cant get it past 1592MHz!!!


----------



## r0ach

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Razzaa*
> 
> My Gigabyte G1 Gaming 970 definitely has an issue........i cant get it past 1592MHz!!!


Mine boosted to 1342 at stock speed. Not worth overclocking if I have to run a program in memory constantly like Afterburner that's just gonna bog down my system and DWM with constant polling and ghetto hacks to interface with the card.


----------



## Razzaa

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *r0ach*
> 
> Mine boosted to 1342 at stock speed. Not worth overclocking if I have to run a program in memory constantly like Afterburner that's just gonna bog down my system and DWM with constant polling and ghetto hacks to interface with the card.


AB bogs down your system? I have 0 complaints with my card. I am scoring some nice points on HWbot with it and can match reference 980 performance with how high it clocks.


----------



## Nooze

I just ordered the ASUS Strix and was a bit worried that only the 8 pin PCIE power connector wouldn't be enough to OC the card to it's real potential. Is this a big deal or will i be able to OC my card just fine?

I have this mobo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128594 and was wondering if plugging in an extra 6 pin connector on the mobo (which I will do anyway) will help increase the power to the card itself for better OCing potential. I have never seen a mobo with that type of connector so I was interested on what more it could do (in terms of how much power it can give to the card)

Also, I would like to mention I am going to end up getting another for SLI.

Thanks for any advice


----------



## bastian

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Nooze*
> 
> I just ordered the ASUS Strix and was a bit worried that only the 8 pin PCIE power connector wouldn't be enough to OC the card to it's real potential. Is this a big deal or will i be able to OC my card just fine?


It actually is a limiting factor, I don't know what ASUS was thinking.


----------



## JMattes

What is up with the price of the Evga 970 SC at MC? $ 410!?! Most expensive 970 model yet.. and I thought that G1 at $ 370 was rough

On a side note.. any idea how long before they offer a free games package with the 970s?
Wouldn't mind picking up a 970 and a free copy of Borderlands Prequel


----------



## Edkiefer

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *bastian*
> 
> It actually is a limiting factor, I don't know what ASUS was thinking.


The 970strix will be limited to 225w (150w+75w PCI-E ) , the bios limits the 970 strix to 196w max slider so unless moded bios can be done it should be fine .
Even there you can raise it good 20w .


----------



## Nooze

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Edkiefer*
> 
> The 970strix will be limited to 225w (150w+75w PCI-E ) , the bios limits the 970 strix to 196w max slider so unless moded bios can be done it should be fine .
> Even there you can raise it good 20w .


Out of the box, how much wattage is it going to be using?

What kind of OC could I get from this card compared to the gigabyte 970?


----------



## Edkiefer

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Nooze*
> 
> Out of the box, how much wattage is it going to be using?
> 
> What kind of OC could I get from this card compared to the gigabyte 970?


I can't answer that as I don't have the card, check out some reviews .
From what i remember they clock fine 1500+ but check it your self .

Good thing these chips don't seem to need added voltage so that can help with TDP limit as you have more headroom if you don't raise it .


----------



## amtbr

Anyone here with a Gigabyte GTX 970 Gaming Edition have silent fans at idle? I just upgraded from a Gigabyte GTX 670 that was dead silent at idle. This new card is not silent, its not terrible, but I preferred not even knowing I had a computer in the room...

Afterburner wont let the fan speed drop below 34%. I suspect if I could get around this the card would be silent at idle.


----------



## Cyro999

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Edkiefer*
> 
> I can't answer that as I don't have the card, check out some reviews .
> From what i remember they clock fine 1500+ but check it your self .
> 
> Good thing these chips don't seem to need added voltage so that can help with TDP limit as you have more headroom if you don't raise it .


The other cards with higher TDP and 0.05v higher support will clock better with an equal quality chip though. You have to be luckier with RNG to get an Asus card that'll do 1550 compared to a giga g1 / msi gaming


----------



## Phantatsy

Anyone know how the PNY's do compared to the MSI/Gigabyte/Asus?


----------



## Nooze

Aslong as I get 1500 out of it I'll be happy. was considering canceling order and going gigabyte but I like the design of the asus even if it's not as good compared to other brands


----------



## rv8000

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Phantatsy*
> 
> Anyone know how the PNY's do compared to the MSI/Gigabyte/Asus?


The PNY 970's are reference based. So they won't have improved power delivery, custom pcb's, will most likely have very restrictive power limit/tdp settings, and may or may not be voltage locked. If you're looking for blower cards for SLI or to put under water they'll probably be fine, but ultimately the ASUS, MSI, or Gigabyte card will undoubtedly be better in almost every respect. That does not mean they aren't good cards, they're just not excellent cards.


----------



## Phantatsy

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *rv8000*
> 
> The PNY 970's are reference based. So they won't have improved power delivery, custom pcb's, will most likely have very restrictive power limit/tdp settings, and may or may not be voltage locked. If you're looking for blower cards for SLI or to put under water they'll probably be fine, but ultimately the ASUS, MSI, or Gigabyte card will undoubtedly be better in almost every respect. That does not mean they aren't good cards, they're just not excellent cards.


Guess that means I will have to wait for EK to release blocks for the 970 cards.


----------



## pack66

Of the MSI/ASUS cards, which is quieter? I have a Node 304 case and will be replacing a Gigabyte 7970. The 7970 is silent at idle/general internet use, but spins quite loud during World of Tanks. I'm looking forward to replacing with quieter/cooler.


----------



## Cyro999

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *pack66*
> 
> Of the MSI/ASUS cards, which is quieter? I have a Node 304 case and will be replacing a Gigabyte 7970. The 7970 is silent at idle/general internet use, but spins quite loud during World of Tanks. I'm looking forward to replacing with quieter/cooler.


Dunno about the Asus one but i don't think you can go wrong with msi gaming 970. They (along with the giga g1 card, which is actually the one to get for performance) clock a bit higher, but you can maintain basically max overclock with 600-800rpm fan speeds. It's insane

60% fanspeed = 60c at 1500mhz.. and noise level of that feels like my windforce 770 at only ~40-45% or so. It's only around 1350rpm IIRC


----------



## benbenkr

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *r0ach*
> 
> Mine boosted to 1342 at stock speed. Not worth overclocking if I have to run a program in memory constantly like Afterburner that's just gonna bog down my system and DWM with constant polling and ghetto hacks to interface with the card.


Wow, here you go again.

You understand that you can enable a profile in AB and then just *CLOSE* it right? Like, literally, exit it. Your card will be overclocked and none of the so called "bogging my system down" RTSS/AB monitors will be working.


----------



## Edkiefer

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Cyro999*
> 
> The other cards with higher TDP and 0.05v higher support will clock better with an equal quality chip though. You have to be luckier with RNG to get an Asus card that'll do 1550 compared to a giga g1 / msi gaming


Right they should a G1 should be faster than all rest if you go by limits, but that doesn't always happen as each chip are there own .

but yes you have better chance of good results with a card with higher limits (especially if its not allowing 1.212 at least .


----------



## Edkiefer

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *benbenkr*
> 
> Wow, here you go again.
> 
> You understand that you can enable a profile in AB and then just *CLOSE* it right? Like, literally, exit it. Your card will be overclocked and none of the so called "bogging my system down" RTSS/AB monitors will be working.


You can also customize how AB/RTSS works, how many graphs are monitored, what polling rate you want .

It really doesn't eat much cpu% if you manage it right , IMO .


----------



## pack66

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Cyro999*
> 
> Dunno about the Asus one but i don't think you can go wrong with msi gaming 970. They (along with the giga g1 card, which is actually the one to get for performance) clock a bit higher, but you can maintain basically max overclock with 600-800rpm fan speeds. It's insane
> 
> 60% fanspeed = 60c at 1500mhz.. and noise level of that feels like my windforce 770 at only ~40-45% or so. It's only around 1350rpm IIRC


Well, the Giga card is out due to its size. My Node 304 can't handle a 15" card.


----------



## Sancor

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *rv8000*
> 
> *GTX 970 Feature Showdown: ASUS STRIX vs MSI Gaming vs Gigabyte G1*
> 
> *MSI GTX 970 Gaming*
> 
> - Base core clock of 1051mhz w/boost 1178mhz (silent mode) / 1114mhz w/boost 1253mhz (gaming mode) / 1140mhz w/boost 1279mhz (OC mode); these selections apply to MSI's gaming app, otherwise the default core clock is 1114mhz w/boost 1253mhz
> - Memory clock of 1753mhz (7010mhz effective); Samsung IC's
> - 6 Phase power delivery
> - 2 x DVI port, 1 x HDMI 2.0, 1 x DP v1.2
> - Dual fan HSF design featuring idle fan shutoff (when under 60c); the overall height of the cooling solution is slightly less than two slots to provide better cooling for sli configurations.
> - *1 x 6pin ATX power connector and 1 x 8 pin ATX power connector; combined max rated draw of 300w (75w pcie, 75w 6pin, 150w 8pin).
> - Overall length of ~27cm (269mm)
> 
> *Pros:*
> 
> - Improved power delivery
> - Samsung memory IC's; factory clocked for 7ghz but will often overclock to 7800-8000mhz
> - *High maximum rated power draw (for overclocking purposes)
> - Quiet air cooling solution
> - Smallest/thinnest card (of the three compared); better for small cases and will perform better in sli configurations temperature wise
> - Features a metal plate/heatsink covering the memory IC's and some circuitry on the front side of the PCB; more effective cooling in comparison to the STRIX card
> 
> *Cons:*
> 
> - No backplate
> - *4 memory IC's on the rear side of the PCB; could result in lower overclocks due to no airflow/heatsink contact, also loses potential for a full cover block to properly cool all the memory IC's
> - *Poor vrm cooling solution; small secondary heatsink that receives little airflow due to the placement of the 2 fan HSF design
> 
> *ASUS GTX 970 STRIX*
> 
> - Base core clock 1114mhz w/boost 1253mhz
> - Memory clock of 1753mhz (7010mhz effective); Samsung IC's
> - 6 Phase power delivery
> - 2 x DVI port, 1 x HDMI 2.0, 1 x DP v1.2
> - Dual fan HSF design featuring idle fan shutoff (when under 60c)
> - *1 x 8 pin ATX power connector; combined max rated draw of 225w (75w pcie and 150w 8pin).
> - Overall length of 28cm
> - GPU Backplate
> 
> *Pros:*
> 
> - Improved power delivery
> - Samsung memory IC's; factory clocked for 7ghz but will often overclock to 7800-8000mhz
> - Passive cooling during idle/non-3d load; offers quieter performance
> - Quiet air cooling solution
> - Backplate
> - *All 8 memory IC's are located on the front side of the pcb; better airflow and cooling (although the stock heatsink does not make any contact with the IC's), best solution when considering water cooling for highest memory overclocks
> 
> *Cons:*
> 
> - *Lowest stock TDP/Power limit; only 1 x 8pin ATX power connection, note this is fine for general overclocking and stock use but do not expect possible benchmark record performance
> - Least effective cooling solution of the three concerning core, memory, and vrm temperatures.
> - *Poor vrm cooling solution; small secondary heatsink that receives little airflow due to the placement of the 2 fan HSF design
> 
> *Gigabyte GTX 970 Gaming G1*
> 
> - Base core clock 1178mhz w/boost 1329mhz
> - Memory clock of 1750mhz (7000mhz effective); Samsung IC's
> - 5 Phase power delivery
> - 2 x DVI port, 1 x HDMI 2.0, 3 x DP v1.2
> - Triple fan HSF solution
> - 1 x 6pin ATX power connector and 1 x 8 pin ATX power connector; combined max rated draw of 300w (75w pcie, 75w 6pin, 150w 8pin).
> - Overall length of ~31cm (312mm)
> - GPU Backplate
> 
> *Pros:*
> 
> - Improved power delivery
> - Highest factory core clock/boost
> - Samsung memory IC's; factory clocked for 7ghz but will often overclock to 7800-8000mhz
> - High maximum rated power draw (for overclocking purposes)
> - Most effective cooling solution (especially when it comes to VRM section of the board)
> - Best air cooled solution
> - *Highest stock TDP/Power Limit (for overclocking purposes)
> - Backplate
> - Most display connectivity 3xDP 1xHDMI 2xDVI
> 
> *Cons:*
> 
> - Loudest cooling solution of the three cards
> - Largest and tallest card; not ideal for small cases or Sli conifgurations
> - *4 memory IC's on the rear side of the PCB; could result in lower overclocks due to no airflow/heatsink contact, also loses potential for a full cover block to properly cool all the memory IC's


Hi, your post made me register to this forum, thanks for the great review.
So I got a question.
Between these 3 , based on your comments.
For SLI watercooling in the future, would the best be in this order?
1) Asus (due to backplate??)
2) MSI (due to size, not first because it doesnt have backplate)
3) Gigabyte (due to being the Largest and tallest card)

Is this right?

Thanks!


----------



## dVeLoPe

so is the g1 the winner/


----------



## somebadlemonade

Isn't the Gigabyte G1 Gaming card shorter, just under 300mm, or are you suppose to include the I/O bracket?


----------



## rv8000

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sancor*
> 
> Hi, your post made me register to this forum, thanks for the great review.
> So I got a question.
> Between these 3 , based on your comments.
> For SLI watercooling in the future, would the best be in this order?
> 1) Asus (due to backplate??)
> 2) MSI (due to size, not first because it doesnt have backplate)
> 3) Gigabyte (due to being the Largest and tallest card)
> 
> Is this right?
> 
> Thanks!


Concerning water cooling, if you're going with a full block for any of these cards (Strix has a block that fits already, MSI is confirmed from EK, and theres a 99% chance we'll get a fullcover block for the G1) the block vendor generally offers a backplate, so there is no reason to pick any one of these cards specifically because of the backplate.

Gigabyte has the longest pcb by ~10mm, the physical pcb itself is around 11" +/- (I haven't had time to measure the pcb, will do so later), including the cooler and measuring from the inside of the i/o plate the card measures ~1cm less than 12".

The MSI and ASUS cards have taller pcb's than the gigabyte card, but they are marginally shorter (maybe 10mm).

Until we have the ability to flash a custom bios the G1 is the best card because it has the least limitations bios wise. If/when we can flash a bios all of the cards will be relatively similar in terms of oc potential, however the ASUS card will still be more limited due to only having the single 8-pin power connector (max rated draw up to 225w, G1 and MSI are up to 300w). If you're going to feed the card more volt's and really go for high oc's on water I'd pick up the MSI card or the Gigabyte card as the ASUS card may still run into power limit issues.

*Note, until custom bios can be flashed the G1 remains the top dog in terms of oc potential.


----------



## Nooze

But how much does the card (ASUS and gigabyte comparably) actually pull (TDP) when overclocked even to its max? Even with a 225W limitation to the asus it should clock just as well as the gigbyte (excluding cooling and such). Without bumping voltage at all people were achieving very good clocks. I guess my question is: What is the actual point of having more power on a card that can't really use it.

Correct me if I'm wrong.


----------



## rv8000

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Nooze*
> 
> But how much does the card (ASUS and gigabyte comparably) actually pull (TDP) when overclocked even to its max? Even with a 225W limitation to the asus it should clock just as well as the gigbyte (excluding cooling and such). Without bumping voltage at all people were achieving very good clocks. I guess my question is: What is the actual point of having more power on a card that can't really use it.
> 
> Correct me if I'm wrong.


It depends on the games/applications they're using. I have a G1 currently, at 1492/7600 1.212v my card has gone up to 101% and averages ~90%, so ~250w and ~225w respectively in Guild Wars 2. If I had a Strix (196w max) or MSI (220w max) card I'd be getting throttled due to the power limit. Loading will be different based on scenarios and I'd rather have the extra headroom than risk getting throttled.


----------



## Nooze

Wait wait wait, if it is saying 100% TDP on GPU-z (which I assume your getting your numbers) does that indicate the card is pulling as much as the card designed to take? What does it actually mean?


----------



## rv8000

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Nooze*
> 
> Wait wait wait, if it is saying 100% TDP on GPU-z (which I assume your getting your numbers) does that indicate the card is pulling as much as the card designed to take? What does it actually mean?


It's not pulling the max it's designed to take in this situation. The G1 and MSI have a max of 300w via hardware specifications, the Gigabyte G1 is limited to 280w via bios and the MSI is limited to 220w via bios. In the case of my card 100% is 250w, and 112% is 280w, my card is pulling up to ~250w at peaks during load in GW2.

The power limit settings are very deceptive/arbitrary, 100% does not always mean the card is pulling it's hardware limit, it is simply a bios/software limitation.


----------



## Nooze

Ah, thank you for the explanation. But in your case (or the gigabyte's case) it's not pulling the BIOS limit either at 100%, which is odd. I guess I should just look at what it's actually pulling not the TDP percentage. In the ASUS case, it looks like 196W (bios limit) will be 100% TDP and thus why it was getting throttled.

Now I understand.


----------



## pack66

Saw the complete on the 'egg that the Strix is voltage locked. Can any owners confirm or deny this? Thanks.


----------



## doza

ul
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *pack66*
> 
> Saw the complete on the 'egg that the Strix is voltage locked. Can any owners confirm or deny this? Thanks.


i think strix is not voltage locked, problem is that strix is not refference card and i tried afterburner and precisionx voltage control nothing changes

only asus gpu tweak can change voltage but i dont know is it a bug or what but core voltage stays always same 1.2120 only gpu vrm voltage changes

here is stock



overclocked


----------



## TheDoctor46

Guys I'm looking at buying two of the Gigabyte G1's for SLi? Am I going to have any problems doing this as I note the intro on page 1 suggests they aren't a good idea for SLi setups?


----------



## Edkiefer

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doza*
> 
> ul
> i think strix is not voltage locked, problem is that strix is not refference card and i tried afterburner and precisionx voltage control nothing changes
> 
> only asus gpu tweak can change voltage but i dont know is it a bug or what but core voltage stays always same 1.2120 only gpu vrm voltage changes
> 
> here is stock
> 
> 
> 
> overclocked


It is because Asus 970 strix the voltage is set in bios to max of 1.212 .

Other cards have that raised to 1.26 or so , so you can raise it in software .


----------



## amtbr

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *TheDoctor46*
> 
> Guys I'm looking at buying two of the Gigabyte G1's for SLi? Am I going to have any problems doing this as I note the intro on page 1 suggests they aren't a good idea for SLi setups?


First, fill in your system specs so people know what kind of system you have when you ask for help.

This was mentioned because the card is BIG. It depends on how much spacing you have between your PCI-E slots. In my case, I'd be weary of doing SLI because on the bottom card, 2 of the 3 fans would be blocked by my PSU. There literally would be 1-2 cm between the card and my PSU.


----------



## TheDoctor46

My system is

3570 @ 4.4GHz
16GB DDR3 @ 2133MHz
1000W SIlverstone PSU
MSI Z77 M power Motheboard
2 x MSi GTX670's
Phantom 410 mid tower case

The CPU/MB/RAM will be next on the list of things to be changed next year if a worthwhile processor upgrade becomes available.

My current 670 SLi setup is ok for temps/ventilation. The G1's (although very long, apparently 310mm) will fit, as is, because I have removed one of the HDD bays from this case. Only the HDD cage in line with the PSU remains.

I assume these G1's are no significant amount thicker the 670's?


----------



## Arizonian

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *TheDoctor46*
> 
> My system is
> 
> 3570 @ 4.4GHz
> 16GB DDR3 @ 2133MHz
> 1000W SIlverstone PSU
> MSI Z77 M power Motheboard
> 2 x MSi GTX670's
> Phantom 410 mid tower case
> 
> The CPU/MB/RAM will be next on the list of things to be changed next year if a worthwhile processor upgrade becomes available.
> 
> My current 670 SLi setup is ok for temps/ventilation. The G1's (although very long, apparently 310mm) will fit, as is, because I have removed one of the HDD bays from this case. Only the HDD cage in line with the PSU remains.
> 
> I assume these G1's are no significant amount thicker the 670's?


I have a Phantom 410 too. Have to sandwich the cards. SLI top card 85C bottom 70C, my ambient room temp 25C. Running both at 1506 MHz Core no Memory overclock ATM. No voltage +100 Powerlimit +130 Offset Core. Steady no down clocking.

Had to set my case fans to a profile that ramps from 50% to 100% when my motherboard / PCIe slot temps go above 52C becuse its been reaching 60-70C. With a single or dual GPU I never had Mobo temp warnings as I do in SLI. Not water cooling. I'm probably repeating some things you already are familiar with but for me this is my first SLI.

In my situation I probably should have gone with MSI Gaming on air sandwiched because in SLI there's actually more spacing in between the two. I'm not sure if that would have helped my temperatures or not though. However the Gigabytes became available first as the fates decided and it does aesthetically match my rig perfectly.


----------



## fleetfeather

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *rv8000*
> 
> I haven't had time to measure the pcb, will do so later)


I'm in need of exact pcb dimensions for The Big 3.


----------



## TheDoctor46

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Arizonian*
> 
> I have a Phantom 410 too. Have to sandwich the cards. SLI top card 85C bottom 70C, my ambient room temp 25C. Running both at 1506 MHz Core no Memory overclock ATM. No voltage +100 Powerlimit +130 Offset Core. Steady no down clocking.
> 
> Had to set my case fans to a profile that ramps from 50% to 100% when my motherboard / PCIe slot temps go above 52C becuse its been reaching 60-70C. With a single or dual GPU I never had Mobo temp warnings as I do in SLI. Not water cooling. I'm probably repeating some things you already are familiar with but for me this is my first SLI.
> 
> In my situation I probably should have gone with MSI Gaming on air sandwiched because in SLI there's actually more spacing in between the two. I'm not sure if that would have helped my temperatures or not though. However the Gigabytes became available first as the fates decided and it does aesthetically match my rig perfectly.


Thanks for the reply. Those pictures of the G1's in the case look fine to me. Doesn't look any different to how my 670's are aside from the length of the cards, and I've never had temperature issues with the 670's which throttle at 70 degrees if I recall correctly.

What temp do 970's throttle at if you are hitting 85 dgerees, or does it work differently from the Keplers in the 670's?


----------



## rv8000

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *fleetfeather*
> 
> I'm in need of exact pcb dimensions for The Big 3.


Once prime finishes ill pop it outand measure, got a coupla hours though


----------



## pterois

I first got the MSI and after giving it to a friend I ended up getting the Gigabyte. I find it's performance and overall looks a tad better although the semi-passive cooling of the MSI does make a difference when idle. I am getting a second one for SLI and I'm a little worried that the idle noise out of two will be more noticeable.
Right now I'm considering going for either the ASUS Strix or one of the EVGA ACX 2.0 versions (SSC or FTW). They both support 0db fan below 67c via a bios update and feature higher factory clocks than the Gigabyte. My G1 Gaming does have a 1404 MHz boost clock out of the box though but that could be limited by the second card.
At full load the G1 is almost silent so the only thing that worries me is idle. Maybe they will release a firmware update like EVGA.
I do value a silent build and I'm considering whether the G1 Gaming's extra performance is worth it over the other's more silent idle state.
Bit worried about EVGA's load noise levels, although most issues were fixed with the 2.0 cooler.


----------



## Arizonian

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *TheDoctor46*
> 
> Thanks for the reply. Those pictures of the G1's in the case look fine to me. Doesn't look any different to how my 670's are aside from the length of the cards, and I've never had temperature issues with the 670's which throttle at 70 degrees if I recall correctly.
> 
> What temp do 970's throttle at if you are hitting 85 dgerees, or does it work differently from the Keplers in the 670's?


When I run highest 1554 MHz core clock, which is stable, it will throttle down to 1541 MHz core clock. So I don't see the point in running it that high. However from 1530 MHz core and down, it will maintain a steady clock and I've reached as high as 86C.

I've been testing it on demanding games like Crysis 1, 2, & 3, Battlefield 3 & 4 and Far Cry 3.

Maxwell though similar feels different than Kepler, even voltage just doesn't have the same results. I haven't figured the actual temperature nor maximum temp limit these cards can safely run.



Spoiler: Screenshot!



_Click pic and then 'original' tab to see full view._


----------



## JMattes

The MicroCenter by me got MSI Gaming Editions in.. there $10 less than the G1s..

Wondering if I should snag two or wait for the g1s to come in..

What do you guys think? G1s still holding the crown?


----------



## Cyro999

Yea

$10 is nothing for 25c cooler vrms


----------



## nadir

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *clerick*
> 
> It's a good card but it's voltage locked atm and it's unclear whether the manufactuer will unlock it via bios or not (there has been contact between zotac and reviewers about a possible fix).
> 
> I'm personally happy with the 1500 boost with the stock 1.212v voltage and have no desire to push it further, plus it's very quiet on load as well.


This is the only decent Zotac GeForce GTX 970 AMP! Extreme Edition review I found.

They pushed it only to 1455 MHz.. Is it due to the voltage limit?

And can anyone please tell me what's the TDP of that card?


----------



## Strileckifunk

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JMattes*
> 
> The MicroCenter by me got MSI Gaming Editions in.. there $10 less than the G1s..
> 
> Wondering if I should snag two or wait for the g1s to come in..
> 
> What do you guys think? G1s still holding the crown?


Personally I'd wait as well. I know it's tempting, it was hard for me to pass on the MSI and STRIX coming in stock, but then I'd read a review about the G1's and know that I had to wait


----------



## JMattes

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Strileckifunk*
> 
> Personally I'd wait as well. I know it's tempting, it was hard for me to pass on the MSI and STRIX coming in stock, but then I'd read a review about the G1's and know that I had to wait


Thanks guys!

I thought I was seeibg some complaints against the G1s latetly so I was just double checking.


----------



## pack66

How long is the Giga card? Is it really 15 inches?


----------



## rv8000

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *pack66*
> 
> How long is the Giga card? Is it really 15 inches?


Including the I/O plate + ports, 12.28", measuring from the inside of the i/o plate its approximately ~1cm shorter than 12". Still testing prime so haven't gotten a chance to take the card out and measure yet.


----------



## Cakewalk_S

So apparently the strix is voltage unlocked. I found out using gpu tweak. Supposedly there's 2 different core voltages on these cards... The voltage does increase over 1.200v which is what my system tells me is the max. I can get upto 1.250v and 1510mhz stable with 8ghz memory.


----------



## jlhawn

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JMattes*
> 
> Thanks guys!
> 
> I thought I was seeibg some complaints against the G1s latetly so I was just double checking.


no complaints here, best gpu I have ever owned and I have owned GTX 295 GTX 580 x2, GTX 6804gb
and my 970 was worth the 2 weeks I searched online for one.


----------



## WalderX

Same here! Best GPU ever owned! But I guess it should be as it is the most up-to-date GPU I have ever owned too! Just like all the previous GPU's I have owned!

lol









But no, seriously it is the best GPU for the money on the market for sure

Firestrike *12053*
http://www.3dmark.com/fs/2975770

Graphics Score: 14339


----------



## amtbr

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *pterois*
> 
> I first got the MSI and after giving to a friend I ended up getting the Gigabyte. I find it's performance and overall looks a tad better although the semi-passive cooling of the MSI does make a difference when idle. I intend of getting a second one for SLI and I'm a little worried that the idle noise out of two will be more noticeable.
> Right now I'm considering going for either the ASUS Strix or one of the EVGA ACX 2.0 versions (SSC or FTW). They both support 0db fan below 67c via a bios update and feature higher factory clocks than the Gigabyte. My G1 Gaming does have a 1404 MHz boost clock out of the box though but that could be limited by the second card.
> At full load Gigabyte is almost silent so the only thing that worries me is idle. Maybe they will release a firmware update like EVGA.
> I do value a silent build and I'm considering whether the G1 Gaming's extra performance is worth it over the other's more silent idle state.
> Bit worried about EVGA's load noise levels, although most issues were fixed with the 2.0 cooler.


I'm returning my Gigabyte G1 to Newegg today for this reason. I can't stand the 1,600 RPM idle fan noise, plus the pulsation of each individual fan. Coming from a silent card previously, this drives me nuts.


----------



## bastian

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Cakewalk_S*
> 
> So apparently the strix is voltage unlocked. I found out using gpu tweak. Supposedly there's 2 different core voltages on these cards... The voltage does increase over 1.200v which is what my system tells me is the max. I can get upto 1.250v and 1510mhz stable with 8ghz memory.


1.25v is standard for Maxwell set by nVidia.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *amtbr*
> 
> I'm returning my Gigabyte G1 to Newegg today for this reason. I can't stand the 1,600 RPM idle fan noise, plus the pulsation of each individual fan. Coming from a silent card previously, this drives me nuts.


Are you joking? 1600RPM is around 40% and I can hardly hear it. I have mine set at 45% which is around 1800RPM and its not noisy. You got a bad one if your G1 is loud like that under 60%.


----------



## amtbr

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *bastian*
> 
> 1.25v is standard for Maxwell set by nVidia.
> Are you joking? 1600RPM is around 40% and I can hardly hear it. I have mine set at 45% which is around 1800RPM and its not noisy. You got a bad one if your G1 is loud like that under 60%.


I think the card is just fine. This is a known issue:

http://forum.giga-byte.co.uk/index.php?PHPSESSID=mt5alikidn22krda03ot37ihr7&topic=15086.0

Guru3D's review also mentions the fan speed wont drop below 32%. Really though, its all subjective. Like I said before, my computer made zero noises before I got this card, now I hear a gentle wooshing and fans pulsating. Drives me nuts.


----------



## jlhawn

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *amtbr*
> 
> I'm returning my Gigabyte G1 to Newegg today for this reason. I can't stand the 1,600 RPM idle fan noise, plus the pulsation of each individual fan. Coming from a silent card previously, this drives me nuts.


I have now heard from about 4 others plus you on the OCN forums about the Gigabyte fan noise,
I must just have bad hearing as I can't hear mine except very little if I set the fan speed to 100%
which I only did that to test as I leave the fan control on auto.
I can hear my Noctua case fans and their suppose to be 28db to 32db depending on which model fan as I have 6
in different sizes and models.


----------



## bastian

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *amtbr*
> 
> I think the card is just fine. This is a known issue:
> 
> http://forum.giga-byte.co.uk/index.php?PHPSESSID=mt5alikidn22krda03ot37ihr7&topic=15086.0
> 
> Guru3D's review also mentions the fan speed wont drop below 32%. Really though, its all subjective. Like I said before, my computer made zero noises before I got this card, now I hear a gentle wooshing and fans pulsating. Drives me nuts.


Well fan noise and pulsating fan noisy are two different things. I know the issue you are describing because I had it with my EVGA 780 Ti Classified. And I can tell you my G1 does not do this.


----------



## Sancor

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *rv8000*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sancor*
> 
> Hi, your post made me register to this forum, thanks for the great review.
> So I got a question.
> Between these 3 , based on your comments.
> For SLI watercooling in the future, would the best be in this order?
> 1) Asus (due to backplate??)
> 2) MSI (due to size, not first because it doesnt have backplate)
> 3) Gigabyte (due to being the Largest and tallest card)
> 
> Is this right?
> 
> Thanks!
> 
> 
> 
> Concerning water cooling, if you're going with a full block for any of these cards (Strix has a block that fits already, MSI is confirmed from EK, and theres a 99% chance we'll get a fullcover block for the G1) the block vendor generally offers a backplate, so there is no reason to pick any one of these cards specifically because of the backplate.
> 
> Gigabyte has the longest pcb by ~10mm, the physical pcb itself is around 11" +/- (I haven't had time to measure the pcb, will do so later), including the cooler and measuring from the inside of the i/o plate the card measures ~1cm less than 12".
> 
> The MSI and ASUS cards have taller pcb's than the gigabyte card, but they are marginally shorter (maybe 10mm).
> 
> Until we have the ability to flash a custom bios the G1 is the best card because it has the least limitations bios wise. If/when we can flash a bios all of the cards will be relatively similar in terms of oc potential, however the ASUS card will still be more limited due to only having the single 8-pin power connector (max rated draw up to 225w, G1 and MSI are up to 300w). If you're going to feed the card more volt's and really go for high oc's on water I'd pick up the MSI card or the Gigabyte card as the ASUS card may still run into power limit issues.
> 
> *Note, until custom bios can be flashed the G1 remains the top dog in terms of oc potential.
Click to expand...

Wow thanks so much for the great answer


----------



## kevindd992002

Wouldn't one be able to modify the G1 BIOS, using KBT, to lower the minimum fan percentage?


----------



## fleetfeather

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Wouldn't one be able to modify the G1 BIOS, using KBT, to lower the minimum fan percentage?


Not atm


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *fleetfeather*
> 
> Not atm


Why so?


----------



## fleetfeather

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Why so?


atm, bios files must have signed digital certificates to be flashed. any non-official bios will not be successfully flashed.

once we get a DOS bootable version of NVflash (which wont be able to check for signed certificates, since such a feature requires the windows OS) that works with maxwell, non-signed bios files that KBT can produce should be flashable

(this info is AFAIK. if you see any mistakes in it, please correct)


----------



## jpdizon01

Hello i'm new to this forum and I just want to know which brand of gtx 970 is better. I live here in the philippines. MSI and Gigabyte are the only one's who have stock of gpu here. I really want the asus but reading reviews MSI and Gigabyte are the one that always wins. Help me please I'm excited to buy this card


----------



## jlhawn

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jpdizon01*
> 
> Hello i'm new to this forum and I just want to know which brand of gtx 970 is better. I live here in the philippines. MSI and Gigabyte are the only one's who have stock of gpu here. I really want the asus but reading reviews MSI and Gigabyte are the one that always wins. Help me please I'm excited to buy this card


Gigabyte Gaming G1 is the top one, then MSI and then ASUS.


----------



## Snuckie7

Hi all, any word on additional models from ASUS and MSI? Still looking out for the top end DirectCU and Hawk/Power Edition models.


----------



## rv8000

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Snuckie7*
> 
> Hi all, any word on additional models from ASUS and MSI? Still looking out for the top end DirectCU and Hawk/Power Edition models.


As far as I know, Strix is the replacement for the DirectCU from now on. No word on a hawk card yet.


----------



## Snuckie7

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *rv8000*
> 
> As far as I know, Strix is the replacement for the DirectCU from now on. No word on a hawk card yet.


Oh I see. The Strix looks like a great, well rounded choice overall, but the power limit is really disappointing. Guess I'll still be waiting for other options.


----------



## fleetfeather

rv, still eager for your PCB measurements on The Big 3 (once you're done priming)


----------



## Tejh

Is there any HUGE difference between a G1 and the WFOC? I managed to snag 2 windforces today and I'm hoping I made a good call


----------



## rv8000

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Tejh*
> 
> Is there any HUGE difference between a G1 and the WFOC? I managed to snag 2 windforces today and I'm hoping I made a good call


No backplate, and a few small variations, should be very similar. Would you mind pm'ing me a bios for the windforce card?
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *fleetfeather*
> 
> rv, still eager for your PCB measurements on The Big 3 (once you're done priming)


Just measured the G1 pcb length, just a hair shy of 10" (probablly 1mm). Height is standard to the top of the i/o plate. Don't have any other cards in hand atm, traded my MSI card for some speakers







. I'll try and see if I can get some measurements from other members.


----------



## Tejh

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *rv8000*
> 
> No backplate, and a few small variations, should be very similar. Would you mind pm'ing me a bios for the windforce card?


Will do when I get them in a day or so


----------



## pack66

Will a Seasonic G550 (which is currently running a 7970 overclocked) run an overclocked 970?


----------



## Strileckifunk

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *pack66*
> 
> Will a Seasonic G550 (which is currently running a 7970 overclocked) run an overclocked 970?


Yes









That's currently what I'm upgrading from. A 550 is almost enough to SLI so no worries.


----------



## hollowtek

Someone's selling a msi 4g for 300 locally. Zip 93313, anyone interested I'll send you the Craigslist


----------



## HKPolice

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Tejh*
> 
> Is there any HUGE difference between a G1 and the WFOC? I managed to snag 2 windforces today and I'm hoping I made a good call


The WFOC card also has a lower stock clock, plastic fan shrouds, no DUAL bios, but most importantly the heatsink only has 2 heatpipes instead of 4 in the G1.


----------



## semitope

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *semitope*
> 
> Sorry to break the bios excitement but wondering how these cards are measured typically. In particular the dimensions for the Asus strix since I have a storm scout 1 case still (issues getting enthoo pro down). Do they measure from the furthest edges or just from the part of the card inside the case to the other end (excluding the bracket and dvi ports)?
> 
> Could someone measure the strix excluding the bit that screws into the case?


any help here?

I notice the OP says "overall length". What exactly does that mean


----------



## Phantatsy

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *hollowtek*
> 
> Someone's selling a msi 4g for 300 locally. Zip 93313, anyone interested I'll send you the Craigslist


Yes please. Wonder if he would ship?


----------



## rv8000

A little update on some changes I hope to have soon, and I apologize to those looking for new card info and pcb dimensions, I've been having a rough 2 weeks







.

- I will be adding a new section that covers all (as best I can) 970 cards currently released in the form of a chart with basic information, power configurations, and *stock* bios limitations.
- I will be adding a pcb length chart for those who want the info for watercooling/modded air cooling purposes; as I only own a G1 now I will need other users help with exact pcb dimensions for other cards. If you would like to provide number's it would be a great help and benefit everyone.
- The Zotac 970 Amp Extreme will be added to the main round up in a similar format (just in need of proper benchmark's and voltage controller info)

Feel free to suggest anything else you'd like to see added and I'll see what I can do.

*Please try to limit OT chat; especially trading/purchasing.


----------



## Snuckie7

Does the Strix work well with Afterburner, or would I have to use GPU Tweak?


----------



## raven113

I have had no issues using Afterburner with my Asus cards, actually prefer it to GPU Tweak, would assume the Strix is no different.


----------



## Emissary of Pain

Hey all

I will be honest I have not read all 303 posts before this ... but I am hoping you can help me ...

I am currently looking at getting a 970, the options I was looking at are:

Zotac Amp Omega, G1 Gaming and the FTW ACX 2.0

I have heard of a lot of guys complaining about heat with the Zotac card so now I am looking at the other 2.

The FTW cooler has fixed the previous issue so which would be better ? ... How much difference does the 8+6pin make over the dual 6pin


----------



## Phantatsy

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Emissary of Pain*
> 
> Hey all
> 
> I will be honest I have not read all 303 posts before this ... but I am hoping you can help me ...
> 
> I am currently looking at getting a 970, the options I was looking at are:
> 
> Zotac Amp Omega, G1 Gaming and the FTW ACX 2.0
> 
> I have heard of a lot of guys complaining about heat with the Zotac card so now I am looking at the other 2.
> 
> The FTW cooler has fixed the previous issue so which would be better ? ... How much difference does the 8+6pin make over the dual 6pin


8+6 pin instead of 2x 6 pins means you can pull more power from your PSU for higher overclocks.


----------



## Gamer47

Which one is the best for SLI ?


----------



## Emissary of Pain

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Phantatsy*
> 
> 8+6 pin instead of 2x 6 pins means you can pull more power from your PSU for higher overclocks.


I understand that ... the reason I was asking if it would make any difference is because these cards are all mostly voltage locked ... apart from some minor voltage changes ... ... how much difference could there possible be between 6+8 and 6+6


----------



## JMattes

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Gamer47*
> 
> Which one is the best for SLI ?


Gigabyte G1

I've asked a few times is the MSI or the other Gigabyte Edition would be worth it.. and for the $10-$20 price difference the G1 is the way to go..
So I am currently waiting myself for the G1 unit to be available at my near by Microcenter..

They had the MSI in last night and I passed.. I am thinking about grabbing just one G1 for now.. and wait a few months for the second one and maybe snag a fee game with they offer one..


----------



## starrbuck

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Emissary of Pain*
> 
> I understand that ... the reason I was asking if it would make any difference is because these cards are all mostly voltage locked ... apart from some minor voltage changes ... ... how much difference could there possible be between 6+8 and 6+6


Probably no difference if you are hitting the power limit. However, as unlocked BIOS are now becoming available, you might not want to limit yourself now and go for the one with the larger possibilities!


----------



## JackNaylorPE

I put this in the 970 reviews thread but this was the best review / tear down I have seen .... unfortunately, just the EVGA SC, Asus Strix and MSI Gaming ....end result:

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/graphics/2014/09/19/nvidia-geforce-gtx-970-review/14

I gotta agree with the author.....

EVGA SC .... besides being defective, it's the lowest end design of the 3 cards
Asus Strix ..... big disappointment, I was hoping Asus would return to form from the 670 TOP days but no go, so so componentry, lotta PCB components left to fend for themselves cooling wise.
MSI Gaming ..... best of the bunch in the review, decent enough job on components and cooling of them.

I was a bit turned off by Guru3Ds review and MSI's PCB temps but in scouring around ..... MSI's approach to temperatures / fan noise greatly favors the latter. They are the only vendor who independently controls the two fans, one controlled solely by GPU temps and the other controlled by numerous sensors on the PCB. Several reviews even tested the card and initial reviews listed the 2nd fan as broken (i.e. hitechlegion).

I have been recommending the G1 for those that don't care about noise / fit ... and the MSI Gaming for those that do..... on water, I don't have enough info on the G1's componentry to to make a judgement. The Asus Strix and EVGA SC are on my "no buy list". Both the MSI and Gigabyte seen to be just about always breaking 1500 with about half breaking 1550 in the reviews i have read.

Here's a spreadsheet that I made after reading the bittech review and several others in mid September.....all data taken from published reviews..... any errors are the reviewes, though I'm sure I might have a cut / paste error or 2 in there.

9xxSeries.XLS 27k .XLS file


If anyone finds it useful and wants data added / corrected, that they have uncovered, I'd be happy to edit the file.


----------



## Nooze

I also went with the gigabyte, as it seemed to be the most well rounded out of the bunch. However, I didn't get the G1 version I got the OC version. Since everyone is talking about the G1 when talking about the gigabyte... don't know how the OC really stacks up


----------



## Xcelsior

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Nooze*
> 
> I also went with the gigabyte, as it seemed to be the most well rounded out of the bunch. However, I didn't get the G1 version I got the OC version. Since everyone is talking about the G1 when talking about the gigabyte... don't know how the OC really stacks up


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *HKPolice*
> 
> The WFOC card also has a lower stock clock, plastic fan shrouds, no DUAL bios, but most importantly the heatsink only has 2 heatpipes instead of 4 in the G1.


Assuming you're talking about WFOC vs G1...


----------



## Nooze

I was kind of hinting if the cooling was any different. I don't know much what "more pipes' actually equates to when overclocking/ looking at temps. Most got the G1 so I can't really make a comparison.


----------



## misoonigiri

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JackNaylorPE*
> 
> MSI's approach to temperatures / fan noise greatly favors the latter. They are the only vendor who independently controls the two fans, one controlled solely by GPU temps and the other controlled by numerous sensors on the PCB.


I'd read 1 or 2 user comments that the independent fan control feature using MSI app only works with 980 Gaming not 970. Any MSI 970 Gaming users here can confirm?


----------



## benbenkr

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *misoonigiri*
> 
> I'd read 1 or 2 user comments that the independent fan control feature using MSI app only works with 980 Gaming not 970. Any MSI 970 Gaming users here can confirm?


Uhm, it's working absolutely fine on mine lol... version 4.0 Final. I have not let my fan went into standby under the 60c 0db feature thing. I find it stupid.
Have a manual profile set where my fan is at 35% (which is barely audible) under 50c.


----------



## misoonigiri

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *benbenkr*
> 
> Uhm, it's working absolutely fine on mine lol... version 4.0 Final. I have not let my fan went into standby under the 60c 0db feature thing. I find it stupid.
> Have a manual profile set where my fan is at 35% (which is barely audible) under 50c.


I see, thanks. But 4.0 Final do you mean Afterburner or MSI Gaming App? I meant what the articles were referring to, about independent control for each fan -


----------



## Edkiefer

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *misoonigiri*
> 
> I see, thanks. But 4.0 Final do you mean Afterburner or MSI Gaming App? I meant what the articles were referring to, about independent control for each fan -


He probably talking about AB 4.0, you can set a custom fan profile so cards with 0 fan speed at idle either bump up and start at lower temp or you can set it like old days were it idles at 20-30% (whatever you want) .

You can only control one fan on MSI 980 and both fans on MSI 970 gaming . AB can only control one fan controller .

I don't see why anyone would want or need separate fan speeds for each fan, there only one GPU HS .


----------



## JMattes

Local store finally got the Gigabyte G1 instock!
I am fitting the urge to grab a second and will only take one for now!


----------



## misoonigiri

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Edkiefer*
> 
> He probably talking about AB 4.0, you can set a custom fan profile so cards with 0 fan speed at idle either bump up and start at lower temp or you can set it like old days were it idles at 20-30% (whatever you want) .
> 
> You can only control one fan on MSI 980 and both fans on MSI 970 gaming . AB can only control one fan controller .
> 
> *I don't see why anyone would want or need separate fan speeds for each fan, there only one GPU HS .*


Actually, neither I. Just that I'm curious about the articles mentioning MSI independent fan control for 970 Gaming - whether it works or not, since I've read 1 or 2 users point out it does not.


----------



## semitope

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Edkiefer*
> 
> He probably talking about AB 4.0, you can set a custom fan profile so cards with 0 fan speed at idle either bump up and start at lower temp or you can set it like old days were it idles at 20-30% (whatever you want) .
> 
> You can only control one fan on MSI 980 and both fans on MSI 970 gaming . AB can only control one fan controller .
> 
> I don't see why anyone would want or need separate fan speeds for each fan, there only one GPU HS .


having separate fan control can be beneficial if one can be slower if what it cools is not needed, to reduce noise. I am not sure if the vrms being on the other side and under the same fan as the GPU makes it pointless. I guess the second fan can run slower since its over the part of the PCB that wont get so hot.

It could also be useful for directing airflow. WIth the fan further from the vent at the back blowing higher, more airflow might be directed to the back of the card and out the case.


----------



## JMattes

How do you do a ASIC quality test?


----------



## Edkiefer

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JMattes*
> 
> How do you do a ASIC quality test?


right click on GPU-Z top header and pic it from option .


----------



## Edkiefer

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *semitope*
> 
> having separate fan control can be beneficial if one can be slower if what it cools is not needed, to reduce noise. I am not sure if the vrms being on the other side and under the same fan as the GPU makes it pointless. I guess the second fan can run slower since its over the part of the PCB that wont get so hot.
> 
> It could also be useful for directing airflow. WIth the fan further from the vent at the back blowing higher, more airflow might be directed to the back of the card and out the case.


well, "if" the fans were loud I could maybe see your point, but there not and to me the dual fan setting is just marketing IMO .
might as well have both fans going same for equal airflow around the HS . yes if there was a case were the GPU was cool and yet the VRM were getting hot, then it might be to some use but that just can't happen .When GPU usage goes up so does VRM as it gets it power from there so even here I don't see need .
I didn't even bother installing any of MSI CD apps .


----------



## starrbuck

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Edkiefer*
> 
> well, "if" the fans were loud I could maybe see your point, but there not and to me the dual fan setting is just marketing IMO .
> might as well have both fans going same for equal airflow around the HS . yes if there was a case were the GPU was cool and yet the VRM were getting hot, then it might be to some use but that just can't happen .When GPU usage goes up so does VRM as it gets it power from there so even here I don't see need .
> I didn't even bother installing any of MSI CD apps .


I agree, the fans should always be turning at least slowly as it's better for the fans and to keep more nominal temperatures.

I have the Gigabyte G1 Gaming cards now and am using OC GURU II. Works great.


----------



## Snuckie7

Why is the Gigabyte G1 so loud if it has a better heatsink than all the other cards? Are the fans themselves just that loud? Will we be able to modify the BIOS to reduce the fan speed/noise?


----------



## JackNaylorPE

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Edkiefer*
> 
> I don't see why anyone would want or need separate fan speeds for each fan, there only one GPU HS .


One fan is controlled by the GPU, the ether is controlled by several sensors on the PCB. I water cool my GFX because if noise as performance gains just aren't there .... if I can cut that sound a bit, I'm happy.

As far as never going off .... my box runs at idle most of the time (on 24/7) ..... no need for wear and tear on the fans or the noise associated therewith (fan noise increases w/ bearing wear) when GPU / PCB temps are in the 30s and 40s.

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/graphics/2014/09/19/nvidia-geforce-gtx-970-review/4
Quote:


> Another feature is called Hybrid Frozr, and this refers to the ability to control both fans independently. Enabling this functionality is a six-pin fan header on the PCB. In automatic mode, one fan is controlled by the GPU temperature while the other is controlled by temperature measurement ICs dotted around the PCB. MSI claims it can result in a 1.9dB(A) noise reduction, and also offers users the ability to control the two fans independently using its Gaming App.


MSI introduced the fan cutoff feature kin 2008, with Asus adopting it this year, maybe they figured they'd step it up a bit. If ya look at temps and sound in reviews recent years, you'll notice that MSI sets up their cards with default lower fan speeds, emphasizing noise reduction over temps. Some reviews also (see techpowerup) also mention that competitors released upgraded BIOSs to address the sound edge that MSI had so I would assume sound rather than temps is of more interest to users these days..... I don't mean hi temps but if choice is between 75C and no noise or 65 C w/ noise, I'll take 75C .... of course that doesn't mean I'm OK w/ 90.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *misoonigiri*
> 
> Actually, neither I. Just that I'm curious about the articles mentioning MSI independent fan control for 970 Gaming - whether it works or not, since I've read 1 or 2 users point out it does not.


There was an issue with the independent fan control that I presume came about as follows. If you have ever used fan speed control, you know that if ya turn down the voltage, you'll get down to say 325 rpm and the fan will stop. Add a lil more voltage and nuthin happens because while it takes a certain amount of oomph to keep a fan going, it takes a bit more to get it going. So when it came time to set the start up voltage in the BIOS using cards on the test bed, they figured out what was needed and set it there. Now they start shipping thousands of new cards and, unlike their lab predecessors, these had brand new bearings whereas the ones in the lab likely had hundreds of hours on them and were well broken in.

So when the fans slowed down and stopped, the kick up voltage was too low and they wouldn't restart....users found giving them a nudge with a finger worked....and later they found ... with few exceptions..... if ya run the fan at 100% for an hour, the bearings will loosen up a bit and problem solved.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Snuckie7*
> 
> Why is the Gigabyte G1 so loud if it has a better heatsink than all the other cards? Are the fans themselves just that loud? Will we be able to modify the BIOS to reduce the fan speed/noise?


Gigabyte has shown a preference for low PCB temps .... if ya look at Guru3Ds PCB temps, they are as much as 20C lower than the competition..... to do that, they run the fans faster..


----------



## Timvdo

Hello all. MSI 970 here, been looking through the posts about ASIC quality, seems I got a good one with 79.8%.

On the flip side, it ran perfectly quiet for a few days and suddenly started giving coil whine, and excruciatingly bad at that. Was thinking about sending it back the next day but I still have a week to decide about that, last few days it wasn't so bad. Is it possible lower temps relate to less coil whine? If it's going to get as bad again as a few days back every summer I'll have to return this bad boy to the shop...


----------



## JackNaylorPE

What PSU ?


----------



## Hornet85

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Snuckie7*
> 
> Why is the Gigabyte G1 so loud if it has a better heatsink than all the other cards? Are the fans themselves just that loud? Will we be able to modify the BIOS to reduce the fan speed/noise?


During idle mode, the other cards in comparison actually turns off the fan while Gigabyte takes the more usual approach of using minimum fan speed, so naturally Gigabyte would be "louder" during idle since the fan is actually running as compared to no sound at all. I have the 970 G1 Gaming and it's not audible IMO. At least not for my casing anyway.

It's slightly audible under load, but I don't find it to be at an annoying level, and I certainly can't hear it over the speakers or my headphone during gaming anyway. It's no worse than my previous Asus 680 card with DirectCU 2 cooler.

You can modify the fan speed using overclocking software such as Afterburner, no need for BIOS mod. But there's a minimum speed of 35% and you can't go below that.


----------



## Timvdo

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JackNaylorPE*
> 
> What PSU ?


Corsair HX750i... OEM by CWT. I actually had my doubts by going for this one and not at least a Seasonic OEM, but the HXi series got great reviews both from jonnyguru and techpowerup. On top of that it's meant to be really quiet even under load, and not have a bad fan like the Corsair RM series.

Gotta say though when the coil whine popped up my first thoughts went to blaming that PSU, lol. Sadly it's the MSI card and from what I gather on the internet it happens indiscriminately to 970s across all vendors.


----------



## JackNaylorPE

Yes..... it is being reported across all vendors . But I can't tell ya how many times I have replaced a PSU and eliminated coil whine..... must be some kind of interaction going on similar to what we see with harmonics in sound.

There's always the glue gun solution / thermal pad solution..... slide a thermal pad under the coil pr put a dollop of glue where the coil is touching the board to eliminate the vibration of the coil against PCB.


----------



## Phantatsy

I see someone selling a couple MSI Gaming 970's with mild coil whine under load. I wonder if my NZXT Hale90 V2 850W would eliminate that?


----------



## Timvdo

Though yes, there certainly have been cases noted where gpu coil whine has been eliminated by a different power supply, it probably still doesn't amount to ALL these 970s with coil whine.

Your NZXT psu is made by FSP. They make decen't enough power supplies, but perhaps aren't quite top tier. I'd actually like to think that if my platinum certified power supply is capable of 94% efficiency it should certainly not be related to my gpu coil whine, but I admit I don't know what exactly causes in situations where that is the case. Electrical resonance?

It's still a good point brought up though. I'll try out the 970 in my 2008 computer tomorrow, that'll be a change of pace...


----------



## Phantatsy

Anyone know if there is a difference between the MSI Gaming and MSI OC editions of the GTX 970 besides the factory OC?


----------



## JackNaylorPE

Historically, the Gaming is the better card from a construction standpoint, tho I haven't seen a tear down of the OC as yet.... whenever ya heard that there's no sense buying the factory OC card cause ya can just OC it yaself is almost always wrong .... the reason one card is OC'd more than the other at the factory is cause they generally have different voltage control, different Caps, MOFSETS, Chokes etc, and also whether they are direct cooled or not......the EVGA SC series is typical exception here as it's usually straight reference PCB. You can read about the components of the Gaming series here:

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/graphics/2014/09/19/nvidia-geforce-gtx-970-review/4


----------



## Phantatsy

I'll probably just get the Gigabyte Windforce X3 as EK already announced they have a full cover block coming out for it. I assume it is still a good card over the MSI OC.


----------



## JackNaylorPE

EK has "coming soon" listed for":

MSI Gaming
Gigabyte G1
Gigabyte WF
Asus Strix uses GTX 670 DCII Block (Asus getting good mileage outta that PCB)


----------



## Phantatsy

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JackNaylorPE*
> 
> EK has "coming soon" listed for":
> 
> MSI Gaming
> Gigabyte G1
> Gigabyte WF
> Asus Strix uses GTX 670 DCII Block (Asus getting good mileage outta that PCB)


I can get my hands on two Gigabyte WF but the other ones are sold out, which is why I brought it up.


----------



## JackNaylorPE

Understood but if the blocks aren't available.....

I expect that by the time the blocks are available, the cards will be stocked just about everywhere....the 970 comes in like every other day at newegg, I have posted it a few times but usually sold out in 15 - 20 minutes

MSI and Gigabyte (not the ones everybody wants) are in stock on Amazon (1 each)

Amazon had 3 MSI Gamings and 5 Gigabyte G1's 40 minutes ago.

MWave has a Gigabyte G1 for $110 extra









Some less popular sites reporting deliveries by Nov 2.


----------



## Malpractis

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JackNaylorPE*
> 
> Amazon had 3 MSI Gamings and 5 Gigabyte G1's 40 minutes ago.


Wish they would send me mine then (or at least give me an ETA). Had 2 G1s ordered since the 16th.


----------



## magnek

Gigabyte 970 G1 user here, got 2 cards in SLI so I can offer some info to those who are interested.

Someone asked about thermals, and as people have mentioned as long as you have good case cooling the cards should be fine. What I found really helped though was to install a side fan that blew directly over the cards. Since my case (Phanteks Enthoo Primo) did not have a side fan mount, I bought one of these and threw an AF140 quiet edition on there. It also really helped that I was able to keep 2 slots of spacing between the top and bottom cards since my mobo allowed it. Also I had enough clearance to throw in 2 120mm fans on the HDD cages, and the top 120mm fan blows right into the spacing between the 2 cards, so that undoubtedly helps as well. See images below:



With the above setup and OC'd to 1506 boost 7600 mem and using Gigabyte's stock fan curve, top card doesn't break 67C when playing Crysis 3, while bottom card sits at a cool 62C. In terms of power draw, even with 4930K OC to 4.5GHz @1.39V, I'm only pulling 520-540W from the wall as measured by Kill-a-watt.

Before installing the side fan, the bottom card ran at around the same temps, but the top card ran about 5C hotter. Still 72C is nothing to be concerned about. The way I have my rig setup the only exhaust points are at the top (2x 140mm CPU fans on Corsair H110 + another 140mm top case exhaust), and the upper 140mm exhaust fan. My 4930K doesn't even break 70C after 2 hours of Crysis 3, and this is with the CPU pretty much sucking 70% of the hot exhaust from the 970s. So as long as you semi-decent case cooling I really wouldn't be worried about thermals.

My top card's ASIC is 74.1% and bottom card is 66.1%. The large difference in ASIC actually causes the cards to run at different volts even at stock. Top card with better ASIC can do 1366 boost at 1.156V, while bottom card with lower ASIC runs 1.206V to do 1366 boost. This prevents some issues when overclocking, and there's an entire thread dedicated to it at the GeForce forums so I won't go into detail here. Suffice to say I need to make the better ASIC card lag behind the other card in order to match clocks or volts, and it's purely a trial and error process. Same idea with olvervolting.

Because I have 13 fans in my case, I think my perception of noise might be a bit skewed. But even with that many fans I'm still idling at a comfortable 32dB, and I tell you that below 55% rpm on the Gigabyte 970s, I can't hear them above my case fans at all.

As for coil whine, yeah it actually seems to be widespread issue across all 970s regardless of brand. I'm actually on my second set of cards, because the first set of G1 970s I got sounded like a dolphin getting tortured. (no that's not my video) This second set still whines, but is much more tolerable, and I found if I capped FPS to 80 or below the whine stopped completely. But in most cases I can't hear the whine unless during dead silent quiet scenes while gaming. I can't say I'm 100% happy but it's doable.


----------



## EduardeLL

Hi guys,i read the thread about gtx970 comparison. The g1 seems to be the best for cooling(vrm in particular) , backplate and tdp but i love the msi gaming 4g. Do you think that with custom bios msi will be on pair of g1?
The backplate is a good extra?
I also read that msi's got more coil whine than other brands.It's true?


----------



## JackNaylorPE

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *magnek*
> 
> Someone asked about thermals, and as people have mentioned as long as you have good case cooling the cards should be fine. What I found really helped though was to install a side fan that blew directly over the cards. Since my case (Phanteks Enthoo Primo) did not have a side fan mount, I bought and threw an AF140 quiet edition on there. It also really helped that I was able to keep 2 slots of spacing between the top and bottom cards since my mobo allowed it. Also I had enough clearance to throw in 2 120mm fans on the HDD cages, and the top 120mm fan blows right into the spacing between the 2 cards, so that undoubtedly helps as well. See images below:
> 
> Because I have 13 fans in my case, I think my perception of noise might be a bit skewed. But even with that many fans I'm still idling at a comfortable 32dB, and I tell you that below 55% rpm on the Gigabyte 970s, I can't hear them above my case fans at all.


The Primo allows mounting of fans on the back of the HD cages..... these are very effective in pushing air between and around the cards.

I have 15 of the Phanteks SP140s being controlled by 3 Phanteks Fan PCBs and sitting 24" from it, you can't tell if the PC is on or off using your ears. FanXpert controls each channel independently ....325 rpm at idle ... 850 rpm under stress testing

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EduardeLL*
> 
> Hi guys,i read the thread about gtx970 comparison. The g1 seems to be the best for cooling(vrm in particular) , backplate and tdp but i love the msi gaming 4g. Do you think that with custom bios msi will be on pair of g1?
> The backplate is a good extra?
> I also read that msi's got more coil whine than other brands.It's true?


The difference in cooling can be attributed to the to companies approach.....Gigabyte mindset seems to be to minimize temps...... MSIs mindset seems to be "who cares what temps are as long as they are well below any threshold of concern" and to minimize noise. Based upon past cards, I'd guess you could duplicate each one's performance in either category .... or come pretty darn close to it, with either card.


----------



## JMattes

I just got my G1 970 and tje thing sags like no other..
I had to check a few tines to make sure it was in..

I think I saw it posted earlier that due to the length that is a provlem, but not to be concerned?


----------



## semitope

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JMattes*
> 
> I just got my G1 970 and tje thing sags like no other..
> I had to check a few tines to make sure it was in..
> 
> I think I saw it posted earlier that due to the length that is a provlem, but not to be concerned?


I'd worry. Something is bending and its likely not the metal parts.


----------



## JMattes

I am rebuilding the computer so literally it was only the weight of the card itself making it sag.. maybe hard to tell fron the pic..
.by the time I took the picture I start putting the water loop back in..


----------



## pack66

What's the difference between the MSI gaming and regular MSI 970? I've seen the regular card in stock quite a bit and am considering it.


----------



## Timvdo

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *pack66*
> 
> What's the difference between the MSI gaming and regular MSI 970? I've seen the regular card in stock quite a bit and am considering it.


Stock cooler like the reference model?


----------



## JMattes

Microcenter just jacked up the price on the G1's by another $10.. what is up with that!


----------



## JackNaylorPE

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *pack66*
> 
> What's the difference between the MSI gaming and regular MSI 970? I've seen the regular card in stock quite a bit and am considering it.


There's a reason it's in stock..... no one's buying it.









You will oft see it posted that there's no sense buying a factory overclocked card rather than a reference model because you can just overclock it yourself. That couldn't be more wrong .... well wait.... thru the last several generations the RVGA SC series has simply been a reference PCB with a nicer cooler. That really doesn't affect the OC as GPU heat is rarely an issue....

What is an issue is how many phase voltage delivery, what quality VRM, what quality chokes, MOFSETS etc..... are they directly cooled or left to fend for themselves ? There's a reason that the Gigabytes and MSI gaming series all get up to 1550 or so, it's how they are built. I don't know what if anything they did to the "regular" MSI but you can see what;s special about the Gaming model here:

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/graphics/2014/09/19/nvidia-geforce-gtx-970-review/4

Unfortunately, Gigabyte didn't participate so we can't compare them head to head..... but after reading this review on the parts list basis alone, I struck off the Asus and EVGA from any future buy list.


----------



## Snuckie7

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Snuckie7*
> 
> Gigabyte has shown a preference for low PCB temps .... if ya look at Guru3Ds PCB temps, they are as much as 20C lower than the competition..... to do that, they run the fans faster..


So if that is indeed the case, than the Gigabyte card should have a better sound profile than the other models by simply setting a lower fan curve. That doesn't seem to be the case though.


----------



## JackNaylorPE

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Snuckie7*
> 
> So if that is indeed the case, than the Gigabyte card should have a better sound profile than the other models by simply setting a lower fan curve. That doesn't seem to be the case though.


Well historically Gigabyte's been loudest and MSI been quietest .... MSI has a better cooling design methinks which may be why Giga has decided to stress temps ..... I'm not suggesting adjusting the Giga's fan curve will get you to match the MSI, but it will definitely narrow the gap ... at the expense of higher PCB temps tho....the gap between the Giga and the others will narrow also.


----------



## magnek

FWIW I can't hear my Gigabyte 970s below 55% rpm, and I have 2 in tow. Granted I do have 14 fans in my case (12 case fans + 2 CPU fans), , but given that I idle at about 32-33 dB I'd still say that's very impressive.

Also the fans give more of a whooshing sound than a whine at full blast, so while loud, the actual sound is very tolerable, and certainly lives up to the WindForce name since the fans do sound like a whooshing wind at full pelt lol


----------



## jasjeet

Im looking for a compromise in noise and overclocking, since im looking to put a GTX 970 in my Node 304.

I usually run my GTX 780 at stock volts with highest stable OC, but it can still get noisy and hits 85*c with unlocked bios in this config. Looking to beat its performance and have a cooler quieter card.

It looks like the MSI is the one to get?


----------



## JMattes

My goal was to pick up a second 970 G1... They got one in stock at my local Microcenter and I was heading there to return some stuff and pick up a HDMI to Displayport Adapter..

Should I bite the bullet and get one now.. or wait awhile for the price to drop as one is more than enough currently..

I am torn...









Do we still need to actually put the sli bridge on the cards? Or does sli work without that? I thought I recall saying they did a work around.. or was the AMD.


----------



## amtbr

Swapped my G1 for a MSI Gaming, now my computer has dead silence. Love it.


----------



## Timvdo

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *amtbr*
> 
> Swapped my G1 for a MSI Gaming, now my computer has dead silence. Love it.


Amazing that, isn't it? Now only to get rid of all the older systems or put them upstairs at least. Can hear those across the room with my new system whisper quiet.


----------



## bastian

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *amtbr*
> 
> Swapped my G1 for a MSI Gaming, now my computer has dead silence. Love it.


Yeah, or you know you could have done a manual 40% on the fan and not hear it and it cool better than the MSI. To each their own.


----------



## Arizonian

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JMattes*
> 
> My goal was to pick up a second 970 G1... They got one in stock at my local Microcenter and I was heading there to return some stuff and pick up a HDMI to Displayport Adapter..
> 
> Should I bite the bullet and get one now.. or wait awhile for the price to drop as one is more than enough currently..
> 
> I am torn...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Do we still need to actually put the sli bridge on the cards? Or does sli work without that? I thought I recall saying they did a work around.. or was the AMD.


That was AMD that no longer requires the crossfire bridge. Nvidia still does. A lot of mother boards come with a SLI connector. They are like $10.

As needing another 970 for a 3 monitor set up is up to you. If your gaming fine and happy with perfomance then waiting isn't going to effect you. Doubt pricing will go down until next Gen comes. So if your waiting on that it'll be a while.

A second GPU is going to bring slightly higher temps and may / more than likely effect your over clock a tad. However with two you won't need to OC.

IMO the 970 SLI setup is the best bang for price / performance ever that has come along for an Nvidia new launch. I couldn't resist and couldnt be happier with first time SLI.


----------



## amtbr

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *bastian*
> 
> Yeah, or you know you could have done a manual 40% on the fan and not hear it and it cool better than the MSI. To each their own.


Well to that I would have to modify the BIOS. 40% wouldn't be silence, would it? 0% is silent. Thus far I haven't run into any cooling issues with the MSI. I can do 1500 on the core and 8000 on the mem easily (no I don't care about extreme overclocks).


----------



## Timvdo

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Arizonian*
> 
> That was AMD that no longer requires the crossfire bridge. Nvidia still does. A lot of mother boards come with a SLI connector. They are like $10.
> 
> As needing another 970 for a 3 monitor set up is up to you. If your gaming fine and happy with perfomance then waiting isn't going to effect you. Doubt pricing will go down until next Gen comes. So if your waiting on that it'll be a while.
> 
> A second GPU is going to bring slightly higher temps and may / more than likely effect your over clock a tad. However with two you won't need to OC.
> 
> IMO the 970 SLI setup is the best bang for price / performance ever that has come along for an Nvidia new launch. I couldn't resist and couldnt be happier with first time SLI.


I am pretty sure with my MSI card I found an sli bridge in the box. Not 100% sure since sli isn't for me, but at least 95% certain that was what it was for. My motherboard did not come with one of those, but maybe the expensive ones do.


----------



## JMattes

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Arizonian*
> 
> That was AMD that no longer requires the crossfire bridge. Nvidia still does. A lot of mother boards come with a SLI connector. They are like $10.
> 
> As needing another 970 for a 3 monitor set up is up to you. If your gaming fine and happy with perfomance then waiting isn't going to effect you. Doubt pricing will go down until next Gen comes. So if your waiting on that it'll be a while.
> 
> A second GPU is going to bring slightly higher temps and may / more than likely effect your over clock a tad. However with two you won't need to OC.
> 
> IMO the 970 SLI setup is the best bang for price / performance ever that has come along for an Nvidia new launch. I couldn't resist and couldnt be happier with first time SLI.


They didn't have the G1 by the time I got there or I misread the site quickly and they only had the overclock edition from the start..









I will simply wait a bit more..


----------



## JackNaylorPE

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jasjeet*
> 
> Im looking for a compromise in noise and overclocking, since im looking to put a GTX 970 in my Node 304.
> 
> I usually run my GTX 780 at stock volts with highest stable OC, but it can still get noisy and hits 85*c with unlocked bios in this config. Looking to beat its performance and have a cooler quieter card.
> 
> It looks like the MSI is the one to get?


I prefer the MSI based upon what I have read about it's construction; I also like the independent fan control and the fact that it's much smaller than the H U G E G1. Unfortunately not much has been written about the Giga's construction. But both of them are routinely hitting 1500 - 1550+ boost clocks. So I can't say that either one is a bad choice.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JMattes*
> 
> Should I bite the bullet and get one now.. or wait awhile for the price to drop as one is more than enough currently..
> 
> I am torn.
> 
> Do we still need to actually put the sli bridge on the cards? Or does sli work without that? I thought I recall saying they did a work around.. or was the AMD.


Ya need the bridge on nVidia cards .... if ya don't have one find sum1 with an Asus SLI board with 1 card ..... they have an unused one int he MoBo box.

As for do you need it, you decide.....depends on your resolution, no. of monitors and settings.... don't expect to play Crysis 3 with the eye candy above 1920 w/ just one. Check the other game tests at the link below to see how it affects what yu play

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/NVIDIA/GeForce_GTX_970_SLI/9.html

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Arizonian*
> 
> As needing another 970 for a 3 monitor set up is up to you. If your gaming fine and happy with perfomance then waiting isn't going to effect you. Doubt pricing will go down until next Gen comes. So if your waiting on that it'll be a while.
> 
> A second GPU is going to bring slightly higher temps and may / more than likely effect your over clock a tad. However with two you won't need to OC.
> 
> IMO the 970 SLI setup is the best bang for price / performance ever that has come along for an Nvidia new launch. I couldn't resist and couldnt be happier with first time SLI.


Not many cards can do 3 monitors w/o impact (4 x AA)

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/NVIDIA/GeForce_GTX_970_SLI/11.html

Assassins Creed (30.2)
BF4 (30.9)
Crysis (26.1)
Crysis 3 (15.1)
Far Cry 3 (21.7)
Metro LL (32.7)
Splinter Cell BL (30.7)
Tomb Raider (20.3)
Watch Dogs (36.3)
Wolfenstein NO (28.0)

The other thing is, when you look at performance summaries and SLI scaling it is very misleading.... games that are doing 150 fps with single card scale very poorly .... games that are doing 26 fps, scale very well, some do 90+% .... when you average those together it's rather unimpressive 67% or so .... but on the real tough games it's 80 - 95%.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *amtbr*
> 
> Well to that I would have to modify the BIOS. 40% wouldn't be silence, would it? 0% is silent. Thus far I haven't run into any cooling issues with the MSI. I can do 1500 on the core and 8000 on the mem easily (no I don't care about extreme overclocks).


Define silence:

1. Something that is not measurable by equipment in an anechoic chamber
2. Below the threshold of human hearing.
3. Below background noise.

You'd nee 0% fan speed for definition 1 ..... not for definition's 2 and 3.

I define silence as "if I close my eyes and ramp up the fan rpm .... anything below the point where my ears can tell the fans are spinning" is silent.


----------



## jasjeet

I went with the MSI, thanks


----------



## Xcelsior

Just got the G1 Gaming card today.

Uninstalled the old AMD drivers, removed the card.
Installed the new card...fired up the PC....and nothing.

No signal, all of my peripherals are flashing (keyboard mouse gamepad leds)...computer is running...am I missing something?


----------



## bastian

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Xcelsior*
> 
> Just got the G1 Gaming card today.
> 
> Uninstalled the old AMD drivers, removed the card.
> Installed the new card...fired up the PC....and nothing.
> 
> No signal, all of my peripherals are flashing (keyboard mouse gamepad leds)...computer is running...am I missing something?


Re-check GPU connection to bus. Re-check power PIN connections. If you have access to another machine, try it in there and see if still happens.


----------



## Xcelsior

I've reseated it a few times, tried it in two other towers as well. No luck.

As a side note...Windforce logo is illuminated and fans are spinning...I have to be missing something here.


----------



## TFL Replica

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Xcelsior*
> 
> I've reseated it a few times, tried it in two other towers as well. No luck.
> 
> As a side note...Windforce logo is illuminated and fans are spinning...I have to be missing something here.


If your PSU has a different set of 6-pin/8-pin PCIe cables, try those.


----------



## Xcelsior

Done...also tried resetting CMOS multiple times...I guess this is DOA?


----------



## Cyro999

Make sure you plugged your screens into the GPU and not the iGPU when you replugged them. Either way, try the other GPU (igpu, or the 970)


----------



## JackNaylorPE

Ad this time I'd call Gigglebyte and have them walk you thru the troubleshooting procedure ... if they get you going, thatz good ... if not, while they on the phone you can process an RMA unless you prefer to return to venbdor.


----------



## TFL Replica

Gigglebyte. I like that.


----------



## Xcelsior

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Cyro999*
> 
> Make sure you plugged your screens into the GPU and not the iGPU when you replugged them. Either way, try the other GPU (igpu, or the 970)


I assume by iGPU you mean integrated graphics? If so I can check that off the list...whenever the card is in the motherboard it doesn't work...I can swap out the 6870, use integrated without the 970 in there...but as soon as I put the 970 in the slot, blank screen.


----------



## JackNaylorPE

I had this happen with a SLI w/ Asus 770s ..... whenever I put the 2nd card in either slot, would get CPU Error LED and system wouldn't boot.... worked fine w/ 1 card. never resolved the situation.... owner wanted to take the system home for a planned "gaming weekend", never brought it back, I understand card sitting in original box a year later. He never did call to troubleshoot w/ Asus or make any attempt to return card.


----------



## JMattes

I picked up a Gigabyte G1 970, did a fresh install of windows 7, new drivers, (still need to optimize my ssd).
However, I booted my computer last night and it loaded up like i didnt have have video drivers..
The text was big, the resolution was huge, and only 1 of the 3 monitors found a signal.

I just reformated a few days ago and I haven't been on the computer much. I think this also happened before the reformat when I plugged the card in, uninstalled the AMD drivers and was playing around with what monitors were plugged in. Same problem, booted and it seemed like no video drivers..

Anyone have any idea what could be the issue?


----------



## Pirx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Xcelsior*
> 
> Just got the G1 Gaming card today.
> 
> Uninstalled the old AMD drivers, removed the card.
> Installed the new card...fired up the PC....and nothing.
> 
> No signal, all of my peripherals are flashing (keyboard mouse gamepad leds)...computer is running...am I missing something?


that happened to me too with a G1.
lights were on, fans running, however the screen remained black.

my rig:
4670k @ 4.2
MSI Z87 MPower Board
be quiet! Pure Power L8-CM 630W ATX 2.31

my board had a bios from 2013, so i guessed it's the culprit. inserted the gtx770 i used previously and upgraded to the last version (1.A), but this didn't solve the issue. neither did changing options in the pci initialization menu at board in the board's bios.

strangely, the G1 worked flawlessly in my old computer (amd 1090t, ga-870-ud3 board). its fans were spinning at 34% during idle, can be heard if listening closely, so it depends on your definition of silent here. definitely not silent however was its coil whine. i never had a whining card before and found it easy to hear and very annoying.

i sent it back and got an asus strix, mainly because that was available that day. well, i like its zero fan mode and that i takes only one power connector. also: no coil whine! so basically i exchanged a few frames for less noise. and a working card, whatever the issue with the G1 was.


----------



## Strider49

Can't make my mind up on this one: Strix for 350.30€ or G1 for 355.90€? Go with the Strix, save 5.60€ or get a tad higher performance but noisier card? (MSI sells for 349.90€, but I'm not considering it because of the lack of a backplate.)


----------



## Phantatsy

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Strider49*
> 
> Can't make my mind up on this one: Strix for 350.30€ or G1 for 355.90€? Go with the Strix, save 5.60€ or get a tad higher performance but noisier card? (MSI sells for 349.90€, but I'm not considering it because of the lack of a backplate.)


G1.


----------



## JackNaylorPE

The fact that Asus provides no direct cooling for the PCB components takes it off my buy list. If there is no means (i.e. thermal pad) to transfer the heat from the PCB components to the backplate, I think I'd rather go bare.


----------



## semitope

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JackNaylorPE*
> 
> The fact that Asus provides no direct cooling for the PCB components takes it off my buy list. If there is no means (i.e. thermal pad) to transfer the heat from the PCB components to the backplate, I think I'd rather go bare.


which components? VRMs and VRAM and cooled by fan and/or heatsink. a fan blowing on the back should help with anything else


----------



## faction87

so out of all of them what ones have the least amount of coil whine?

My evga 760 has bad coil whine sometimes.


----------



## jhatfie

Just picked up a MSI 970 Gaming and was playing around with it today. Seems to be perfectly stable at 1504/8000. Did a quick comparison against my 780 Classified at 1280/7400 and outside Firestrike, the 780 came out ahead (barely) in average fps in the few games I tested. The MSI 970 Gaming is much quieter and cooler though.

Tests performed at 2560x1600 and settings at highest possible (except Shadow of Mordor where textures were set to very high)
Metro LL 780: 32.59fps 970: 31.69fps
Shadow of Mordor 780: 65.36 fps 970: 62.82fps
BiosShock Inf: 780: 79.4fps 970: 77.5fps
Firestrike (graphics score): 780: 12812 970:13462


----------



## hazard99

Hey guys I'm looking at getting one of these cards most likely the MSI. Those of you who ordered your can you tell me where you ordered from. I noticed Amazon doesn't have the Asus strix 970 for a reasonable price. I like that one dude to the back plate. But I don't wanna pay the prices that people are trying to extort.


----------



## Cyro999

Dunno where you're from, but i jumped on the £280 shipped w/ next day delivery deal from overclockers.co.uk soon after it came up


----------



## benbenkr

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JackNaylorPE*
> 
> The fact that Asus provides no direct cooling for the PCB components takes it off my buy list. If there is no means (i.e. thermal pad) to transfer the heat from the PCB components to the backplate, I think I'd rather go bare.


Well, ironically the both the MSI and Gigabyte 970's VRMs run hotter than the Asus Strix. So, what's your point?


----------



## Edkiefer

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *benbenkr*
> 
> Well, ironically the both the MSI and Gigabyte 970's VRMs run hotter than the Asus Strix. So, what's your point?


were do you see that ?
G1 is running coolest , the Asus and msi are only few deg apart and the Asus is lowest clocked out of box .

http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/msi_geforce_gtx_970_gaming_review,9.html
http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/gigabyte_geforce_gtx_970_g1_gaming_review,9.html
http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/asus_geforce_gtx_970_strix_review,9.html

Remember those temps are with no airflow in case, my temps run around good 10-15c lower .
Also if you look close the Asus is hottest by VRM when you focus on the front of card , where you have direct view of it, so on the back is the back plate blocking the hottest part ?

Anyway, none of them are anything to worry about IMO .


----------



## semitope

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Edkiefer*
> 
> were do you see that ?
> G1 is running coolest , the Asus and msi are only few deg apart and the Asus is lowest clocked out of box .
> 
> http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/msi_geforce_gtx_970_gaming_review,9.html
> http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/gigabyte_geforce_gtx_970_g1_gaming_review,9.html
> http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/asus_geforce_gtx_970_strix_review,9.html
> 
> Remember those temps are with no airflow in case, my temps run around good 10-15c lower .
> Also if you look close the Asus is hottest by VRM when you focus on the front of card , where you have direct view of it, so on the back is the back plate blocking the hottest part ?
> 
> Anyway, none of them are anything to worry about IMO .


you dont ever have direct view of the VRMs (except on MSI). the heat reading was taken from the metal heatsink on it The G1 should be coolest since it has cooling from the main heatsink. The MSI should be worse off than the ASUS tho since they both use the same cooling for VRMs but the MSI doesn't cool the memory with the fans like ASUS.

Was wondering if the PCB being larger helped the gigabyte spread heat but looks like it has more components. I guess the cooler is just pulling away enough

I dont take those readings very seriously because they aren't really direct. The gigabyte for example has a whole area that looks hotter but is covered by the backplate. They just have to take readings from where they see the most heat


----------



## Edkiefer

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *semitope*
> 
> you dont ever have direct view of the VRMs (except on MSI). the heat reading was taken from the metal heatsink on it The G1 should be coolest since it has cooling from the main heatsink. The MSI should be worse off than the ASUS tho since they both use the same cooling for VRMs but the MSI doesn't cool the memory with the fans like ASUS.
> 
> Was wondering if the PCB being larger helped the gigabyte spread heat but looks like it has more components. I guess the cooler is just pulling away enough
> 
> I dont take those readings very seriously because they aren't really direct. The gigabyte for example has a whole area that looks hotter but is covered by the backplate. They just have to take readings from where they see the most heat


The MSI and Asus have VRM and HS in same place, so not sure what you mean there .
Yes, the G1 has better cooling there as its using its GPU HS to cool vrm too .

The memory never gets hot, my memory chips the hottest ones are maybe 120F/46c , my VRM (from back of PSB) reads 70c , thats with GPU temp of 61c and clock of 1500/7500 .
Just making a custom fan profiles lowers temp easy by 10-15c .


----------



## semitope

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Edkiefer*
> 
> The MSI and Asus have VRM and HS in same place, so not sure what you mean there .
> Yes, the G1 has better cooling there as its using its GPU HS to cool vrm too .
> 
> The memory never gets hot, my memory chips the hottest ones are maybe 120F/46c , my VRM (from back of PSB) reads 70c , thats with GPU temp of 61c and clock of 1500/7500 .
> Just making a custom fan profiles lowers temp easy by 10-15c .


I mean the shape of the main heatsink and if it blocks/reduces airflow to the VRM heatsink or aids it.


----------



## doza

yeah that vrm on strix is not cooled properly

plus that fans are at so low speed that they barely push air under heatsink, when i used stock heatsink it reported 90c so i was a little bit worried , so i mounted h100i and put 120mm ventilator to cool just that vrm area.
temps are at 60c vrm now


----------



## CoolRonZ

I do love my 970 G1, runs really cool in my well ventilated Caselabs M8, second one should be here Tuesday, even OC'ed to 1500/8000 I don't notice any heat difference compared to stock, 2 two selling points for me was backplate and guaranteed OC'ing capacity, even tho mine seems to not OC as much as many G1 owners... just needs EK to make some water blocks already


----------



## DrParnassus

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *rv8000*
> 
> *Gigabyte GTX 970 Gaming G1*
> 
> - Base core clock 1178mhz w/boost 1329mhz
> - Memory clock of 1750mhz (7000mhz effective); Samsung IC's
> *- 5 Phase power delivery*
> - 2 x DVI port, 1 x HDMI 2.0, 3 x DP v1.2
> - Triple fan HSF solution
> - 1 x 6pin ATX power connector and 1 x 8 pin ATX power connector; combined max rated draw of 300w (75w pcie, 75w 6pin, 150w 8pin).
> - Overall length of ~31cm (312mm)
> - GPU Backplate


I do not know if it's been mentioned before, but this card, as its equivalent, has 6-Phase GPU power design!
Just saying


----------



## AngryGoldfish

Man, if the G1 Gaming would have been just a centimetre shorter I would have been able to install my second hard drive cage in my R4. I still have one more tray left in my bottom cage, so I should be OK upgrading to the G1 970.


----------



## JackNaylorPE

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *semitope*
> 
> which components? VRMs and VRAM and cooled by fan and/or heatsink. a fan blowing on the back should help with anything else


That's one way of doing it I guess.

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/graphics/2014/09/19/nvidia-geforce-gtx-970-review/2
Quote:


> On its custom PCB, ASUS places all eight Samsung memory chips on the front side, meaning that the *backplate does not directly cool any of them. In fact, the chips are left without any contact plate or heatsink touching them, relying solely on air from the fans to cool them.*
> 
> We also find a 6-phase power delivery system for the GPU, a 50 percent upgrade from stock specifications. It also uses ASUS's DIGI+ VRM controller for precise, digital voltages, as well as high quality Super Alloy Power components for buzz-free choke operation, longer capacitor lifespan and MOSFETs with a 30 percent higher voltage threshold than standard. *Sadly, the memory has not been granted the same treatment. It is fed by a single phase found at the other side of the PCB, and this one does not use any special components.*
> 
> The MOSFETs of the DIGI+ power phases are cooled by a small heatsink, *but the VRM controller and the MOSFETs for the memory power phase are left, like the memory chips, to fend for themselves without direct cooling.*


By comparison
Quote:


> The power delivery is the *best of any here; it's a 6+2 design*. Further, MSI uses its own improved components for *both the GPU and the memory power phases*. The components are referred to as Military Class 4 since they meet MIL-STD-810G regulations. Specifically, we find Hi-c CAP and Solid CAP type capacitors and Super Ferrite Chokes, which are designed to provide higher stability, lifespan and efficiency.
> 
> A *miniature heatsink* takes care of cooling the main GPU MOSFETs near the rear I/O, while a *metal contact plate equipped with thermal pads is used to cool three of the four front PCB memory chips as well as the remaining power circuitry including the memory MOSFETs and the VR controllers.*


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *benbenkr*
> 
> Well, ironically the both the MSI and Gigabyte 970's VRMs run hotter than the Asus Strix. So, what's your point?


Point is the Asus can't break 1500 while both the others consistently do ....

http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/asus_geforce_gtx_970_strix_review,26.html

Also if you are going to compare VRM temps, be careful to consider the context..... which is not apples and apples. As has been repeated several times in this thread, each manufacturer has designed their fan curve to hit what it thinks is important..... at out of the box settings, it's been noted for several generations now by reviewers that MSI for example goes for the lowest sound possible.... so their curves are tuned for low sound.....Gigabyte is tuned for low temps.

BTW, better go chase those rolling eyes because in this world 60-65 is lower than 80

Gigabyte
http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/gigabyte_geforce_gtx_970_g1_gaming_review,9.html
Quote:


> At M2/M3 (Measure Points) the VRM area can be spotted. It runs at roughly 60~65 Degrees C on that spot and the rest of the measurement points, these are very good temperatures.


Asus
http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/asus_geforce_gtx_970_strix_review,9.html
Quote:


> At M4 (Measure Points) the VRM Area can be spotted. It runs at roughly 80 Degrees C, a little high, yet that remains normal.


----------



## semitope

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JackNaylorPE*
> 
> That's one way of doing it I guess.
> 
> http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/graphics/2014/09/19/nvidia-geforce-gtx-970-review/2
> By comparison
> 
> Point is the Asus can't break 1500 while both the others consistently do ....
> 
> http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/asus_geforce_gtx_970_strix_review,26.html
> 
> Also if you are going to compare VRM temps, be careful to consider the context..... which is not apples and apples. As has been repeated several times in this thread, each manufacturer has designed their fan curve to hit what it thinks is important..... at out of the box settings, it's been noted for several generations now by reviewers that MSI for example goes for the lowest sound possible.... so their curves are tuned for low sound.....Gigabyte is tuned for low temps.
> 
> BTW, better go chase those rolling eyes because in this world 60-65 is lower than 80
> 
> Gigabyte
> http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/gigabyte_geforce_gtx_970_g1_gaming_review,9.html
> 
> Asus
> http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/asus_geforce_gtx_970_strix_review,9.html


my asus breaks 1500 without any added voltage. I have heard of 1600 on the asus and some gigabytes not making it past 1500. Air from the fans is enough for memory chips, better than what MSI has going on. I think people are being unfair to the asus because of perceived weakness with few owners here who don't seem to often report their OC and the single 8 pin. In the end it is clearly a strong option.

MSI supposedly is not a true 6+2, or did I miss something? This thread http://www.overclock.net/t/1516169/best-gtx-970-for-watercooling-and-for-mods pushed me more towards the ASUS

gigabyte should have the coolest vrm temps. I don't know if the guru3d results are particularly accurate but it should


----------



## jasjeet

My MSI Gamer GTX 970 has ASIC 79.8%, seems quite stable for nearly all my games at 1500/8000 1.21v (stock) except Watchdogs and Crysis 3. Put it to 1.23v and its all fine, ready to forget about the overclocking now. I did bench 1600/8000 on Valley at 1.25v, but didnt try to go further. Maybe when i have time. Its so quiet though throughout all this. only hitting mid 70's at 1.25v, and barely hitting 70c at the 1500/8000 1.23v OC. Pretty happy with it, although my 780 scored 77fps in valley @ 1200/3500, i can only get 63fps with this.


----------



## darrecky

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *semitope*
> 
> my asus breaks 1500 without any added voltage. I have heard of 1600 on the asus and some gigabytes not making it past 1500. Air from the fans is enough for memory chips, better than what MSI has going on. I think people are being unfair to the asus because of perceived weakness with few owners here who don't seem to often report their OC and the single 8 pin. In the end it is clearly a strong option.
> 
> MSI supposedly is not a true 6+2, or did I miss something? This thread http://www.overclock.net/t/1516169/best-gtx-970-for-watercooling-and-for-mods pushed me more towards the ASUS
> 
> gigabyte should have the coolest vrm temps. I don't know if the guru3d results are particularly accurate but it should


I own an ASUS as well. Tested 2 of them, and problem Ive found with those cards is that voltage is locked for higher ASIC. Ive had 62% and currently own 78% ASIC one. On lower asic I could raise the voltage a bit with GPUTweak up to 1.24V, but with higher ASIC my max is just 1.212V and cant adjust it at all. But even at 1.24V I could not go as high as with higher ASIC one. Also my current card boosted higher with default settings by 50-75MHz. My bechmark stable is around 1520MHz, 1485game stable. Good card but bad choice for water cooling as you cant sqeeze more juice from it anyway. Not until someone unlocks the voltages.
As for other cards, they can be overvolted so no wonder they archieve higher clocks.


----------



## Cyro999

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jasjeet*
> 
> My MSI Gamer GTX 970 has ASIC 79.8%, seems quite stable for nearly all my games at 1500/8000 1.21v (stock) except Watchdogs and Crysis 3. Put it to 1.23v and its all fine, ready to forget about the overclocking now. I did bench 1600/8000 on Valley at 1.25v, but didnt try to go further. Maybe when i have time. Its so quiet though throughout all this. only hitting mid 70's at 1.25v, and barely hitting 70c at the 1500/8000 1.23v OC. Pretty happy with it, although my 780 scored 77fps in valley @ 1200/3500, i can only get 63fps with this.


I could only score ~82.5fps consistently in Heaven 4.0 extreme preset. As soon as i avoided the gpu boost 2.0 throttle by setting fan profile to keep my card below ~68c at all times (63-64c at full load with regular temps) i got 84.1fps (first run with stutters) then 84.3fps, 84.3fps - at 1528 core 8200 memory, my 24/7 oc right now


----------



## JMattes

Is any else that owns a G1 seeing problems with non working Display Ports?

2 of mine dont work..


----------



## Phantatsy

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JMattes*
> 
> Is any else that owns a G1 seeing problems with non working Display Ports?
> 
> 2 of mine dont work..


Are you trying to use both DVI ports as well?


----------



## lapino

I don't care about oc'ing but do want the most silent card (under load) possible. Got decent airflow in my Fractal R4 case. Which one would be best then? MSI or Asus?


----------



## Rigwizard

I can't say much for the asus card as I don't have one but I can tell you that the MSI gtx 970 gaming 4g is the quietest thing in my case even when running shadow of mordor on ultra. It only gets noisy when I run a burntest which makes the fans hit 70-80% quite a nice purring sound tbh.

Under normal stress of gaming its a very quiet card the twin frozr is awesome.


----------



## JackNaylorPE

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *benbenkr*
> 
> Well, ironically the both the MSI and Gigabyte 970's VRMs run hotter than the Asus Strix. So, what's your point?


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *semitope*
> 
> my asus breaks 1500 without any added voltage. I have heard of 1600 on the asus and some gigabytes not making it past 1500. Air from the fans is enough for memory chips, better than what MSI has going on. I think people are being unfair to the asus because of perceived weakness with few owners here who don't seem to often report their OC and the single 8 pin. In the end it is clearly a strong option.
> 
> MSI supposedly is not a true 6+2, or did I miss something? This thread http://www.overclock.net/t/1516169/best-gtx-970-for-watercooling-and-for-mods pushed me more towards the ASUS
> 
> gigabyte should have the coolest vrm temps. I don't know if the guru3d results are particularly accurate but it should


Every review I have read has the MSI / Giga getting at least 1500..... very few Asus .... of course many peeps are willing to be more aggressive than reviewers. To my mind the Asus 670 TOP was the best card in its generation ever made. I haven't been impressed by anything Asus has done since and I say that having done over 20 Asus 780 builds..... Asus has consistently placed the lowest clocked card available from the big 4 on the market and consistently got been down at the bottom of the pack on sites that give number ratings like Techpowerup. Having used both the 780 and 780 Ti from both Asus and MSI and the rig I'm typing from having twin 780s, I can conclusively say the MSI kicks Asus tail on air. I consistently get better OCs on air and the MSI's a conclusion echoed by most reviews. The MSI is also much quieter. The only TPU ratung that has come close to the Asus 670 DCII TOP (10.0) has been the MSI 780 Ti (9.9)

The EK blocks do much to reduce the divide between the two cards but the differences between the Asus 780s on water and the MSI on air are statistically insignificant. Like the Hero, the Asus seems to be resting on it's laurels and chinsing out on the components, at least in the middle tiers .... the Hero is not a bad MoBo at all, but the GD65 has every feature the Hero's got for $40-50 less and it has at least equal and in many cases better componentry. I used Asus MoBos / GFX cards almost exclusively for my own builds and about 70% of what i did for other users..... but since Z77, MSI has made a huge push for the middle. I'm still using Asus MoBos at $250 and up, but to my eyes, they have surrendered the quality crown in the mid tier to MSi and Gigabyte. You may not like what MSIs doing with their cards but these are things Asus used to do but has since stopped.

As for the design, yes read to the end of the thread and look at the link provided as well as MSI's response
http://www.modders-inc.com/msi-gtx-970-gaming-4g-gpu-review/4/

Yes, Gigabyte's aggressive fan curve works very well to keep VRMs low but again, at the cost of increased sound. The "Hybrid Frozr" feature which turns off the fan the cools the VRMs also when at tems they deem acceptable has an impact there. I'd love to set them all at max, but even that's not apples and apples as the fans are all different sizes , speeds and design. Water cooling in general is losing it's appeal from a performance standpoint. The newer CPUs don't benefit much as the distance between the temp wall and the voltage wall is getting smaller each generation.

GFX cards are following suit tho here I blame nVidia for clamping down both legally and physically on what vendors can do to cut us loose overclocking wise. Tho that wouldn't stop me from water cooling as I still prefer the dead silence of a WC build But I was quite disappointed to find the air cooled MSI 780 build I did matched the water cooled Asus 780s from a performance standpoint. I'll note that due to complaints about noise, Asus issued a new BIOS for the 780. With the 780 Ti, Asus was twice as loud (39) as the MSI (30) ... I didn't hear about a new BIOS of that one.

I'm hoping the 390 shows up with a block as expected and we see more designs like the Asus Poseidon as I'm hoping it will give nVidia the incentive to cut loose a bit on the voltage handcuffs. I also hate paying for features, I don't use .... like what's gotta be a $75 - $100 heat sink / cooler and features like "Zero Frozr". Though it's been around for 6 years, Asus has now added a similar feature to the Strix and hopefully others follow suit. Now we also have "Hybrid Frozr" which independently controls the two fans but you also won't use that if water cooling.


----------



## specopsFI

As it so happens, TPU gave the GTX 970 Strix a rating of 9.9:

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ASUS/GTX_970_STRIX_OC/30.html

That is not to say I consider it as good as G1 or MSI Gaming. Strix has its shortcomings in overclocking but it seems like a solid card otherwise.


----------



## Anusha

i'm wondering why Asus have limited the max power draw to 196W when the cables can deliver 225W theoretically. I believe they can draw even higher - considering how the R9 295X2 only needs two 8-pins cables.


----------



## darrecky

It's simple. Asus made it's own overclocking utility which is a bit limited. Even if you maxed out everything in it, card won't reach 196W. Card is voltage locked (so far) so there is no point to raise the limit.


----------



## Anusha

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *darrecky*
> 
> It's simple. Asus made it's own overclocking utility which is a bit limited. Even if you maxed out everything in it, card won't reach 196W. Card is voltage locked (so far) so there is no point to raise the limit.


but without raising the voltage, it is still possible to do 1500MHz with the GTX 970 GPU. wouldn't 196W be limiting then (in some games at least)?

it's saddening that they have done something like this. otherwise i would have gone with that card instead, as it requires less cables. less cables the better in my small case.


----------



## darrecky

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Anusha*
> 
> but without raising the voltage, it is still possible to do 1500MHz with the GTX 970 GPU. wouldn't 196W be limiting then (in some games at least)?
> 
> it's saddening that they have done something like this. otherwise i would have gone with that card instead, as it requires less cables. less cables the better in my small case.


1500 on core is not stable on mine, I'm using 1475 on daily basics. Memory is set to 7800, according to GPU-Z it is using 107 tdp max from 120% max.
So if you get lucky enough and get a card which can do 1500 on core you should be fine with tdp limits.


----------



## Edkiefer

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Anusha*
> 
> i'm wondering why Asus have limited the max power draw to 196W when the cables can deliver 225W theoretically. I believe they can draw even higher - considering how the R9 295X2 only needs two 8-pins cables.


I believe I read that AMD 295x2 is able to draw so much power because it runs out of spec PCIE slot power, more than max 75w draw .

IS there easy bios viewer for AMD, to see the number , I am curious how far they pushed it .

Edit; looks like they did stay under 75w by big amount , so there pulling like 200w+ from the 8pin power plugs .

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-r9-295x2-review-benchmark-performance,3799-14.html


----------



## JMattes

Something odd is going on...

Grabs another G1 because I thought my first one had 2 broken Display Ports... but I am starting to think that isnt the case..
So I plug in all 4 monitors and again it only recognizes the 1 DVI and 1 Display port and doesn't recognize the other 2 display ports.
Same display ports as the other one...

What is going on here!

Not only do I have the same problem but my ASIC quality went from a 71 to a 70%...

Major fail!


----------



## TFL Replica

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JMattes*
> 
> Something odd is going on...
> 
> Grabs another G1 because I thought my first one had 2 broken Display Ports... but I am starting to think that isnt the case..
> So I plug in all 4 monitors and again it only recognizes the 1 DVI and 1 Display port and doesn't recognize the other 2 display ports.
> Same display ports as the other one...
> 
> What is going on here!


Which DVI port did you use? If you used the DVI-D port, then two of the Display Ports are disabled (the ones furthest away from the HDMI port).


----------



## JMattes

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *TFL Replica*
> 
> Which DVI port did you use? If you used the DVI-D port, then two of the Display Ports are disabled (the ones furthest away from the HDMI port).


You got to be kidding me!?

I have one of those QNIX panels and you need dual dvi-d to OC..
Why is it disabled. . is that only G1?


----------



## Anusha

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Edkiefer*
> 
> I believe I read that AMD 295x2 is able to draw so much power because it runs out of spec PCIE slot power, more than max 75w draw .
> 
> IS there easy bios viewer for AMD, to see the number , I am curious how far they pushed it .
> 
> Edit; looks like they did stay under 75w by big amount , so there pulling like 200w+ from the 8pin power plugs .
> 
> http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-r9-295x2-review-benchmark-performance,3799-14.html


so, with an unlocked power limit - if it is possible on the Asus card is unknown to me - you should be fine with a single 8-pin power connector right?


----------



## TFL Replica

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JMattes*
> 
> You got to be kidding me!?
> 
> I have one of those QNIX panels and you need dual dvi-d to OC..
> Why is it disabled. . is that only G1?


It's Gigabyte's Flex technology. You can either use 2 DVI, 1 DP, and 1 HDMI, or 1 DVI, 3 DP, and 1 HDMI. The MSI and ASUS cards only include 1 DP.


----------



## Edkiefer

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Anusha*
> 
> so, with an unlocked power limit - if it is possible on the Asus card is unknown to me - you should be fine with a single 8-pin power connector right?


Asus 970 had slightly lower than MSI 970 , I think it has just under 200w PT limit . You should be able to get a little more headroom, though there some mixed reports on how much .
Just keep voltage to a min and you should be good, don't go for max voltage right away w/o trying lower ones .


----------



## Anusha

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Edkiefer*
> 
> Asus 970 had slightly lower than MSI 970 , I think it has just under 200w PT limit . You should be able to get a little more headroom, though there some mixed reports on how much .
> Just keep voltage to a min and you should be good, don't go for max voltage right away w/o trying lower ones .


Well I have the MSI card with me. I wanted to buy the Asus card because I prefer the single 8-pin cable over two cables as my case is quite small.

I am just trying to understand why Asus limited it at 163W (196W at 120%) when the cables could easily give 225W while adhering to specifications.


----------



## Edkiefer

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Anusha*
> 
> Well I have the MSI card with me. I wanted to buy the Asus card because I prefer the single 8-pin cable over two cables as my case is quite small.
> 
> I am just trying to understand why Asus limited it at 163W (196W at 120%) when the cables could easily give 225W while adhering to specifications.


Ok, you would have to check on modded thread to see how Asus works as far as power limit .
you should be able to raise it some as those are low values .


----------



## doza

i tried to tweak bios but what ever i set in bios strix wont pull more than max rated 225w, i have extra 6 pin power connector on motherboard mpower but it wont give extra juice to gpu, it always throttle above 220-225w...


----------



## Edkiefer

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doza*
> 
> i tried to tweak bios but what ever i set in bios strix wont pull more than max rated 225w, i have extra 6 pin power connector on motherboard mpower but it wont give extra juice to gpu, it always throttle above 220-225w...


yeh, well 225w is max according to PCI spec (150w for 8pin and 75w for PICE slot) , I don't think the extra power plug on MB would do much unless you altered the rails .
you could try raising the 150w rail in bios, but there might be some kind of hard limit set .

225w over 196 should get you better results, that how much MSI 970 does, try keep voltage low and find sweet spot (voltage verse clock speed ) .


----------



## doza

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Edkiefer*
> 
> yeh, well 225w is max according to PCI spec (150w for 8pin and 75w for PICE slot) , I don't think the extra power plug on MB would do much unless you altered the rails .
> you could try raising the 150w rail in bios, but there might be some kind of hard limit set .
> 
> 225w over 196 should get you better results, that how much MSI 970 does, try keep voltage low and find sweet spot (voltage verse clock speed ) .


i did raise both rails in bios from def 75000 to 150.. max tdp set to 300w, max it reads is 80w for pcie usage so its hard limit set as u say







, as for voltages on stock settings (1.180v) it gives me 1510mhz gamesable and bench stable, if i incrise voltage to lets say 1.220v it only hurts my max oc couse it draws more power and i can only hit 1530mhz max.

so it's ok than just to stay at stock voltages and 1510mhz?


----------



## Edkiefer

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doza*
> 
> i did raise both rails in bios from def 75000 to 150.. max tdp set to 300w, max it reads is 80w for pcie usage so its hard limit set as u say
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> , as for voltages on stock settings (1.180v) it gives me 1510mhz gamesable and bench stable, if i incrise voltage to lets say 1.220v it only hurts my max oc couse it draws more power and i can only hit 1530mhz max.
> 
> so it's ok than just to stay at stock voltages and 1510mhz?


ok, let me make sure I understand . so you set TDP (table1) to 300w , you set PSU rails (table 4 and 5) to 150w (looking at bios, I think only table 4 is used as card has only 1 8pin )
I don't follow on the PCIe part, how are you measuring 80w ? and did you raise that to 80w, if so don't go above 75w to be safe (that would be table3) .
PT (power target (table6) try 225 for def and 250 or so for max (depending on how much you raised the rails )

Sure , lower voltage the better as long as it stable in all your app/games .


----------



## mAnBrEaTh

The MSI's hard limit appears to be a round 250w. I wonder is there actually a hard limit in place or are the bios changes not being effectively applied. Someone figure out a way around this please







I cannot run more than 1225mv without hitting the limit in certain games. Running something like 1275mv means constant power limit throttling.


----------



## doza

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Edkiefer*
> 
> ok, let me make sure I understand . so you set TDP (table1) to 300w , you set PSU rails (table 4 and 5) to 150w (looking at bios, I think only table 4 is used as card has only 1 8pin )
> I don't follow on the PCIe part, how are you measuring 80w ? and did you raise that to 80w, if so don't go above 75w to be safe (that would be table3) .
> PT (power target (table6) try 225 for def and 250 or so for max (depending on how much you raised the rails )
> 
> Sure , lower voltage the better as long as it stable in all your app/games .


here is bios so look at it, i maxed power tables just to see if i can pull more than rated 225w max. voltages are tweaked a bit, but on my card voltages are at stock dont know why









if u know better please edit it so i can give it a shot!

thx upfront!

GM204.zip 137k .zip file


so table 4 is for that 8 pin (150 value for 150w max draw from that connector? )


----------



## Edkiefer

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mAnBrEaTh*
> 
> The MSI's hard limit appears to be a round 250w. I wonder is there actually a hard limit in place or are the bios changes not being effectively applied. Someone figure out a way around this please
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I cannot run more than 1225mv without hitting the limit in certain games. Running something like 1275mv means constant power limit throttling.


Is that why just TDP and PT raised or you raised the rails and PCIE too ?

It would be interesting if someone could measure the 2 rail power amounts at load with amp meter to see whats going on, or a reviewer like what Tom did on the 295x2 .
to see if it is using all available power from the rails .Seems like 970 is limited in some way .


----------



## Cyro999

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doza*
> 
> i did raise both rails in bios from def 75000 to 150.. max tdp set to 300w, max it reads is 80w for pcie usage so its hard limit set as u say
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> , as for voltages on stock settings (1.180v) it gives me 1510mhz gamesable and bench stable, if i incrise voltage to lets say 1.220v it only hurts my max oc couse it draws more power and i can only hit 1530mhz max.
> 
> so it's ok than just to stay at stock voltages and 1510mhz?


That hurts, because if you can do 1510 at 1.18 it seems like an ok chip

My chip does 1500 @1.225 (it's bad) but 1528 at 1.25. That's definitely below average for an msi 970 gaming or a g1, but i have memory that will do 8200


----------



## Edkiefer

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doza*
> 
> here is bios so look at it, i maxed power tables just to see if i can pull more than rated 225w max. voltages are tweaked a bit, but on my card voltages are at stock dont know why
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> if u know better please edit it so i can give it a shot!
> 
> thx upfront!
> 
> GM204.zip 137k .zip file
> 
> 
> so table 4 is for that 8 pin (150 value for 150w max draw from that connector? )


there not a whole lot you can do and stay in spec .

the 8pin is table 4 and you could set max to 160 , up from 150 you have . the stock bios had 160w

you could raise def 100% on PCIE slot, table 3 to 75 on both 100% and max .
thats about all you can do I am afraid and stay in safe spec's .
I don't know if those changes will help , but won't hurt for sure .


----------



## doza

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Edkiefer*
> 
> there not a whole lot you can do and stay in spec .
> 
> the 8pin is table 4 and you could set max to 160 , up from 150 you have . the stock bios had 160w
> 
> you could raise def 100% on PCIE slot, table 3 to 75 on both 100% and max .
> thats about all you can do I am afraid and stay in safe spec's .
> I don't know if those changes will help , but won't hurt for sure .


i think i done it!
not sure if it is safe but i upped pcie slot ( 3rd table to 95w) and it's using it as i see in aida 64 gpu vrm usage, it was always at 75-80max, now it reports 90w

will try it to see if it's s table


----------



## Edkiefer

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doza*
> 
> i think i done it!
> not sure if it is safe but i upped pcie slot ( 3rd table to 95w) and it's using it as i see in aida 64 gpu vrm usage, it was always at 75-80max, now it reports 90w
> 
> will try it to see if it's s table


please post pic of aida so I can see what you mean .

Be very carefull with PCIE slot table , I would not go over a max of 80-85w as that is highest I have seen card reported draw from the slot (AMD 6990 )., even that is over the 75w spec


----------



## doza

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Edkiefer*
> 
> please post pic of aida so I can see what you mean .
> 
> Be very carefull with PCIE slot table , I would not go over a max of 80-85w as that is highest I have seen card reported draw from the slot (AMD 6990 )., even that is over the 75w spec





free upload pictures


----------



## Edkiefer

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doza*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> free upload pictures


Ok, not sure what that means, it seems very low value .

So this changed raised your peak power limit now ?

I would rather you raised the 8pin rail then the PCIE slot one if you go out of spec , IMO its better to raise PSU 8 pin (table4) as those can handle more than spec for sure .
Edit; , hmm something not right, in that pic it says you hit 106% , if that is moded bios ,that can't be because you have 300 set for 100% . does it match GPU-Z sensor values for TDP ?


----------



## doza

changing value for that 8 pin (150w def, 160w max) gives me no extra power no mather what value i set


----------



## Edkiefer

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doza*
> 
> changing value for that 8 pin (150w def, 160w max) gives me no extra power no mather what value i set


ok, they must have some kind of limiter on drawing power .
Just be careful on amount you raise PCIE one . I hate to see MB go bad from raising it to far .


----------



## doza

dont know if 20w more than stock can hurt motherboard that hard,but im gona test it for sure


----------



## Edkiefer

when things are engineered most times there a 15-20% safety factor added , Now I don't know if this applys to MB, they could have some internal fuses that can blow if it pulls to much .
Just like if you try to power to many fans off one fan header .
20% would be 15w added to 75w , but again , I have no idea, I guess some extreme OC would know , but they generally don't do long term testing .


----------



## doza

im not sure what to think about that aida value, on default bios it shows max 75-80w, but that value only changes to value u set under power options for pcie slot which def is 75, but aida64 staff says that value that aida reports ( gpu vrm value) is power that goes trough vrm area... u have msi which has more juice can u chek aida64 values and max stress card to see what ul get?


----------



## Edkiefer

Ok, I wouldn't worry about it, It must be reading some value the driver gives it .

I don't have AIDA and my card is same as yours, default MSI 970 .

See if you get more OC w/o it down-clocking from hitting the power limit (you can set it in AB to see power limit trigger point in graph ).


----------



## mAnBrEaTh

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Edkiefer*
> 
> Is that why just TDP and PT raised or you raised the rails and PCIE too ?
> 
> It would be interesting if someone could measure the 2 rail power amounts at load with amp meter to see whats going on, or a reviewer like what Tom did on the 295x2 .
> to see if it is using all available power from the rails .Seems like 970 is limited in some way .


Everything is has been raised TDP PT and 12v rails along with PCIE. TDP set to 275000, 12v rails and PCEI come to a total of 320000, and PT is 250000 at 100% and 275000 at 110%. No matter what you set these to card will throttle at 250w.


----------



## error-id10t

Go take a look at the 780TI Classy thread and pull down the modded vBIOS from there.. then check the value for PCIe slot. It won't blow your mobo.. worst thing that happens is you'll blow your card.


----------



## Edkiefer

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mAnBrEaTh*
> 
> Everything is has been raised TDP PT and 12v rails along with PCIE. TDP set to 275000, 12v rails and PCEI come to a total of 320000, and PT is 250000 at 100% and 275000 at 110%. No matter what you set these to card will throttle at 250w.


What many were saying is having high power tables for rails and TDP didn't help raise it all that much, if any .
Untill they raised the PCIE then the power limit went higher . I think doza in the flash post raised his to 110w and got much higher power limit but asus is very low to start from . (there might still be hard limit .

Some were saying it is only pulling equal amounts from all sources , so if PCIE was 75w and you had 2 6pin or 6+8pin it would be 75+75+75=225w but that doesn't work out for cards with only 1 rail plug, then it would be only 75+75=150w and no card has that low limit .

That is why I was curious as to see/measure what the rails are pulling , while it wouldn't tell the PCIE amount we would get good idea as the amount left after rail measurement .

Anyway, 250 is pretty good as long as you don't need the max voltage .


----------



## Edkiefer

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *error-id10t*
> 
> Go take a look at the 780TI Classy thread and pull down the modded vBIOS from there.. then check the value for PCIe slot. It won't blow your mobo.. worst thing that happens is you'll blow your card.


Yes, those extreme LN2 guys just put crazy high values in all the tables, they not worried about life of HW and there cooling to sub temps so current/voltages will be much lower .

I did look at stock classy and there over spec on PSU rails, 180w , which seems fine .

It just PCIE slot power delivery is not robust like 6-8pin , I mean there no way the MB traces can handle same loads .


----------



## error-id10t

99% of the users don't go with LN2, that card can easily pull +600W and beg for more because it's "parts" can take it. The point I was making is that it's the quality of the card you're more concerned and then running something stupid like Furmark. Anyhow, hopefully my Giga G1 Gaming cards don't need to be played with, still not sure if it has 2 BIOS switches and/or if I can raise volts on it though.


----------



## Edkiefer

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *error-id10t*
> 
> 99% of the users don't go with LN2, that card can easily pull +600W and beg for more because it's "parts" can take it. The point I was making is that it's the quality of the card you're more concerned and then running something stupid like Furmark. Anyhow, hopefully my Giga G1 Gaming cards don't need to be played with, still not sure if it has 2 BIOS switches and/or if I can raise volts on it though.


Sure, I know there are 780ti cards that pull way more than what we have now . I was just worried the 970 is not pulling power like other cards .

The more I play and push this MSI 970 though, the less I am even worried about TDP .
Not sure what is going on but I am up to now 1537 in BM on stock voltage and power is not even breaking 100%, so there is room to go more .
I don't know how but it seems less then when I first got the card , I still am at only 1484 game stable, but that is only cause I go very slowly up in clocks .
Have not hit a reset or driver crash yet .
This ended up nice upgrade from the MSI 660ti PE/OC , I wasn't sure when I bought it .


----------



## templar

Really torn between the G1 and the Strix:

- love the 0db feature, but with my high airflow positive-pressure setup I doubt I'll be able to notice it anyway.
- I usually go with Asus, both in cards and mobos, so switching to G1 feels a bit like cheating







plus, i have no first-hand experience with gigabyte's product quality.
- I prob won't apply any voltage tweaks this time around (only mild OCs then), so factory overclock could play a bigger role. I'm not sure however how much of a tangible difference will there be between both cards' clocks given that I'll only use them at 1080p.
- both cards cost the same in my region, so vfm is irrelevant in my case.
- both cards look great.

would appreciate any advice to help make my choice!


----------



## AngryGoldfish

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *templar*
> 
> Really torn between the G1 and the Strix:
> 
> - love the 0db feature, but with my high airflow positive-pressure setup I doubt I'll be able to notice it anyway.
> - I usually go with Asus, both in cards and mobos, so switching to G1 feels a bit like cheating
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> plus, i have no first-hand experience with gigabyte's product quality.
> - I prob won't apply any voltage tweaks this time around (only mild OCs then), so factory overclock could play a bigger role. I'm not sure however how much of a tangible difference will there be between both cards' clocks given that I'll only use them at 1080p.
> - both cards cost the same in my region, so vfm is irrelevant in my case.
> - both cards look great.
> 
> would appreciate any advice to help make my choice!


To be honest, if you have no interest in heavily overclocking your Strix or G1, and you're firm on that, just go with whatever looks best to you or where your brand loyalty lies. They are both very good cards in the end, however one is better than the other at overclocking and the other is slightly quieter (by maybe 1 or 2dB). The G1 offers, on average, three frames per second more than the Strix. You won't notice that in gaming. If you want to overclock the Strix further to match or surpass the G1 then you can. The main reason why the G1 is a superior card is because it has fewer limitations for heavy overclocks (1500Mhz+). If you're happy with ~1430Mhz boost then just stick with the Strix. I think it looks better and is arguably quieter, plus it's smaller so will fit more cases. It also draws less power and only requires a single 8-pin power cable.


----------



## Anusha

Would it be worth switching from an unlocked MSI 970 Gaming to Gigbayte's G1?

I get coil whine so I can return my MSI card. I just that the Gigbayte's card is better because of it's bios with lesser limitations, but would you be guaranteed a 1550MHz/8000MHz OC? I currently have the MSI at 1507MHz/7700MHz.

The biggest issue would be whether the Gigabyte would be worse in my small case especially when SLIed. I plan to do that at some point. Since it doesn't exhaust hot air out the back - not even a bit because of all those ports - the case fans will have to work overtime.

Also, I heard that the MSI card is thinner as in the gap between two cards would be highest between all of these three cards, which would be helpful when SLIed in a small case.

What would be you thoughts on this?


----------



## Techboy10

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Anusha*
> 
> Would it be worth switching from an unlocked MSI 970 Gaming to Gigbayte's G1?
> 
> I get coil whine so I can return my MSI card. I just that the Gigbayte's card is better because of it's bios with lesser limitations, but would you be guaranteed a 1550MHz/8000MHz OC? I currently have the MSI at 1507MHz/7700MHz.
> 
> The biggest issue would be whether the Gigabyte would be worse in my small case especially when SLIed. I plan to do that at some point. Since it doesn't exhaust hot air out the back - not even a bit because of all those ports - the case fans will have to work overtime.
> 
> Also, I heard that the MSI card is thinner as in the gap between two cards would be highest between all of these three cards, which would be helpful when SLIed in a small case.
> 
> What would be you thoughts on this?


You're not guaranteed any overclock with any card (besides the factory one). My first Gigabyte G1 was crap and wouldn't even hit 1500MHz (returned it because it started crashing and artifacting at stock settings). I haven't tried overclocking my current G1 yet but out of the box it's boosting to 1418MHz (compared to 1354MHz from the first one) so I have much better hopes for it. Who knows though, it also might suck at overclocking.


----------



## Anusha

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Techboy10*
> 
> You're not guaranteed any overclock with any card (besides the factory one). My first Gigabyte G1 was crap and wouldn't even hit 1500MHz (returned it because it started crashing and artifacting at stock settings). I haven't tried overclocking my current G1 yet but out of the box it's boosting to 1418MHz (compared to 1354MHz from the first one) so I have much better hopes for it. Who knows though, it also might suck at overclocking.


I thought Gigabyte binned chips that ended up in their Gaming G1 cards. Guess I was wrong. I am gonna stick to what I have.


----------



## Maco88

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *rv8000*
> 
> Gigabyte has the longest pcb by ~10mm, the physical pcb itself is around 11" +/- (I haven't had time to measure the pcb, will do so later), including the cooler and measuring from the inside of the i/o plate the card measures ~1cm less than 12".
> 
> The MSI and ASUS cards have taller pcb's than the gigabyte card, but they are marginally shorter (maybe 10mm).


Hey rv8000

Do you own the G1? If so, have you actually measured it yourself? By wjay you say that would mean the card is about 29 - 29.5cm

About to buy this card tomorrow, but I am concerned whether or not it will fit inside my Cooler Master CM690 II Adv. [states it can fit up to a 304mm card]

If it is no longer than 29.5cm I should be ok.

Much thanks


----------



## Name Change

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Maco88*
> 
> Hey rv8000
> 
> Do you own the G1? If so, have you actually measured it yourself? By wjay you say that would mean the card is about 29 - 29.5cm
> 
> About to buy this card tomorrow, but I am concerned whether or not it will fit inside my Cooler Master CM690 II Adv. [states it can fit up to a 304mm card]
> 
> If it is no longer than 29.5cm I should be ok.
> 
> Much thanks


I'm using the G1 in my CM690II adv.


----------



## Maco88

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Name Change*
> 
> I'm using the G1 in my CM690II adv.


Thanks for that.

How's the fit? Did it just make it in or it fitted in well???


----------



## Name Change

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Maco88*
> 
> Thanks for that.
> 
> How's the fit? Did it just make it in or it fitted in well???


I had to use a little upward angle for it to fit right. Theres maybe a finger width between drive cage and
card. I also have main drive cage removed for airflow.. Its a tight fit lol.


----------



## Maco88

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Name Change*
> 
> I had to use a little upward angle for it to fit right. Theres maybe a finger width between drive cage and
> card. I also have main drive cage removed for airflow.. Its a tight fit lol.


Seems we have the same CPU and mobo, so may I ask, any issue with the CPU? How does it handle this card?


----------



## Name Change

I haven't had any issue's running few games I play BF4 for one, using DSR at 2560x1440 on ultra, got my config locked at 75fps cause my monitor will overclock to 75 Hz. Runs great and always got shadow play going to lol.


----------



## boykisser

@ 1440p 970 vs 290x? Which is better? Considering 290x can be had for 290-310.


----------



## Cyro999

They're around equal.. Brand features etc are way more important than which way it swings maaaaybe 5% IMO

You should get a 290 instead of a 290x unless the 290x is less than ~5% more expensive, for the best performance per dollar ratio.


----------



## boykisser

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Cyro999*
> 
> They're around equal.. Brand features etc are way more important than which way it swings maaaaybe 5% IMO
> 
> You should get a 290 instead of a 290x unless the 290x is less than ~5% more expensive, for the best performance per dollar ratio.


I found a guy on craigslist selling 2 Gigabyte 290OC for $160 ea or 300 for both. They have warranty until Feb 2017. Should I get?


----------



## Cyro999

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *boykisser*
> 
> I found a guy on craigslist selling 2 Gigabyte 290OC for $160 ea or 300 for both. They have warranty until Feb 2017. Should I get?


Sorry for 3 day late reply, but yea that's pretty good. If they've been mined on though they're worth a lot less to some people


----------



## CrusherW9

I'm looking into replacing my pair of 650 Ti Boosts with a 970 and I'm torn between the Gigabyte G1 and the MSI Gaming cards. I've read through this thread, and I was wondering how the bios mods fit into this. With bios mods, are both able to achieve the same wattage cap? What about voltage limit; is it the same on both? And another thing I haven't heard about is at what temperatures do these cards begin to throttle at? Is it the 70/80/85C like the Kepler cards?


----------



## Fickert07

I had the same problem Crusher, but I folded and bought the MSI. I have a small form factor build and bought the card mainly for its crazy good overclocking ability and the fan less operation since my build is DEAD silent. But just to give you a reference, I have my card sitting at the top of my mini case, with one 120mm intake fan a little bit above it and the floor of the case has a 230mm exhaust fan. My card can run BF4 on ultra all day at 75 fps and still run good temps. I recently just played the hell outta Assassins Creed Unity on the highest setting with the card overclocked and had stable gameplay.

Below are my Afterburner settings:

Core Voltage: +0
Power Limit: 110 Maxed
Core Clock: +150
Memory Clock: +500
and still have the auto fan control.

Its pretty solid even with a air flow limiting case.

Thats just my thought on the card though. Its super thin and fits well in my case. Plus it Looks sick with my msi Gaming matx Mobo


----------



## CrusherW9

A little while ago, I obsessed over making my computer silent. While gaming, it is audible, but it isn't very loud. At, idle, it's dead silent. I cannot hear it at all and I have 11 fans in my case, including my cpu cooler, psu fan, and gpu fans. That is the only reason I'm considering the MSI. I'm wondering though that if the Gigabyte is that much better at cooling, if the fans run slower, can it achieve about the same temps and noise as the MSI under load?


----------



## Fickert07

I am unsure of fan control on the gigabyte. But same as mine audible wise, dead silent in idle but you can hear it gaming. I got the corsair rm 650 for the fanless opperation too so I thi k I might just be a sucker for this new fan technology ha. But don't gigabyte fans lock up after like not very many hours of usage? I read that a lot while shopping for my gpu.


----------



## CrusherW9

Here's an idea. Could you flash the Gigabyte with an MSI bios and achieve the same ability for the card to turn off the fans?


----------



## Edkiefer

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *CrusherW9*
> 
> Here's an idea. Could you flash the Gigabyte with an MSI bios and achieve the same ability for the card to turn off the fans?


thats bad idea, never flash another 3rd party bios into another one, if they were reference ones yes, but there not .

What you could try is using MBT open the MSI one and copy the fan rpm and per% values, but I kind of think the fans need to support going so slow .

IMO what I would do is just set the rpm lower for idle conditions .


----------



## Fickert07

If you want silence with the G1, get it and run msi Afterburner. Then set the fan rpms to each temp and have the fans at the lowest speed for idle and web browsing.


----------



## AngryGoldfish

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *CrusherW9*
> 
> A little while ago, I obsessed over making my computer silent. While gaming, it is audible, but it isn't very loud. At, idle, it's dead silent. I cannot hear it at all and I have 11 fans in my case, including my cpu cooler, psu fan, and gpu fans. That is the only reason I'm considering the MSI. I'm wondering though that if the Gigabyte is that much better at cooling, if the fans run slower, can it achieve about the same temps and noise as the MSI under load?


From what I've read, the MSI is only a few dB quieter than the Gigabyte during load, which the human ear would struggle to differentiate between. If you have a quiet case and game with headphones or decent speakers, you won't hear a G1 just as you won't hear the MSI. I have an old Windforce 770 from Gigabyte and I can't hear a thing through my Fractal Define R4 until I stop playing the game and I hear the fans on the card and CPU cooler wind down naturally. For idle usage, the MSI will be quieter, but I've heard (no pun intended) people say they can't hear their G1 when idle either.


----------



## CrusherW9

I've decided to go with the Gigabyte. If it's too loud, I'll play around with the fans and if It's still too loud, I'll just return it and get the MSI. Thanks for the replies.


----------



## Fickert07

Let me know if I made a bad choice with my MSI! haha jk hope all goes well!


----------



## Fickert07

info update, I am getting 103 fps average on fraps with BF4 and 45 on ACU on ultra.


----------



## iSlayer

Any updates on how the EVGA 970 is? Its between that and Gigabyte for me.

Looked into the MSI 970 and it has some (potential) fan issues which is a disappointment, Twin Frozr is supposed to be very good. ASUS I'm not into because I own enough of their products and want to avoid the potential issue of their customer support.

Edit: Gigabyte card is too long for my mid tower, so between risking the MSI and risking the EVGA.


----------



## davea50

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *iSlayer*
> 
> Any updates on how the EVGA 970 is? Its between that and Gigabyte for me.
> 
> Looked into the MSI 970 and it has some (potential) fan issues which is a disappointment, Twin Frozr is supposed to be very good. ASUS I'm not into because I own enough of their products and want to avoid the potential issue of their customer support.
> 
> Edit: Gigabyte card is too long for my mid tower, so between risking the MSI and risking the EVGA.


I bought an EVGA SC ACX1.0 at launch, and will be returning it soon. I am replacing it with a MSI gaming. The coil whine on my EVGA card was completely unbearable.


----------



## benbenkr

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *iSlayer*
> 
> Any updates on how the EVGA 970 is? Its between that and Gigabyte for me.
> 
> Looked into the MSI 970 and it has some (potential) fan issues which is a disappointment, Twin Frozr is supposed to be very good. ASUS I'm not into because I own enough of their products and want to avoid the potential issue of their customer support.
> 
> Edit: Gigabyte card is too long for my mid tower, so between risking the MSI and risking the EVGA.


The fan issues regarding the sticker? That's been fixed.
The fan issue regarding the 344.60 driver? That's fixed too.
The fan issue... err you know what, you can just set a custom fan profile to run the fans at 30% and you'd hardly hear a thing and avoid all "potential" fan issues.

Twin Frozr *IS* very good, whoever said it isn't has never owned a TwinFrozr from MSI and is basing their "experience" on other users comments and youtube videos.

I'm not saying this because I own the MSI card, but saying it because there seems to be a very wrong consensus over the past couple of weeks to avoid the MSI because it has the highest rate of "issues". Too bad many has forgot that the MSI also heavily outsold any other 970 from any other manufacturer at the same time and it's the reason for the most amount of feedback.


----------



## Fickert07

Agreed, if you look at one of ththe other forums here, the gtx970 owners club, most of the overclocked gpu s in the list at the beginning are msi twin frozr gpus.


----------



## iSlayer

Well I have heard good stuff about the Twin Frozrs. The fans themselves are good and I have trustworthy people backing that up. I just rather not have to deal with RMAing and what not.

That being said, my post does paint them in a bit of a poor light, those who were having issues they asked to RMA the cards to deal with the problem.

Funny. Back when I was looking into GPUs for this build I looked to the Twin Frozrs first. Now i'll finally be sating that itch soon as i've sold my 770.

Edit: the complaints were people on Newegg, no idea how old those posts were.


----------



## benbenkr

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *iSlayer*
> 
> Well I have heard good stuff about the Twin Frozrs. The fans themselves are good and I have trustworthy people backing that up. I just rather not have to deal with RMAing and what not.
> 
> That being said, my post does paint them in a bit of a poor light, those who were having issues they asked to RMA the cards to deal with the problem.
> 
> Funny. Back when I was looking into GPUs for this build I looked to the Twin Frozrs first. Now i'll finally be sating that itch soon as i've sold my 770.
> 
> Edit: the complaints were people on Newegg, no idea how old those posts were.


Just like what people would say about the Asus or Gigabyte being great cards, which they are. But are they free from RMA issues? No. There's no guarantee that if you go with EVGA or any other manufacturer that you wouldn't have to deal with RMA if in the event that your card fails (I hope not of course).

It's been said a million times since the dawn of Newegg, take "reviews" there with a grain of salt. How do you know if those complaints are actually not from fake account?

Check here on OCN or any other major hardware IT site, there's been complaints indeed but not at a degree where the MSI 970 is certified as bad.


----------



## battleaxe

Does flashing the ASUS strix 970 make its power handling go higher? Or is this hard limited?

Edit: forget it. I just went and picked up a Gigabyte G1 Gaming 970

Glad I did too. Nice card.


----------



## iSlayer

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *benbenkr*
> 
> Just like what people would say about the Asus or Gigabyte being great cards, which they are. But are they free from RMA issues? No. There's no guarantee that if you go with EVGA or any other manufacturer that you wouldn't have to deal with RMA if in the event that your card fails (I hope not of course).
> 
> It's been said a million times since the dawn of Newegg, take "reviews" there with a grain of salt. How do you know if those complaints are actually not from fake account?
> 
> Check here on OCN or any other major hardware IT site, there's been complaints indeed but not at a degree where the MSI 970 is certified as bad.


There were more than a few of them, and MSI's response indicated it was a legit problem.

No, I wasn't going to pretend that they're free of those issues but i'm not particularly keen on RMA issues when they warrant concern.


----------



## benbenkr

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *iSlayer*
> 
> There were more than a few of them, *and MSI's response indicated it was a legit problem*.
> 
> No, I wasn't going to pretend that they're free of those issues but i'm not particularly keen on RMA issues when they warrant concern.


All of which like I've said in a few posts back, has been fixed. Are there any other issues you are afraid of?
The fan issue, there are new batches out now. Coil whine? That's been an issue since electronics were made, so you either get it or you don't, I can't help you with that one.

Point I'm trying to make is, the MSI Gaming 970 is a great card. I don't know why people would avoid them, they certainly had issues of course, but generally most of the major issues has been fixed.

It's your choice since it's your money. I'd personally still go for the MSI if I need another 970 unless somehow the other brands are being sold much cheaper (which they aren't).


----------



## iSlayer

Nope actually now that I know everything has been patched, i'm going to be buying one today most likely. Need to get that 3 day shipping so I have it for thanksgiving weekend.

Hopefully I don't get coil whine but uh, I have all my case fans at 100% always since i'm too lazy to get the connectors to the mobo and I can't really notice it. With headphones on I never hear it.

So, 1500 core probably doable?


----------



## battleaxe

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *benbenkr*
> 
> The fan issues regarding the sticker? That's been fixed.
> The fan issue regarding the 344.60 driver? That's fixed too.
> The fan issue... err you know what, you can just set a custom fan profile to run the fans at 30% and you'd hardly hear a thing and avoid all "potential" fan issues.
> 
> Twin Frozr *IS* very good, whoever said it isn't has never owned a TwinFrozr from MSI and is basing their "experience" on other users comments and youtube videos.
> 
> I'm not saying this because I own the MSI card, but saying it because there seems to be a very wrong consensus over the past couple of weeks to avoid the MSI because it has the highest rate of "issues". Too bad many has forgot that the MSI also heavily outsold any other 970 from any other manufacturer at the same time and it's the reason for the most amount of feedback.


MSI is one of the best companies for RMA at least in my opinion. I just got my money back on one of my 290's and it was completely no-fuss. Twin Frozer models of which I have owned several including a 290 that I still own are excellent cards. My 290 Gaming is great and I know its from a company that has been very good to work with when things do go wrong. I have heard a lot of others supporting these statements here on the forums too over the last 2 years and its one of the reasons I went with MSI for the last few purchases I have made.

MSI is great, makes great cards and is nice to work with when things do occasionally go wrong. Just my 2 cents of course and may not be indicative of everyone's experience, but overall I have heard mostly very good things from and about MSI and my experience certainly agrees with that.


----------



## benbenkr

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *iSlayer*
> 
> Nope actually now that I know everything has been patched, i'm going to be buying one today most likely. Need to get that 3 day shipping so I have it for thanksgiving weekend.
> 
> Hopefully I don't get coil whine but uh, I have all my case fans at 100% always since i'm too lazy to get the connectors to the mobo and I can't really notice it. With headphones on I never hear it.
> 
> So, 1500 core probably doable?


Most MSI Gaming 970s tthat I know of has at least reached 1500 core (or very near it). Chance is relatively high. This includes the "LITE" edition of the Gaming 970 too, which is basically the same card running at lower clocks.


----------



## faction87

Guys i got the corsair cx500 watt psu will that cut it for the g1 gtx 970?


----------



## ChillyWilly20

Picked up an MSI GTX970 and very impressed with it. Easy 1500mhz on stock voltage and silent! These Maxwell GPU's are amazing.


----------



## Fickert07

Is there a way to tell difference between the standard gaming vs lite card? Is all the hardware the same, just lower clocks?


----------



## Klocek001

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *faction87*
> 
> Guys i got the corsair cx500 watt psu will that cut it for the g1 gtx 970?


probably yes, but I've heard only bad things about this PSU on this forum. It's much worse than the AX or HX or RM series, and I wouldn't consider putting a GPU like that in a rig with CX500, it might damage the card. If you want the best for the money get Cooler Master V550S and you can OC the crap out of that G1.


----------



## faction87

thanks for advice, what about this?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817438028&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=

its $80


----------



## Fickert07

I got the rm 650 and it's perfect for my build. I recommend it


----------



## semitope

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *faction87*
> 
> thanks for advice, what about this?
> 
> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817438028&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=
> 
> its $80


I'd find a gold PSU. Bronze is so last decade


----------



## battleaxe

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *semitope*
> 
> I'd find a gold PSU. Bronze is so last decade


I'm not happy unless my PC is eating as much power as possible. No Gold for me.









Edit: Don't bite on that... I'm just stirring the pot.


----------



## neotarkilmar

What is the most quiet GTX 970?

I can buy MSI or Asus.


----------



## Sader0

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *neotarkilmar*
> 
> What is the most quiet GTX 970?
> 
> I can buy MSI or Asus.


Either of these two should satisfy your need for silence. Lets hope coil whine will go pass you


----------



## Sader0

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *faction87*
> 
> thanks for advice, what about this?
> 
> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817438028&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=
> 
> its $80


Corsair RM or Seasonic will be fine. I run GTX970 on 450W Gold PSU


----------



## maddangerous

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sader0*
> 
> Either of these two should satisfy your need for silence. Lets hope coil whine will go pass you


I'm hoping people are exaggerating about the fan noise on the G1, my rig is quiet and I'd like to keep it that way lol


----------



## battleaxe

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *maddangerous*
> 
> I'm hoping people are exaggerating about the fan noise on the G1, my rig is quiet and I'd like to keep it that way lol


The G1 is almost dead silent. I have no idea where those noise issues are coming from. I can barely hear mine 2 fee away. Even while gaming its still really quiet. I think its just in comparison to the MSI which is quieter still.


----------



## maddangerous

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *battleaxe*
> 
> The G1 is almost dead silent. I have no idea where those noise issues are coming from. I can barely hear mine 2 fee away. Even while gaming its still really quiet. I think its just in comparison to the MSI which is quieter still.


Cool thanks for the input. My case fans are between 8 and 18 decibels so it is fairly quiet as it sits


----------



## Thefrosty7

So should I plan on getting a beefier PSU if I opt to go for the Gigabyte card? I have a seasonic x650 gold PSU and its been doing wonders... My last card was a r9270x


----------



## vallonen

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *battleaxe*
> 
> The G1 is almost dead silent. I have no idea where those noise issues are coming from. I can barely hear mine 2 fee away. Even while gaming its still really quiet. I think its just in comparison to the MSI which is quieter still.


I'd say that all depends on how sensitive you are to sound and on how quiet the rest of your system is.


----------



## maddangerous

That would
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Thefrosty7*
> 
> So should I plan on getting a beefier PSU if I opt to go for the Gigabyte card? I have a seasonic x650 gold PSU and its been doing wonders... My last card was a r9270x


Depends on what the rest of your system is really. I'm no expert though so I'll let somebody else with more xp in this come in.

FYI I'm snagging a corsair ax860i for mine soon, and leaving myself some headroom with my system.


----------



## K1NGP1N360GAMER

Is the Palit GTX 970 worth buying? It's a saving of £50/$80 over Asus and £40 over MSI. Only has the one fan though.


----------



## Cyro999

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *K1NGP1N360GAMER*
> 
> Is the Palit GTX 970 worth buying? It's a saving of £50/$80 over Asus and £40 over MSI. Only has the one fan though.


strictly for price/performance, it's probably among the best


----------



## neotarkilmar

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmiVf9cmA9I&list=FLUQWCBG2G-a1DC93INhU-9Q

Im a lil worried about the g1, the reviews are all good, but idk about the noise.

I have a saphire r9 280x Tri-x, at idle is silent, but with the fans at 30%+ at load is like a f-14 tomcat. lol

I want the most quiet option, dont care about perfomance of 3-5fps.


----------



## AngryGoldfish

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *neotarkilmar*
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmiVf9cmA9I&list=FLUQWCBG2G-a1DC93INhU-9Q
> 
> Im a lil worried about the g1, the reviews are all good, but idk about the noise.
> 
> I have a saphire r9 280x Tri-x, at idle is silent, but with the fans at 30%+ at load is like a f-14 tomcat. lol
> 
> I want the most quiet option, dont care about perfomance of 3-5fps.


That doesn't sound like a noisy card at all. In fact, it sounded like one of the quietest. To me the MSI won the 'quiet war' in that showdown.


----------



## neotarkilmar

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *AngryGoldfish*
> 
> That doesn't sound like a noisy card at all. In fact, it sounded like one of the quietest. To me the MSI won the 'quiet war' in that showdown.


Yes, but is strange because in every review they said that msi and asus win in db test vs g1, but in that test the msi>g1>asus.


----------



## benbenkr

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *neotarkilmar*
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmiVf9cmA9I&list=FLUQWCBG2G-a1DC93INhU-9Q
> 
> Im a lil worried about the g1, the reviews are all good, but idk about the noise.
> 
> I have a saphire r9 280x Tri-x, at idle is silent, but with the fans at 30%+ at load is like a f-14 tomcat. lol
> 
> I want the most quiet option, dont care about perfomance of 3-5fps.


Lol... the coil whine coming from that person's PSU is worse than all those cards that was being tested, save except for the Gainward.

Back on topic, get the Asus Strix or MSI Gaming if you want the quietest option.That's it, it isn't rocket science.


----------



## AngryGoldfish

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *neotarkilmar*
> 
> Yes, but is strange because in every review they said that msi and asus win in db test vs g1, but in that test the msi>g1>asus.


Yeah, I know what you mean. That test is obviously not a perfect representation of all Strix cards and all MSI cards, though. It's just a general gauge and may not be true for the same cards performing the same test in a different environment. I thought the Zotac Extreme was extremely quiet, maybe even quieter than the MSI, yet I haven't heard people raving about that card. It will depend on your particular card, because fan noise is a lottery in itself.


----------



## neotarkilmar

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *AngryGoldfish*
> 
> Yeah, I know what you mean. That test is obviously not a perfect representation of all Strix cards and all MSI cards, though. It's just a general gauge and may not be true for the same cards performing the same test in a different environment. I thought the Zotac Extreme was extremely quiet, maybe even quieter than the MSI, yet I haven't heard people raving about that card. It will depend on your particular card, because fan noise is a lottery in itself.


Yup, the test is not perfect.

"Zotac is a subsidiary of PC Partner, the company that is also behind Sapphire"


----------



## iSlayer

Remember how I was skeptical about getting the MSI 970 because I thought i'd likely have to RMA it?

Guess who got his MSI 970 without a 6 pin connector in the packaging.


----------



## Anusha

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *iSlayer*
> 
> Remember how I was skeptical about getting the MSI 970 because I thought i'd likely have to RMA it?
> 
> Guess who got his MSI 970 without a 6 pin connector in the packaging.


You are talking about the cable, right? It is not supposed to come with a 6-pin PEG power cable; just the 8 pin one.

I hope you are not saying that the actual 6-pin PEG power socket was missing from the card. That would be beyond ridiculous.


----------



## iSlayer

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Anusha*
> 
> You are talking about the cable, right? It is not supposed to come with a 6-pin PEG power cable; just the 8 pin one.
> 
> I hope you are not saying that the actual 6-pin PEG power socket was missing from the card. That would be beyond ridiculous.


Well got that sorted, now I just have a major issue. On booting I BSoD. I tried clean installing the drivers from safe mode and no, still BSoD city once I restart out of safe mode.

Edit: Fixed, GTX 970 testing will come soooooooooon.


----------



## Klocek001

Is there a switch on Strix for the 0dB mode or is it software controlled ?


----------



## AngryGoldfish

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Klocek001*
> 
> Is there a switch on Strix for the 0dB mode or is it software controlled ?


I think it just automatically turns off the fans when the temperatures drop below 60°C.


----------



## Edkiefer

It is bios controlled .


----------



## Klocek001

I read in some of the early posts that MSI and Strix throttle ? Does it mean they don't always clock as high as they are set because they hit the power limit ? Will Palit Jetstream throttle as well or is the limit on that card set higher ?


----------



## Cyro999

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Klocek001*
> 
> I read in some of the early posts that MSI and Strix throttle ? Does it mean they don't always clock as high as they are set because they hit the power limit ? Will Palit Jetstream throttle as well or is the limit on that card set higher ?


In some cases, yes, their clock speed drops. I don't think the Palit has a high power limit by default - the MSI's 220w isn't enough. The Strix has a much lower limit, but it can't use 1.25v(?) so it doesn't clock as high in the first place with a GPU of the same quality


----------



## Edkiefer

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Cyro999*
> 
> In some cases, yes, their clock speed drops. I don't think the Palit has a high power limit by default - the MSI's 220w isn't enough. The Strix has a much lower limit, but it can't use 1.25v(?) so it doesn't clock as high in the first place with a GPU of the same quality


Just to add, if your not going extreme OC with max voltage, at least on my MSI 970 playing games I don't hit power limit .
If you run with more voltage , then you will hit limit , but if you have half decent chip 1500+ should work with stock voltage .

Fire strike I did hit power limit here an there (few spikes) but it didn't lower much, and went right back , I think it lower like 13mhz .
I come close to hitting it in FC4 , but still not .


----------



## Cyro999

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Edkiefer*
> 
> Just to add, if your not going extreme OC with max voltage, at least on my MSI 970 playing games I don't hit power limit .
> If you run with more voltage , then you will hit limit , but if you have half decent chip 1500+ should work with stock voltage .
> 
> Fire strike I did hit power limit here an there (few spikes) but it didn't lower much, and went right back , I think it lower like 13mhz .
> I come close to hitting it in FC4 , but still not .


Quote:


> Just to add, if your not going extreme OC with max voltage, at least on my MSI 970 playing games I don't hit power limit .


My stock uses 1.225, it can hit 1500 or just barely under, 1.25 gets 2 boost bins higher

Most of my games don't have a problem. Some of them do though, especially when rendering at high resolutions - planetside 2 at ~1620p for example wouldn't run higher than ~1460mhz sustained due to power limit, and i can't run fire strike at 1.25v because of the limit either AFAIK


----------



## benbenkr

Which is why I wished the MSI Gaming 4G 970 GOLD edition had its power limit increased, would have been great if MSI goes a little further with the "gold" edition of their 970. Too bad they didn't and there's no way there's going to be a Lightning version of the 970 anyways.


----------



## wendigo4700

Would be nice, to throw in the zotac geforce gtx 970. The one that looks like this. Its the cheapest and shortest gtx 970 avaliable. But I cant find anything about it. How and if vrm haveheatsink and so on.


----------



## Klocek001

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *wendigo4700*
> 
> Would be nice, to throw in the zotac geforce gtx 970. The one that looks like this. Its the cheapest and shortest gtx 970 avaliable. But I cant find anything about it. How and if vrm haveheatsink and so on.
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!


It ain't good. This is what I found on the AMP Omega version, which is supposedly better. The chart shows load temps.


----------



## Edkiefer

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Klocek001*
> 
> It ain't good. This is what I found on the AMP Omega version, which is supposedly better. The chart shows load temps.


This review on the 980 of that card, doesn't seem that great .

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/zotac-geforce-gtx-980-amp-omega-edition,3990.html


----------



## Edkiefer

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Cyro999*
> 
> My stock uses 1.225, it can hit 1500 or just barely under, 1.25 gets 2 boost bins higher
> 
> Most of my games don't have a problem. Some of them do though, especially when rendering at high resolutions - planetside 2 at ~1620p for example wouldn't run higher than ~1460mhz sustained due to power limit, and i can't run fire strike at 1.25v because of the limit either AFAIK


Yes, was just saying I see way more jump in power usage with voltage increase than I do just raising clock speed .

Fire strike really pushes the power limits , compared to other BM and games .


----------



## wendigo4700

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Klocek001*
> 
> It ain't good. This is what I found on the AMP Omega version, which is supposedly better. The chart shows load temps.


So the GPU cooler isnt great? That is not my concern at all, since I already have the Raijintek Morpheus laying around.
So I'm more curious about, if there are any other things to consider about this card?

Also temperatures on the zotac omega, is quite impressive. So I'm not sure why you say the cooler is actually bad.
http://www.play3r.net/reviews/graphics/zotac-gtx-970-amp-omega-edition-review/9/


----------



## semitope

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *wendigo4700*
> 
> Would be nice, to throw in the zotac geforce gtx 970. The one that looks like this. Its the cheapest and shortest gtx 970 avaliable. But I cant find anything about it. How and if vrm haveheatsink and so on.


There are at least a couple ITX 970s around if short matters to you. Not 329 like the zotac though. I was thinking these cards would be cheaper than stock, being so small with less components and materials used, but capitalism wins.

http://www.amazon.com/Gigabyte-GeForce-Overclocked-Graphics-GV-N970IXOC-4GD/dp/B00OQUMGM0


----------



## wendigo4700

msi gtx 970 gaming 4g le.

That could also become a cheap gtx 970 solution. Maybe it will compete with the basic zotac gtx 970, as picture I showed above.


----------



## benbenkr

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *wendigo4700*
> 
> Would be nice, to throw in the zotac geforce gtx 970. The one that looks like this. Its the cheapest and shortest gtx 970 avaliable. But I cant find anything about it. How and if vrm haveheatsink and so on.


I live in SEA and the Zotac "stock" 970 is rather popular here due to the relatively low price ($320) and its almost always in good stock among retailers.

Heatsink does not cover the VRAM but there's a small heatsink for the VRM for passive cooling. Other than that, nothing much to say about it other than it'll be a good choice for M-ATX builds? It's cheap, it's a 970, it'll be great for 1080p gaming.


----------



## wendigo4700

Either that card, or I wait for MSI to release their GTX 970 gaming 4g LE. Or wait for Galax GTX 970 EXOC Black Edition. And in the end, compare those 3 prices, and pick the cheapest one.
The Galax GTX 970 EXOC Black Edition is a beast for sure.


----------



## Warden Jax

Hello all,

I have a question regarding the fans that are on the MSI Gaming 4G model.

Can anyone tell me if the fans that are on this model are easy to lubricate from the back side ?
Is there any hole in the back of the fan under the sticker where you could put fine oil to the rotor shaft ?

Not all fans are accessible for lubrication. My Gigabyte GTX460 has encapsulated fans, and they don't have holes in they're backs. I even tried to drill holes in the back, passed the plastic part, and found some kind of metal underneath.

I just want to see some pictures with the fan under the back sticker to make up my mind before I buy a GTX 970.

Feel free to post pictures too wink.gif

Thanks in advance.


----------



## Streidominating

Anyone else got issues installing the G1 Gaming GTX 970 into a ASUS Z97 Deluxe board?

The SATA plugs are in the way: http://i.imgur.com/DmT5Eza.jpg

Its about 1-1.5mm height that prevents my GTX 970 from completely fitting into the PCIe Slot so it doesnt completely "clip" into the slot

I use the second slot at the moment but populating the 2nd slot puts both slots to x8


----------



## ladcrooks

for your time +1


----------



## vallonen

That's the first time I've heard of a graphics card not fitting because of the SATA plugs. Had it been a Gigabyte board it would have been hilarious, no really.

I can't really see what it could be, apart from perhaps the fan cable.


----------



## Streidominating

Hmmmmm... the cable is no the issue because it goes somewhat inwards if you press on it.

Its the circuit board that is hitting the SATA plugs... as I said, its about 1 to 1.5mm that is restricting a complete fit for my graphics card. The second slot is working without issues and you can see on the screenshot of the MoBo, the plugs next to the SATA. There, the graphics card BARELY touches the plugs, leaving like 0.1mm space between plug and circuit board, fitting far enough into the PCIe slot for it to clip in.

I tried with a bit of force too, but I don't want to damage any parts so I gave up and used the second slot.

This issue didn't happen with my old ASUS GTX 670


----------



## Edkiefer

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Streidominating*
> 
> Anyone else got issues installing the G1 Gaming GTX 970 into a ASUS Z97 Deluxe board?
> 
> The SATA plugs are in the way: http://i.imgur.com/DmT5Eza.jpg
> 
> Its about 1-1.5mm height that prevents my GTX 970 from completely fitting into the PCIe Slot so it doesnt completely "clip" into the slot
> 
> I use the second slot at the moment but populating the 2nd slot puts both slots to x8


You got a few options , either get another 970 with shorter length .
Move as you did to slot that clears but are you still in 16x PCIE slot ?

Last thing would be carefully filing the top of the SATA housing or even corner of vid card till it fits , only do this though once you are sure its good card .
If you split the 1.5 mm then its only 0.75mm , on each part, thats not a lot .
I doubt there are any traces that close to edge and corner of PCB, but must check that of course before doing anything .

Edit: looked at my clearance and its about 1mm from MSI 970 PCB to top of SATA plug housing . Could it be the fan housing is the issue on G1 ?
Maybe you could blend it a bit in corner to clear .


----------



## Streidominating

Its PCIe x16 slot, but once it is populated, the first two slots will be x8 - and I run it at at PCIe 3.0 x8 at the moment.

When I'm home I'll try the BIOS settings on my MoBo if there is any option to keep the 2nd slot @x16


----------



## n4p0l3onic

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *wendigo4700*
> 
> Would be nice, to throw in the zotac geforce gtx 970. The one that looks like this. Its the cheapest and shortest gtx 970 avaliable. But I cant find anything about it. How and if vrm haveheatsink and so on.


I bought 2 of it like a week ago for sli, was a nightmare, sold it and replace it with a pair of g1

The problems :
1. Can't even maintain core clock stability at stock setting due to power limit
2. Core clock can throttle back to as low as stock base clock 1076mhz
3. Too hot for the supposedly power efficient card, heatsink is too small so the heat has no where to go and thus concentrated on a rather small are which cause more heating; the fans are blowing hot air into your case
4. Which is the final nail on the coffin when you try to sli it, I could not keep the temp of the top card from reaching 91 celcius at an astonishing rate even with additional 'experimental' side case fan blowing air into the slot between the cards; thus the cards always throttling during any serious gaming

An underwhelming card for single gpu usage and a total disaster for sli; stay away from it when you able!


----------



## wendigo4700

Thanks for the warning.

I have an Raijintek Morpheus I so badly wanna mount on a GTX 970 (since the deal I had going with a GTX 780 vanished)
So I have decided to go all out with a GTX 970 instead.

I might have to make my own topic about it. I just have to find out, if any of the custom GTX 970's uses nvidia reference mounting holes for the preinstalled GPU cooler. So I can install that Raijintek Morpheus on the card.

I think the MSI GTX 970 Gaming 4GB uses a default PCB. But only 80% sure. I was told that Galax GTX 970 EXOC does not use nvidia reference mounting holes.
So I've turned my attention to Asus GTX 970 Strix. But asus support doesnt wanna tell me


----------



## neotarkilmar

I order a g1 from amazo, but not sure if cancel.

The only thing im worried is about the 35% min fan speed, didnt know. Do you guys think theres going to be a bios upgrade? I dont need 29c iddle, im ok with 35c with 20%fan speed.

is the g1 35% fan speed noisy?


----------



## Klocek001

don't worry it will be super quiet, the G1 is excellent quality, I've watched tons of videos on YT cuz I'm actually looking forward to buying one. It's barely audible in games with the case open. Other cards with 0dB technology have a lower power limit which can cause instability as they're all factory overclocked.


----------



## neotarkilmar

THe problem is some ppl said its silent at 35% and load, and some ppl said its noisy.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Klocek001*
> 
> don't worry it will be super quiet, the G1 is excellent quality, I've watched tons of videos on YT cuz I'm actually looking forward to buying one. It's barely audible in games with the case open. Other cards with 0dB technology have a lower power limit which can cause instability as they're all factory overclocked.


My sapphire r9 280x tri is like a f-14 at 30% fan speed... 65c. Im sure the g1 is a lot better.

I will like to have the option to change the min fan speed, and about temps, not sure if 0db msi asus are a better option, when gaming the giga can go from 30-35c to 60-65c and then back again to 30-35c, in the msi asus the fans start at 60c, so eating up and cooling down temperature curves will be more gentle, and you can set 10% fan speed at 60c, to iddle at 50-55c.

Asus MSI are not dumb, not going to set a min temp that can damage the card or life span from years to months.

I have see gpu running 75-80c for years, not really sure if we really need low temps -30c-50c-, or its marketing to sell more fans. lol


----------



## benbenkr

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *wendigo4700*
> 
> Thanks for the warning.
> 
> I have an Raijintek Morpheus I so badly wanna mount on a GTX 970 (since the deal I had going with a GTX 780 vanished)
> So I have decided to go all out with a GTX 970 instead.
> 
> I might have to make my own topic about it. I just have to find out, if any of the custom GTX 970's uses nvidia reference mounting holes for the preinstalled GPU cooler. So I can install that Raijintek Morpheus on the card.
> 
> I think the MSI GTX 970 Gaming 4GB uses a default PCB. But only 80% sure. I was told that Galax GTX 970 EXOC does not use nvidia reference mounting holes.
> So I've turned my attention to Asus GTX 970 Strix. But asus support doesnt wanna tell me


There was no "default" PCB for the 970. Manufacturers were told to create their own PCB or base it off some older PCBs from the 670, 760, 770 and 780 with VRM tweaks of course.
So no, the MSI 970 Gaming does not use a reference board, it's not even the same PCB from the 770/780 Gaming despite having the same length. The Strix as well does not use a reference PCB. Palit and Zotac's offerings on their "stock" 970s uses modified 760/670 PCBs.

Amd as you've already know, the Galax 970 Exoc does not have a reference PCB either.


----------



## neotarkilmar

canceled my order on amazon for the g1. buying a MSI.

I really want a silent gpu, dont care about oc or 3-4fps difference. the oc was good in old days when u can get big wins in perfomance in VERY cheap hardware, i dont see the poing in oc to get 2 extra fps.

the problem with the g1 is the 3pin fans, maybe 35% is the lowest voltage the fans can go, and if you go lower the fans dont start, like any 3pin fan. Maybe giga will release a new version with 4 pin fans and 0db 10% 20% etc option in the future.


----------



## wendigo4700

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *benbenkr*
> 
> There was no "default" PCB for the 970. Manufacturers were told to create their own PCB or base it off some older PCBs from the 670, 760, 770 and 780 with VRM tweaks of course.
> So no, the MSI 970 Gaming does not use a reference board, it's not even the same PCB from the 770/780 Gaming despite having the same length. The Strix as well does not use a reference PCB. Palit and Zotac's offerings on their "stock" 970s uses modified 760/670 PCBs.
> 
> Amd as you've already know, the Galax 970 Exoc does not have a reference PCB either.


So I wonder if they dont use reference mounting holes for the GPU cooler either? That could mean every OEM out there, have their own placement on the PCB, where they want to make the 4 GPU mounting holes?

That would probably mean there are a billion different diameters between the 4 mounting holes for each GTX 970 out there, depending what OEM brand you go with.
Please tell me I am wrong


----------



## benbenkr

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *wendigo4700*
> 
> So I wonder if they dont use reference mounting holes for the GPU cooler either? That could mean every OEM out there, have their own placement on the PCB, where they want to make the 4 GPU mounting holes?
> 
> That would probably mean there are a billion different diameters between the 4 mounting holes for each GTX 970 out there, depending what OEM brand you go with.
> Please tell me I am wrong


I'm sure there's at least ONE 970 out there that would work with the Raijentek Morpheus. But WHICH is hard to say. I mean, I don't know who has every 970 on the market to measure, strip the cooloer and check the mounting holes.


----------



## wendigo4700

It's a huge risk for sure. You could literally end up buying and returning +7 different GTX 970. And then only 1 would fit in the end.

And that also means, how on earth will there be made any waterblocks for the GTX 970, for those people that wanna watercool it.


----------



## benbenkr

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *wendigo4700*
> 
> It's a huge risk for sure. You could literally end up buying and returning +7 different GTX 970. And then only 1 would fit in the end.
> 
> And that also means, how on earth will there be made any waterblocks for the GTX 970, for those people that wanna watercool it.


Simple, make waterblocks for the most popular manufacturer. In the 970's case, it's MSI and EK already has a block for the Gaming 970. Since there are no reference 970s, it wouldn't matter much to "alieniate" other 970 owners and needing to follow a standard.

You want an EK block, get the MSI Gaming, simple as that. Fortunately for everyone, MSI made a very good 970.


----------



## sadeter

I believe it was already mentioned that a previous gen block is available that fits the ASUS 970 as well. Don't recall which block exactly at the moment.


----------



## Streidominating

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *neotarkilmar*
> 
> I order a g1 from amazo, but not sure if cancel.
> 
> The only thing im worried is about the 35% min fan speed, didnt know. Do you guys think theres going to be a bios upgrade? I dont need 29c iddle, im ok with 35c with 20%fan speed.
> 
> is the g1 35% fan speed noisy?


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *neotarkilmar*
> 
> canceled my order on amazon for the g1. buying a MSI.
> 
> I really want a silent gpu, dont care about oc or 3-4fps difference. the oc was good in old days when u can get big wins in perfomance in VERY cheap hardware, i dont see the poing in oc to get 2 extra fps.
> 
> the problem with the g1 is the 3pin fans, maybe 35% is the lowest voltage the fans can go, and if you go lower the fans dont start, like any 3pin fan. Maybe giga will release a new version with 4 pin fans and 0db 10% 20% etc option in the future.


I don't know how much you have googled, but the G1 is indeed noisy if you have very silent components and are doing nothing, meaning if your room is quiet. Only then its noticable. But you can safely edit the BIOS of the GFX card to lower the fan speed. 1.100RPM till 40°C is pretty silent.

But since you already ordered another one it doesnt matter anymore I guess







The MSI is also a very good option... if only Gigabyte wouldn't suck at Fan control


----------



## wendigo4700

Maybe I should just skip gtx 970 all together. As I have no idea which ones, the raijintek morpheus fits on. And there is no way at all to find out, besides ordering a huge bunch of different 970's.


----------



## Klocek001

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Streidominating*
> 
> I don't know how much you have googled, but the G1 is indeed noisy if you have very silent components and are doing nothing, meaning if your room is quiet. Only then its noticable. But you can safely edit the BIOS of the GFX card to lower the fan speed. 1.100RPM till 40°C is pretty silent.
> 
> But since you already ordered another one it doesnt matter anymore I guess
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The MSI is also a very good option... if only Gigabyte wouldn't suck at Fan control


If I had to choose any other than G1, I'd definitely get Strix.


----------



## Fickert07

I just finally got my card dialed in after I sent it in for am RMA because of obnoxious coil whine. My Asics is 63.3 I am not sure what everyone else is getting but I am rather happy knowing my card is in a very limiting bitfenix Matx case. Here are my results of my card even though my lower clock speed and limiting case I am rather satisfied! But can someone tell me, my old card could clock to 1400 easily and this one struggles a bit over 1300. I am not sure but I am not going to complain.

http://www.3dmark.com/3dm/4943999


----------



## vallonen

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *wendigo4700*
> 
> Maybe I should just skip gtx 970 all together. As I have no idea which ones, the raijintek morpheus fits on. And there is no way at all to find out, besides ordering a huge bunch of different 970's.


The Prolimatech MK-26 is listed and I see no reason for why the Raijintek Morpheus wouldn't be. Perhaps Raijintek haven't updated the compatibility list yet? Easiest way is to send them an email and ask. It would be a shame and a waste of money not to put that cooler to good use.

I also checked Arctic Cooling and their Accelero Xtreme III was listed.

Edit.
FYI, I bought the MK-26 for the card in my sig rig well before the 900 series was released.


----------



## AngryGoldfish

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *neotarkilmar*
> 
> canceled my order on amazon for the g1. buying a MSI.
> 
> I really want a silent gpu, dont care about oc or 3-4fps difference. the oc was good in old days when u can get big wins in perfomance in VERY cheap hardware, i dont see the poing in oc to get 2 extra fps.
> 
> the problem with the g1 is the 3pin fans, maybe 35% is the lowest voltage the fans can go, and if you go lower the fans dont start, like any 3pin fan. Maybe giga will release a new version with 4 pin fans and 0db 10% 20% etc option in the future.


Except that a G1 Gaming at 1600Mhz is faster than a stock 980. You can add an additional 10 frames with a heavy overclock on a 970. I can't recall seeing a card that can overclock as easily as a G1 Gaming without liquid and a custom BIOS in a long time. The eVGA Classifed 980 is similar.


----------



## sadeter

The EK full cover block for Gigtabyte's GTX970 G1 and Windforce cards is now available from their store and on FrozenCPU as "Orderable."

This means all three cards now have full cover blocks on the market.


----------



## neotarkilmar

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Streidominating*
> 
> I don't know how much you have googled, but the G1 is indeed noisy if you have very silent components and are doing nothing, meaning if your room is quiet. Only then its noticable. But you can safely edit the BIOS of the GFX card to lower the fan speed. 1.100RPM till 40°C is pretty silent.
> 
> But since you already ordered another one it doesnt matter anymore I guess
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The MSI is also a very good option... if only Gigabyte wouldn't suck at Fan control


Yea I found that you can edit the bios and get lower fan speeds, 1100-1200rpm, my case fans are nexus silent 1000-1200rpm, the g1 1600rpm stock speed is not 34% like msi AB shows, is 50%, idk what giga was thinking, theres no point in iddle at 27c.

The g1 is shipped. ^^

Ill give it a try, anyways i can sell it and get a msi or asus. Here in my country the giga is imposible to buy, only zotac, msi and asus. I can sell the g1 in like 5seconds.


----------



## Sem

haven't really been following maxwell threads but i have been playing with 2 970s for a build im doing for a friend and one of them is a gigabyte G1 and it boosts to 1512ghz at 1.218v according to MSIs overlay is that considered good or average


----------



## AngryGoldfish

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sem*
> 
> haven't really been following maxwell threads but i have been playing with 2 970s for a build im doing for a friend and one of them is a gigabyte G1 and it boosts to 1512ghz at 1.218v according to MSIs overlay is that considered good or average


Good. Some would say average, but that's when you consider the word 'average' as a average of all overclocking users, not as a good overclocker in general. Even for the 780, the only way to reach 1500Mhz was with serious cooling and an unlocked voltage regulator. No way could you do it on air, especially not at 70°C. So in that sense it's both average and good.


----------



## Sgtdarkness

Slightly confused as to what you're meaning by the memory clock increase. I see my memory clock at 7010mhz. What would I be aiming for?


----------



## AngryGoldfish

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sgtdarkness*
> 
> Slightly confused as to what you're meaning by the memory clock increase. I see my memory clock at 7010mhz. What would I be aiming for?


8000Mhz is the average maximum I've seen people get whilst stable and under stock BIOS voltage. I would aim for 7600Mhz if your core clock is boosting to 1500Mhz, and 7800Mhz if you're boosting to 1530Mhz, and maybe 8000Mhz if you're boosting to 1550Mhz and beyond. The benefits are tangible, but they may not be practical with your money and chip. Just go as high as you can until it's unstable, back off, then check to see if your frame rates improve or if your graphics score improves.


----------



## GrimDoctor

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Cyro999*
> 
> In some cases, yes, their clock speed drops. I don't think the Palit has a high power limit by default - the MSI's 220w isn't enough. The Strix has a much lower limit, but it can't use 1.25v(?) so it doesn't clock as high in the first place with a GPU of the same quality


My Strix is 1573/2073 on the stock bios @ 1.200v, that's steady, not throttled, on air. I won't double post, it's all in the official 970 thread. That's an extremely competitive clock in anyone's book and I don't have the only Strix pushing those numbers.


----------



## starrbuck

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *AngryGoldfish*
> 
> 8000Mhz is the average maximum I've seen people get whilst stable and under stock BIOS voltage. I would aim for 7600Mhz if your core clock is boosting to 1500Mhz, and 7800Mhz if you're boosting to 1530Mhz, and maybe 8000Mhz if you're boosting to 1550Mhz and beyond. The benefits are tangible, but they may not be practical with your money and chip. Just go as high as you can until it's unstable, back off, then check to see if your frame rates improve or if your graphics score improves.


"Average maximum" ???

Core clocks and memory clocks have little to do with each other. Get the highest stable core clock, and then try to tweak the memory higher. You may get a really high core clock but lower memory clock and that's perfectly fine. Just because you get a higher core doesn't mean you will definitely get a high memory OC.


----------



## AngryGoldfish

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *starrbuck*
> 
> "Average maximum" ???
> 
> Core clocks and memory clocks have little to do with each other. Get the highest stable core clock, and then try to tweak the memory higher. You may get a really high core clock but lower memory clock and that's perfectly fine. Just because you get a higher core doesn't mean you will definitely get a high memory OC.


Average maximum = an average of the maximum users were able to reach. A very small amount of people were able to achieve higher than 8000Mhz, but most people's maximums did not go beyond 8000Mhz and were more around 7800Mhz. Whether that was the OVERALL average I cannot say. Hence average maximum. I know it seems a bit contrary, but I think you knew what I meant.

Memory clocks and core clocks can improve stability while tweaked in tandem. Can't get 1570Mhz on the core unless you decreased the memory down to 7700Mhz? If it benefits your scores to do that then do that. Otherwise keep the memory clock higher and the core clock lower. Depends on the benchmark. That's what I've seen so far. I'm currently testing it out myself on my new G1.


----------



## starrbuck

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *AngryGoldfish*
> 
> Average maximum = an average of the maximum users were able to reach.


Strange way to look at it, but w/e.








Quote:


> Originally Posted by *AngryGoldfish*
> 
> Memory clocks and core clocks can improve stability while tweaked in tandem. Can't get 1570Mhz on the core unless you decreased the memory down to 7700Mhz? If it benefits your scores to do that then do that. Otherwise keep the memory clock higher and the core clock lower. Depends on the benchmark. That's what I've seen so far. I'm currently testing it out myself on my new G1.


As I said, find your max core before you up the memory. If you up the memory and it's unstable, it's the memory causing it, not the core. You will find much larger increases from upping the core than the memory anyway.


----------



## AngryGoldfish

With the 970 and 980 I remember seeing pretty good results from overclocking the memory and spending some time on it. I'm still doing my own testing on it.


----------



## Cyro999

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GrimDoctor*
> 
> My Strix is 1573/2073 on the stock bios @ 1.200v, that's steady, not throttled, on air. I won't double post, it's all in the official 970 thread. That's an extremely competitive clock in anyone's book and I don't have the only Strix pushing those numbers.


You can only overclock to 1.2v though. The same GPU in a G1 would be able to add 50mv and it wouldn't throttle ever, instead of not throttling most of the time. The power limit is something like 1.5x higher.

You would hit ~190w strix limit if you could use more than 1.2v - i hit 220w on several games and a bench or two using msi 970


----------



## GrimDoctor

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Cyro999*
> 
> You can only overclock to 1.2v though. The same GPU in a G1 would be able to add 50mv and it wouldn't throttle ever, instead of not throttling most of the time. The power limit is something like 1.5x higher.
> 
> You would hit ~190w strix limit if you could use more than 1.2v - i hit 220w on several games and a bench or two using msi 970


I understand that other cards - Strix or G1 - can go higher, I was trying to explain that even with a lower power limit the Strix performs extremely well. A lot more G1s are getting throttled or can't hold their clocks in benchmarks/gaming over in the 970 thread. I think it's just silly how people are dismissing the Strix based on the power input and "it only has one 8pin" when people are pushing more consistent numbers with them that is rivaling the G1. It's a well and good to say it's 1.5x higher and say it wouldn't throttle but over in that thread that extra power limit isn't helping everyone and most are getting throttled.


----------



## Cyro999

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GrimDoctor*
> 
> I understand that other cards - Strix or G1 - can go higher, I was trying to explain that even with a lower power limit the Strix performs extremely well. A lot more G1s are getting throttled or can't hold their clocks in benchmarks/gaming over in the 970 thread. I think it's just silly how people are dismissing the Strix based on the power input and "it only has one 8pin" when people are pushing more consistent numbers with them that is rivaling the G1. It's a well and good to say it's 1.5x higher and say it wouldn't throttle but over in that thread that extra power limit isn't helping everyone and most are getting throttled.


Well, i'm not aware of any throttling on the G1. If that's the case, then it probably performs worse than MSI gaming (aside from better vrm cooling at least) because i can run a variety of games and benches at 1.25v without throttling - there are just some problem ones like Planetside 2 and Fire Strike that throttle. Links to g1 throttling?

I don't think the strix is bad, but they have a combination of 1.2v limit and lower power limit that, with equally binned chips, should result in a solid 50mhz loss from normal OC. Going from 1.225v to 1.25v gives me 26mhz. There are a lot of good strix's and bad g1/msi 970's out there, either way


----------



## GrimDoctor

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Cyro999*
> 
> Well, i'm not aware of any throttling on the G1. If that's the case, then it probably performs worse than MSI gaming (aside from better vrm cooling at least) because i can run a variety of games and benches at 1.25v without throttling - there are just some problem ones like Planetside 2 and Fire Strike that throttle. Links to g1 throttling?
> 
> I don't think the strix is bad, but they have a combination of 1.2v limit and lower power limit that, with equally binned chips, should result in a solid 50mhz loss from normal OC. Going from 1.225v to 1.25v gives me 26mhz. There are a lot of good strix's and bad g1/msi 970's out there, either way


http://www.overclock.net/t/1514085/official-nvidia-gtx-970-owners-club/

I'm not going to highlight every one, I'd be here all day. Search might help you. Plenty of discussion and examples of throttling on all cards in there.


----------



## Gorribal

Hello,

I'm looking for a good comparison of those cards in terms of:
- noise level
- temperature/cooling effectiveness

But all i keep finding is useless conclusions like "Hey, Gigabyte is a bit cooler but also a bit louder"

I would rather see those cards comapred like this:
- set to 100% fan speed
- tested with furmark
- write down dB and temp
- move to 75% fan speed
etc

Is this making sense?
Any1 seen review that does it or even comes closer then "Hey, we run some games and let GPU fan run however it wants. Those are epic conclusions we got!"

Dont mean to offend anyone, just getting a bit frustrated here...


----------



## smithydan

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Gorribal*
> 
> Hello,
> 
> I'm looking for a good comparison of those cards in terms of:
> - noise level
> - temperature/cooling effectiveness


Give you and Idea of audio





Temps - Guru3D
Gigabyte G1
MSI Gaming

Thermal Imaging - Guru3D
Gigabyte g1
MSI Gaming


----------



## Gorribal

THX smithydan, that helps

Now i wonder if some gigabyte g1 970 owner could tell me their stress temperature while keeping card fans on minimum rpm (either ~~1600 or the ~~950 with modified BIOS).
Thx in advance


----------



## Smanci

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Gorribal*
> 
> Hello,
> 
> I'm looking for a good comparison of those cards in terms of:
> - noise level
> - temperature/cooling effectiveness
> 
> But all i keep finding is useless conclusions like "Hey, Gigabyte is a bit cooler but also a bit louder"
> 
> I would rather see those cards comapred like this:
> - set to 100% fan speed
> - tested with furmark
> - write down dB and temp
> - move to 75% fan speed
> etc
> 
> Is this making sense?
> Any1 seen review that does it or even comes closer then "Hey, we run some games and let GPU fan run however it wants. Those are epic conclusions we got!"
> 
> Dont mean to offend anyone, just getting a bit frustrated here...


I think Xbitlabs did great job here with their 970 Gaming review.
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/graphics/display/msi-geforce-gtx-970-gaming_3.html#sect0


Obviously, 1000RPM vs 1600RPM, no need to wonder which one's way more quiet.


----------



## Gorribal

Humm, MSI rly seams like no bariner here...
Too bad, i like the way gigabyte looks ;p oh well

TY


----------



## bastian

Gigabyte has posted new official BIOSs for 970 and 980s on their website.


----------



## IcarusLSC

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *bastian*
> 
> Gigabyte has posted new official BIOSs for 970 and 980s on their website.


Where do you see this/link/info etc?


----------



## bastian

Go to http://www.gigabyte.com/

Find your exact GPU under Products. In the Product page there will be top links, one is Support & Downloads. Under that choose BIOS.


----------



## IcarusLSC

ah, kewl ty









I wonder which one I need? none seem to match any numbers on mine


----------



## bastian

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *IcarusLSC*
> 
> ah, kewl ty
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I wonder which one I need? none seem to match any numbers on mine


There are instructions on the page and in the BIOS zip file.

You will need to run the Gigabyte VGA BIOS tool to find out what your exact BIOS is. And before you can run the tool you must uninstall ALL NVidia drivers before it will work properly. It will crash your system if you try to even open the tool with NVidia drivers installed.


----------



## IcarusLSC

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *bastian*
> 
> There are instructions on the page and in the BIOS zip file.
> 
> You will need to run the Gigabyte VGA BIOS tool to find out what your exact BIOS is. And before you can run the tool you must uninstall ALL NVidia drivers before it will work properly. It will crash your system if you try to even open the tool with NVidia drivers installed.


I don't see anywhere it shows any of this info you've said. I've read the instruction manuals for the 2 programs it lists to flash the bios and read all the files documents. Am I missing something here?


----------



## bastian

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *IcarusLSC*
> 
> I don't see anywhere it shows any of this info you've said. I've read the instruction manuals for the 2 programs it lists to flash the bios and read all the files documents. Am I missing something here?


Uninstall ALL your NVidia drivers. Then, Load the Gigabyte VGA BIOS Tool: http://download.gigabyte.us/FileList/Utility/[email protected]
It will show your BIOS version.

You can only update to a VBIOS version of the same series.

If your VBIOS version is:
F1, it can only be updated with VBIOS versions F2-F9.
F10, it can only be updated with VBIOS versions F11-F19.
F20, it can only be updated with VBIOS versions F21-F29.


----------



## IcarusLSC

Sorry, I'm confused, why and where does it say to uninstall all NVidia drivers?


----------



## bastian

If you run the BIOS tool it will tell you.


----------



## error-id10t

or disable the adapter in device manager.


----------



## IcarusLSC

Ok, thanks guys. I don't think this update does anything but bios fan speed and compatibility for some monitors (which seems fine for mine,) so I don't know if it's even worth trying.


----------



## bastian

Some would say if you have no problems don't update, but I say if there were not troubles they wouldn't release anything. And not every problem is one you see all the time.

Update process went fine for me.


----------



## AngryGoldfish

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *IcarusLSC*
> 
> Sorry, I'm confused, why and where does it say to uninstall all NVidia drivers?


My card is F50. There is a F51 version available which means I can download an updated BIOS. If I had F42, there would be an update as F43 is available. If I had an F2 BIOS, there would be an update since F3 is now available.


----------



## bastian

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *AngryGoldfish*
> 
> My card is F50. There is a F51 version available which means I can download an updated BIOS. If I had F42, there would be an update as F43 is available. If I had an F2 BIOS, there would be an update since F3 is now available.


Yep. Mine went from F2 to F3.


----------



## AngryGoldfish

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *bastian*
> 
> Yep. Mine went from F2 to F3.


I'm having a few stability issues with my G1 970 so I'm thinking of flashing the new F51 within Windows instead of creating a bootable USB drive or using Gigabyte's flashing tool.

By the way, does anyone know whether disabling the display drivers (or removing them cleanly) is necessary for flashing an updated BIOS?


----------



## bastian

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *AngryGoldfish*
> 
> I'm having a few stability issues with my G1 970 so I'm thinking of flashing the new F51 within Windows instead of creating a bootable USB drive or using Gigabyte's flashing tool.
> 
> By the way, does anyone know whether disabling the display drivers (or removing them cleanly) is necessary for flashing an updated BIOS?


The tool I used let me update within Windows no problem. All you need to do is uninstall ALL your NVidia drivers. It won't even let you open the tool unless you have no drivers installed.


----------



## AngryGoldfish

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *bastian*
> 
> The tool I used let me update within Windows no problem. All you need to do is uninstall ALL your NVidia drivers. It won't even let you open the tool unless you have no drivers installed.


Which tool was it you used? I was going to use nvflash and just drag the BIOS folder onto nvflash according to this method. It's essentially the same as Toms guide.


----------



## bastian

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *AngryGoldfish*
> 
> Which tool was it you used? I was going to use nvflash and just drag the BIOS folder onto nvflash according to this method. It's essentially the same as Toms guide.


I used the Gigabyte VGA BIOS Tool.


----------



## AngryGoldfish

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *bastian*
> 
> I used the Gigabyte VGA BIOS Tool.


I kinda freaked out a little when I was using [email protected] to check my BIOS version number as it asked me to remove all display drivers. At the time they were still installed, so I clicked No thinking that it would cancel and I could remove the drivers and proceed. But my screen went grey. Nothing was responding, even the restart button. I had to perform a hard shut down. Everything seems to be fine, so I clicked Yes next time I opened the utility and I was finally able to access my BIOS version. I wasn't going to be flashing with it so the drive presence shouldn't have caused any issues.


----------



## bastian

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *AngryGoldfish*
> 
> I kinda freaked out a little when I was using [email protected] to check my BIOS version number as it asked me to remove all display drivers. At the time they were still installed, so I clicked No thinking that it would cancel and I could remove the drivers and proceed. But my screen went grey. Nothing was responding, even the restart button. I had to perform a hard shut down. Everything seems to be fine, so I clicked Yes next time I opened the utility and I was finally able to access my BIOS version. I wasn't going to be flashing with it so the drive presence shouldn't have caused any issues.


That is normal. It does that because they don't want you updating at all with the drivers installed.


----------



## IcarusLSC

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *AngryGoldfish*
> 
> My card is F50. There is a F51 version available which means I can download an updated BIOS. If I had F42, there would be an update as F43 is available. If I had an F2 BIOS, there would be an update since F3 is now available.


I understand that part, just not were people got their directions from as they differ from the GB site.


----------



## AngryGoldfish

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *IcarusLSC*
> 
> I understand that part, just not were people got their directions from as they differ from the GB site.


I contacted Gigabyte myself and they replied with this:
Quote:


> Dear Daniel,
> 
> Thank you for your kindly mail and inquiry. The graphics cards have different BIOS versions for one model. For example, VGA BIOS version F1 to F9 will be one series and BIOS version F10 to F19 will be the other series. So in theory, if your VGA card's current BIOS version is F3, and you see version F4/F10 available on the website, your VGA card will need to be updated to F4 and not F10. You can click HERE to gather more information.
> 
> Please check which VGA BIOS version you using now. You can click here to download VGA @BIOS utility and use it to check your VGA card BIOS version.
> 
> If your VGA card BIOS version is F1, F40, or F50, then you can click here to download BIOS version and use VGA @BIOS utility to update VBIOS version. If your VGA BIOS is not F1, F40, or F50 then your VGA card is no need to update BIOS version.
> 
> Regards,
> GIGABYTE


As for flashing the BIOS, there are a few different ways to do it and Gigabyte recommends using their [email protected] utility, though others have recommended going through Windows (with nvflash) or by creating a bootable drive and installing the drivers that way. The easiest way is this method. It's about as simple as it gets.


----------



## IcarusLSC

Cool, thank you for the info and help


----------



## TK421

I'm thinking of returning my brand new 970 FTW for a 970 G1, what do you guys think?

It points out that the FTW only has 4 phases, whereas the gigabyte has 5+1 phase and an 8 pin+6 pin power connector.


----------



## ssgtnubb

Well I've owned a pair of 970 G1's and was very happy with them to the point where I moved up to 980 G1's. I've had a couple of Asus 9 series as well but was just happier with the Giga's. I haven't tried and EVGa card yet from this series but I'll say this I know EVGA had some slight issue's at the beginning of the 9 series launch but seem to have everything fixed now with all the revision models. You won't be disappointed with the G1, the windforce cooler is amazing and the LED and backplate are icing on the cake.


----------



## TK421

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ssgtnubb*
> 
> Well I've owned a pair of 970 G1's and was very happy with them to the point where I moved up to 980 G1's. I've had a couple of Asus 9 series as well but was just happier with the Giga's. I haven't tried and EVGa card yet from this series but I'll say this I know EVGA had some slight issue's at the beginning of the 9 series launch but seem to have everything fixed now with all the revision models. You won't be disappointed with the G1, the windforce cooler is amazing and the LED and backplate are icing on the cake.


I'll take a trip to microcenter this Thurs to return the product. It sounds like the Giga 970 offers more compared to the FTW.

Hopefully they can transfer the 2yr replacement plan to the G1. Thanks for the insight.


----------



## error-id10t

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *AngryGoldfish*
> 
> The easiest way is this method. It's about as simple as it gets.


Why is that the easiest method.. it's from years old card and programs.

The nvflash Gigabyte offer is available here now modded so you can easily use the latest nvflash via cmd prompt.

http://www.overclock.net/t/1521334/official-nvflash-with-certificate-checks-bypassed-for-gtx-970-980


----------



## bastian

Just use the way Gigabyte says to. That way if something does go wrong they can't use it against you!


----------



## AngryGoldfish

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *error-id10t*
> 
> Why is that the easiest method.. it's from years old card and programs.
> 
> The nvflash Gigabyte offer is available here now modded so you can easily use the latest nvflash via cmd prompt.
> 
> http://www.overclock.net/t/1521334/official-nvflash-with-certificate-checks-bypassed-for-gtx-970-980


You're probably right. It's just the way I noticed was the easiest as all you have to do is drag your .rom over to the nvflash application. I'm not an experienced flasher (that sounds weird lol) so I could well be off.


----------



## AngryGoldfish

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *error-id10t*
> 
> Why is that the easiest method.. it's from years old card and programs.
> 
> The nvflash Gigabyte offer is available here now modded so you can easily use the latest nvflash via cmd prompt.
> 
> http://www.overclock.net/t/1521334/official-nvflash-with-certificate-checks-bypassed-for-gtx-970-980


OK, after a little reading, I'm a little confused. How exactly do you recommend flashing an updated Gigabyte BIOS to my G1 970?


----------



## error-id10t

Me personally,

I downloaded the right version.
Renamed it to .ROM file
Disabled Devices via Device Manager
Used nvflash to flash
Enabled Devices via Device Manager
Rebooted
You could of course just use their GUI but it's pretty much the same thing, you still need the devices off or drivers uninstalled.


----------



## AngryGoldfish

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *error-id10t*
> 
> Me personally,
> 
> I downloaded the right version.
> Renamed it to .ROM file
> Disabled Devices via Device Manager
> Used nvflash to flash
> Enabled Devices via Device Manager
> Rebooted
> You could of course just use their GUI but it's pretty much the same thing, you still need the devices off or drivers uninstalled.


That's the way I was thinking. And you flash by dragging the .rom onto the nvflash.exe or is there another way?


----------



## mercanteinfiera

3 days and my gtx 970 asus strix is working on dvi but i really need to let it work on the do port due multiple screen pc input

how can I do this?

cable is the original hp dp
monitor is a zr2740w hp


----------



## alpen

I have hard choice, I have to choose one from these 3 cards in topic, Will be use in zalman z3 with i5 4460, Which i should choose? im amateur in computer builiding i won't overclock the card.


----------



## Phantasia

Take the cheapest one then. They all perform great and are capable of low temperatures.


----------



## alpen

In my country they are in the same price.


----------



## IcarusLSC

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *alpen*
> 
> I have hard choice, I have to choose one from these 3 cards in topic, Will be use in zalman z3 with i5 4460, Which i should choose? im amateur in computer builiding i won't overclock the card.


Wait and see what is coming out with AMD. Nvidia has really dropped the ball with support and service recently I can account for personally as they have not replied to any of my tickets since December of LAST year!
This is not the way to support customer nor to keep them. I will be dumping my 970s when the new AMD stuff comes out it looks like, even if only a slight boost as Nvidia doesn't deserve my money this time.


----------



## Rigwizard

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *alpen*
> 
> In my country they are in the same price.


If space is a premium in your case go with the msi gtx970 gaming 4g. Its the shortest and narrowest and runs very quiet n cool. Had mine since they came out back in September last year and despite the misinformation from nvidia I'm very happy with it.


----------



## alpen

idk which case i will take but i think zalman r1/z3.


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## AngryGoldfish

Gigabyte G1 Gaming for lowest thermals and good overclocking;
Strix for low power consumption, Samsung memory, silence;
MSI for silence


----------



## jasjeet

Anyone tried some heatsinks like these on the rear GDDR5 chips?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/10-x-Aluminium-Memory-Chip-Cooler-Aluminium-Heatsink-DDR-RAM-UK-/221708938592?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item339ee1ed60

And what about some heatsink for the rear side VRM's?


----------



## jasjeet

I've got an extra 100Mhz out of my VRAM since installing the VRAM heatsinks, up to 4050Mhz. Still testing but very stable so far in Far Cry 4.


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *error-id10t*
> 
> Me personally,
> 
> I downloaded the right version.
> Renamed it to .ROM file
> Disabled Devices via Device Manager
> Used nvflash to flash
> Enabled Devices via Device Manager
> Rebooted
> You could of course just use their GUI but it's pretty much the same thing, you still need the devices off or drivers uninstalled.


Do you only need to disable the GPU in device manager when using the Windows version of nvflash?


----------



## AngryGoldfish

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Do you only need to disable the GPU in device manager when using the Windows version of nvflash?


You don't need to entirely remove them, no. Not as far as I know. I've used nvflash a couple of times now after disabling the drivers and that's all that was recommended to me.


----------



## Irthizanovich

Happy as a bunny with my MSi 970 :3


----------



## awdrifter

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jasjeet*
> 
> Anyone tried some heatsinks like these on the rear GDDR5 chips?
> 
> http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/10-x-Aluminium-Memory-Chip-Cooler-Aluminium-Heatsink-DDR-RAM-UK-/221708938592?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item339ee1ed60
> 
> And what about some heatsink for the rear side VRM's?


I got ramsinks for my MSI GTX 970, it didn't improve the vram oc at all (but then I have the crappy Hynix chips).


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *AngryGoldfish*
> 
> You don't need to entirely remove them, no. Not as far as I know. I've used nvflash a couple of times now after disabling the drivers and that's all that was recommended to me.


Oh ok. How do you disable the drivers?


----------



## jasjeet

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Oh ok. How do you disable the drivers?


Disable the GPU in device manager.


----------



## AngryGoldfish

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Oh ok. How do you disable the drivers?


Device Manager - Display Drivers - Right-click GPU - Disable Drivers.

Make sure they're disabled right before extracting or flashing. I've found that certain tasks actually re-engage the drivers and you need to double check.


----------



## kevindd992002

Thanks!


----------



## P-39 Airacobra

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *rv8000*
> 
> Not well for all the models that aren't the FTW; cheaper components, voltage restrictions, low tdp limit, worse power delivery. Don't know much about the FTW card at this point I'll have to look into it, unless you care about the warranty and step-up I'd stay away from the EVGA cards if you're looking for good oc potential.
> The approximate length from the i/o plate on the inside to the end of the backplate is just under 12", there's a picture/measurement in the 970 owner's thread cannot find it while im at work
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> .


I would have to agree with this man! As a owner of a EVGA 970 SC ACX 2.0, I have no idea why EVGA would put a 4 phase vrm on a overclocked GPU, I have been more lucky than others, Mine can pass benchmarks and stressing without crashing, But I am honestly surprised that EVGA was able to even overclock past 100mhz with a PCB like that, Also my ram on the back of my card is not cooled at all, So it is probably a matter of time before those chips just burn up one day! But then other brands put the ram on the back too (But that is still no excuse), The only reason I even got a EVGA was because the place I bought it at only had EVGA, And that was the only place I could pay cash for a 970. Honestly I should have waited for them to get the reference clocked version in. But I could not wait. But my old HIS R9 270 ICQx2 is a much better made GPU, At'least it uses 5 phases, And I bet the HIS cooler even though it is a mini cooler would do better than the ACX 2.0 LOL.


----------



## awdrifter

Not sure if you can do anything to cool those VRM, but for the ram on the back of the card just buy a few ramsinks and stick them on the ram chips. I had to do that for my MSI GTX 970.


----------



## P-39 Airacobra

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *awdrifter*
> 
> Not sure if you can do anything to cool those VRM, but for the ram on the back of the card just buy a few ramsinks and stick them on the ram chips. I had to do that for my MSI GTX 970.


I forgot all about ramsinks! Thanks, That is a great idea, That is the only thing about the card that really concerns me. It will look ugly when I put them on, But functionality is all I care about.


----------



## mstrmind5

Would the backplate on the back of the MsI Gaming Million Edition provide any cooling benefits?


----------



## Vrbaa

I have throttling even on stock clocks with Gigabyte GTX970 G1. What should be a reason for that?


----------



## AngryGoldfish

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Vrbaa*
> 
> I have throttling even on stock clocks with Gigabyte GTX970 G1. What should be a reason for that?


I was experiencing this as well. I found that my voltages were not stable. I had to modify my BIOS to solve it. The thing is, my benchmark scores were not improved at all. Well, maybe a little, but it wasn't worth the hassle. Throttling is only an issue when you are looking for maximum overclocks for maximum scores, or when you're throttling by so much that it decreases stability and causes crashes or artefacts. If you throttle by 13Mhz every now and again, from my experience of removing the throttling, it's not a big deal.


----------



## G-Force

Hi all,

Could you please tell me if this 'Windforce' blue backlight can be turned off completely? If it were red, I would have no problem with it. But as such, it just doesn't go with my red-white theme.

Thanks!


----------



## neonraver

Yes you can, very easily. There is an option to switch it off in the GeForce Experience software under LED Visualizer. There are also other settings you can set it to such as pulse or flash to music. I'm sure that you could also mod it so it was a red LED; i've seen it done before.


----------



## G-Force

Thanks for your response! The idea of customizing it with red LED crossed my mind too. Only I'm not sure whether or not it would void the warranty.


----------



## G-Force

To be honest, I'm having a hard time deciding whether I need to upgrade from two of my Club 3D Radeon HD 7870XT jokerCards (Tahiti LE) in CrossFire and watercooled. Apart from getting PhysX effects in games optimized for Nvidia cards I can't see much benefits from getting this card. Or am I missing something?


----------



## awdrifter

Well, newer games will require 4GB or more of VRAM to run on max settings. If you want to run them at max then upgrading might be a good idea, although I'm not sure if I would've gotten the GTX970 had I knew about the 3.5GB issue.


----------



## Mahasin Raihan

So, if my concern is power efficiemcy, then i shoyld go with asus? And it's the cheapest in my country (only $20 difference, thiugh)


----------



## AngryGoldfish

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Mahasin Raihan*
> 
> So, if my concern is power efficiemcy, then i shoyld go with asus? And it's the cheapest in my country (only $20 difference, thiugh)


The difference in wattage is realistically not going to be very large, but yes, if you crave power efficiency then the lower spec models are better. The Mini-ITX version should also be an option for those looking for very low power draw.


----------



## wvrys

Hello,

I'm wondering to choice of the graphic card GTX 970. I have two types of graphic cards: MSI GTX 970 GAMING and Asus Strix GTX 970.

If MSI outperforming in something the Asus Strix? If Asus Strix outperforming in something the MSI?

Asus Strix GTX 970 is heavy graphic card is bending over in the slot PCI-E, but has a backplate, and MSI hasn't backplate. Unfortunately green version GTX 970 GAMING 100 ME isn't already available in my country.

Is it a truth, that the MSI card has an more efficient cooling and is quieter than Strix? And MSI reportedly has a better quality fans.

Which card is efficient, generally better?


----------



## Cyro999

They're very comparable cards. I had an MSI one; it has the ability to set a bit higher voltages and power limits than the Strix which can affect performance particularly in a few games and benchmarks, but it's small. Like 3-4% that's probably not there most of the time. One thing that annoyed me about the MSI gaming 970 was the inability to set fan speeds as high as i wanted, the max RPM was too low; Strix might be better in that regard. The Strix also has only one 8-pin power connector (MSI uses 2 connectors, either 6/6 or 8/6 iirc)


----------



## wvrys

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Cyro999*
> 
> They're very comparable cards. I had an MSI one; it has the ability to set a bit higher voltages and power limits than the Strix which can affect performance particularly in a few games and benchmarks, but it's small. Like 3-4% that's probably not there most of the time. One thing that annoyed me about the MSI gaming 970 was the inability to set fan speeds as high as i wanted, the max RPM was too low; Strix might be better in that regard. The Strix also has only one 8-pin power connector (MSI uses 2 connectors, either 6/6 or 8/6 iirc)


Ok, so which card is better choice? MSI or Asus?


----------



## awdrifter

I would choose the MSI. It has higher stock TDP limit so you can overclock higher before it throttles. It also have better power delivery (6+8 pin vs single 8 pin). My MSI GTX 970 Gaming 4G with modded bios can oc to 1583mhz on the core clock.


----------



## SC2Steven

Very Very useful thread guys, i was just looking over which model of 970 to pick in those days, i am lately seeing a lot of people going for msi gaming 970, and i do know that my case is not one of the biggest, now that i know that msi is the shorter and thinner cards between those 3 which all 3 were my decision pick (more the g1 and the msi, not really as the asus strix, i already had an asus card, not totally satisfied). i am sure i am going for msi 970 gaming then.
how is the MSI GTX 970 GAMING 4G TWIN FROZR V model anyways? as good as the msi 970 gaming? i did rea somewhere it's somehow better, i am getting it on amazon at the exact price of the msi 970 gaming, so my decision is actually only between those 2.


----------



## semitope

I'd wait for a few games before jumping on a 970. Division and Hitman for example. Not a good idea to go 970 and then 390 is significantly faster.


----------



## SC2Steven

with the budget i am getting on the videocard upgrade i for sure may jump on 390, maybe also on 390x, but i got not much encouraged by the benchmarks i browsed over the web.
plus on my z87g45 with haswell i5 4670k and 8 gb kingston memory, would anyways not sure at all to push 8gb vram , that TDP amount, and i am supporting till 384 bus bit, not 512.


----------



## Arkadietz

So when bottom of the line which is the best card now? Also why EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB FTW+ ACX 2.0+ Video Card (04G-P4-3978-KR) is not included in the comprasion? What about this video card?


----------



## Rigwizard

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Arkadietz*
> 
> So when bottom of the line which is the best card now? Also why EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB FTW+ ACX 2.0+ Video Card (04G-P4-3978-KR) is not included in the comprasion? What about this video card?


Probably because this thread was started two years a go and when the gtx970 first launched. EVGA at the time of launch didn't have their card fully ready. Seem to remember there was an issue with the cooling ?


----------

