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[Paradicia]

Hey guys, I've been out of the desktop PC gaming loop for quite some time now. I've been gaming mainly on my laptop and I was just wondering if it would be worth my while upgrading my 2 year old PC with a GTX 970.. or wait until later this year for a batch of newly released cards? My laptop is great for running certain games but the 755m is starting to struggle at higher resolutions with all these new releases that have recently come out.

 

[Parsnip]

Not sure which one you're talking about. Doesn't the G1 use the WindForce 3 cooler?

Yes, It's called the G1 though. It is a very very good card.

Sorry, I was specifically looking at the GV-N970WF3OC-4GD, not the GV-N970G1-GAMING-4GD.
They seem very close except for the clocks which are 1114/boost 1253 vs 1178/1329, plus the G1 has a backplate so the card is sturdier. Maybe the backplateless card sags? The price hike is from €379 to €419 on the store I usually use, I think I'm going to need to check my options.

I'm specifically after a mostly silent card so I gravitated towards this one without checking other options.

 

[Naked Snake]

Sorry, I was specifically looking at the GV-N970WF3OC-4GD, not the GV-N970G1-GAMING-4GD.
They seem very close except for the clocks which are 1114/boost 1253 vs 1178/1329, plus the G1 has a backplate so the card is sturdier. Maybe the backplateless card sags? The price hike is from €379 to €419 on the store I usually use, I think I'm going to need to check my options.

I'm specifically after a mostly silent card so I gravitated towards this one without checking other options.

Backplate is not important. I think I read somewhere that the non G1 card has a different cooler under the fans (one less heatpipe or different material, can't remember), which if true would make its cooling a little less effective than the G1.

In either case, these cards are definitely NOT the quietest 970s out there. Three small fans will make more noise than two larger ones. It also has a rather aggressive fan curve. The MSI Gaming and Asus Strix are the most silent ones.

Edit: Just noticed you said "mostly silent" and not "most silent". I have the G1 and I don't find it noisy at all. I can hear its fans running though. And luckily mine has absolutely zero coil whine, at least in normal usage and gaming.

 

[Alasfree]

Has Nvidia been notified about this apparent VRAM behavior problem?
Is there a thread on their forum about it for example?

There is https://forums.geforce.com/default/topic/803518/geforce-900-series/gtx-970-3-5gb-vram-issue/1/
I noticed the problem again with my Asus 970 in the evolve beta.
Maybe if some site like Techreport or Pcper make an article about it Nvidia will say something faster.

 

[Parsnip]

Backplate is not important. I think I read somewhere that the non G1 card has a different cooler under the fans (one less heatpipe or different material, can't remember), which if true would make its cooling a little less effective than the G1.

In either case, these cards are definitely NOT the quietest 970s out there. Three small fans will make more noise than two larger ones. It also has a rather aggressive fan curve. The MSI Gaming and Asus Strix are the most silent ones.

Edit: Just noticed you said "mostly silent" and not "most silent". I have the G1 and I don't find it noisy at all. I can hear its fans running though. And luckily mine has absolutely zero coil whine, at least in normal usage and gaming.

That Asus Strix card looks like a solid buy and is actually cheaper than G1.
Decisions decisions.

Either way I'm probably going to wait and see what the conclusion to this VRAM story is.
Though it seems like guru3d thread about the issue has been closed and nothing came of it.

 

[Undead Hero]

This is probably old news, but is there a way to cap your FPS on a system level? I have a 970, playing Far Cry 4 on ultra with ~ 70 FPS, but I notice that on menus and whatnot the framerate jumps to 300-600, and my GPU starts making a lot of noise. It sounds like the fans are going nuts, is this the coil whine? Anyways... is there a way to cap FPS at like 120 to avoid this?

 

[Dictator93]

This is probably old news, but is there a way to cap your FPS on a system level? I have a 970, playing Far Cry 4 on ultra with ~ 70 FPS, but I notice that on menus and whatnot the framerate jumps to 300-600, and my GPU starts making a lot of noise. It sounds like the fans are going nuts, is this the coil whine? Anyways... is there a way to cap FPS at like 120 to avoid this?

Take advantage of The frame limitee in the Nvidia drivers, or what I find better, in the one available through the OSD in MSI afterburner (Rivatuner).

 

[jfoul]

EVGA is offering step-up from the FTW/SSC to FTW+/SSC+.

 

[Dries]

I'm crashing to desktop a lot while DSR'ing Metro 2033 Redux. Does this sound familiair to anyone?

 

[Ryne]

FTW+ is also up on newegg.ca for 479 CAD. I'm still up in the air regarding buying that card or a 980. I have the budget for both really.

 

[garath]

EVGA is offering step-up from the FTW/SSC to FTW+/SSC+.

They are? Whoa. Whats the step up price? The FTW was the same price as the ftw+

Edit: based on the step up page I'll just have to pay for shipping. Pretty cool. I think I'm going to queue up for it. Only because I believe theres a good chance it might address the coil whine.

It'll suck to be without my card for awhile though I'll be going back to a 460 since I lent my 660 to a friend.

I like the ftw so the ftw+ should be even better.

 

[Deleted member 102362]

EVGA is offering step-up from the FTW/SSC to FTW+/SSC+.

Does this apply to FTW cards that were themselves stepped-up to?

Of course even if they did allow that, I'm not sure I can justify the costs involved in doing so.

 

[Ryne]

I went in on the FTW+ version. The price difference between the 980 and 970 swung me over, since I can buy more ram and another case fan along with the 970 FTW+ for less than the cost of one 980.

 

[garath]

Hmm.. I had a promo code from Newegg that I'm not sure if that counts as the "price paid" in the step up program. They specifically state a rebate but don't say anything about merchant promos. I guess I'll just put in the price after promo code and they'll change it if necessary? Dunno.

It's only $10 either way.

edit: I went with the line item price. They'll change it afterwards after reviewing the invoice if necessary. I'm in the queue!

 

[GearDraxon]

Does this apply to FTW cards that were themselves stepped-up to?

Of course even if they did allow that, I'm not sure I can justify the costs involved in doing so.

Nope, they don't allow Stepping-Up from a Step-Up. Or at least, they haven't in the past.

 

[nicoga3000]

I asked in the PC thread, but I figured you guys may be able to help me out, too.

Looking to upgrade from my 770 to a 970. Will I see a big enough performance boost to justify the price? And can I just leave my 770 in to be a dedicated PhysX card at that point?

 

[BennyBlanco]

I asked in the PC thread, but I figured you guys may be able to help me out, too.

Looking to upgrade from my 770 to a 970. Will I see a big enough performance boost to justify the price? And can I just leave my 770 in to be a dedicated PhysX card at that point?

If it's the 4 gig 770, personally, I wouldn't bother.

 

[Corpekata]

I upgraded from 770 to 970 and I'm happy with it. But I had the 2gb and I also sold it afterward so I recouped a decent chunk of my cost.

 

[opticalmace]

I asked in the PC thread, but I figured you guys may be able to help me out, too.

Looking to upgrade from my 770 to a 970. Will I see a big enough performance boost to justify the price? And can I just leave my 770 in to be a dedicated PhysX card at that point?

I wouldn't bother personally. And I think dedicated PhysX cards are a waste.

 

[magnumpy]

potential new heatsink design?

https://semiaccurate.com/2015/01/06/coolchip-technologies-turns-fan-heatsink/

on the right; the whole thing spins, the fan as well as the heatsink. they claim it provides 50% better cooling at 30db less noise. from what I can tell, it's going to be marketed as an after-market cooler, to be sold by Cooler Master. I wonder how this would perform with some heat-pipes attached to the bottom side...

 

[TC McQueen]

potential new heatsink design?

https://semiaccurate.com/2015/01/06/...-fan-heatsink/

on the right; the whole thing spins, the fan as well as the heatsink. they claim it provides 50% better cooling at 30db less noise. from what I can tell, it's going to be marketed as an after-market cooler, to be sold by Cooler Master. I wonder how this would perform with some heat-pipes attached to the bottom side...

That's not going to be on GPUs for at least another year or two after the first CPU kinetic coolers go to market (which is sometime this year). You'd need to completely retool the GPU cooler manufacturing processes before you see any GPUs with these kinds of coolers, which will cost the major GPU vendors a decent amount of money.

 

[JaseC]

Hey guys, I've been out of the desktop PC gaming loop for quite some time now. I've been gaming mainly on my laptop and I was just wondering if it would be worth my while upgrading my 2 year old PC with a GTX 970.. or wait until later this year for a batch of newly released cards? My laptop is great for running certain games but the 755m is starting to struggle at higher resolutions with all these new releases that have recently come out.

Depends on the specs of your PC. There's little point in buying a 970 if your CPU is going to severely limit it.

 

[magnumpy]

That's not going to be on GPUs for at least another year or two after the first CPU kinetic coolers go to market (which is sometime this year). You'd need to completely retool the GPU cooler manufacturing processes before you see any GPUs with these kinds of coolers, which will cost the major GPU vendors a decent amount of money.

completely re-tool? but they have already released similar coolers in the past

 

[Afro]

Hmm.. I had a promo code from Newegg that I'm not sure if that counts as the "price paid" in the step up program. They specifically state a rebate but don't say anything about merchant promos. I guess I'll just put in the price after promo code and they'll change it if necessary? Dunno.

It's only $10 either way.

edit: I went with the line item price. They'll change it afterwards after reviewing the invoice if necessary. I'm in the queue!

I'm in the queue too. What do I need to send back besides the card? The 6-pin cables, DVI to VGA adapter, driver disc, etc? Are they picky about that stuff?

 

[tuxfool]

completely re-tool? but they have already released similar coolers in the past

That is a regular fan cooler, kinetic coolers rotate part of the heat sink. Also it doesn't dissipate that much heat.

That's not going to be on GPUs for at least another year or two after the first CPU kinetic coolers go to market (which is sometime this year). You'd need to completely retool the GPU cooler manufacturing processes before you see any GPUs with these kinds of coolers, which will cost the major GPU vendors a decent amount of money.

I'm not convinced those kinetic coolers are adequate for GPUs. Firstly, high end GPUs produce much more heat than processors. Secondly, most graphics cards are mounted vertically. These kinetic coolers only work they way they do because the design tolerances are so tight that the rotating head conducts heat whilst floating on top of the base plate; by turning it on its side gravity is going to pull the heavy head downwards.

 

[garath]

I'm in the queue too. What do I need to send back besides the card? The 6-pin cables, DVI to VGA adapter, driver disc, etc? Are they picky about that stuff?

The original product and all accessories that came with the original package is what they say.. I guess they're picky.

edit: I don't think it came with much though.. I don't remember anything major,.

 

[magnumpy]

That is a regular fan cooler. Also it doesn't dissipate that much heat.



I'm not convinced those kinetic coolers are adequate for GPUs. Firstly, high end GPUs produce much more heat than processors. Secondly, most graphics cards are mounted vertically. These kinetic coolers only work they way they do because the design tolerances are so tight that the rotating head conducts heat whilst floating on top of the base plate; by turning it on its side gravity is going to pull the heavy head downwards.

well for high end GPUs it's probably not a good match as is. but even for CPUs the design tolerances have to allow for arbitrary orientation. this is a new design after all, who knows what future applications may hold. it could be a good match for a GTX 960.

 

[tuxfool]

well for high end GPUs it's probably not a good match as is. but even for CPUs the design tolerances have to allow for arbitrary orientation. this is a new design after all, who knows what future applications may hold. it could be a good match for a GTX 960.

It might be that the grooves are wide enough to allow some droop without undue friction. The application for mid end gpus is also going to be limited because it is more expensive to produce. Mid end parts get mid end cooling.

What this will be used in is ready made SFF PCs where space is a premium.A good cooler enables them to push the current thermal limits imposed by tiny heatsinks.

 

[magnumpy]

It might be that the grooves are wide enough to allow some droop without undue friction. The application for mid end gpus is also going to be limited because it is more expensive to produce. Mid end parts get mid end cooling.

What this will be used in is ready made SFF PCs where space is a premium.A good cooler enables them to push the current thermal limits imposed by tiny heatsinks.

well as long as we're being pedantic, the only application I've heard of so far is for aftermarket coolers. if they have a contract for use in pre-built computers that's news to me. I'm assuming they own a patent on the concept, and license the patent through cooler master.

cooling of parts is less about what is cheapest than what is necessary. after all, it would be cheaper to not include any sort of heatsink/fan at all. so why don't we see more GPUs without those extra parts? because they are necessary for the device to function.

 

[Honey Bunny]

My G1 970 goes up to 1430mhz without any overclocking. I'm pretty impressed.

 

[TC McQueen]

I'm not convinced those kinetic coolers are adequate for GPUs. Firstly, high end GPUs produce much more heat than processors. Secondly, most graphics cards are mounted vertically. These kinetic coolers only work they way they do because the design tolerances are so tight that the rotating head conducts heat whilst floating on top of the base plate; by turning it on its side gravity is going to pull the heavy head downwards.

Based on the Sandia (the company that originally developed the kinetic cooler design) reports, you can orient it in any direction. And since the first models available to consumers are going to be for CPUs, which are typically mounted parallel to the CPU and perpendicular to the case's bottom, that's not a problem.

well as long as we're being pedantic, the only application I've heard of so far is for aftermarket coolers. if they have a contract for use in pre-built computers that's news to me. I'm assuming they own a patent on the concept, and license the patent through cooler master.

Sandia owns the patent, IIRC, and Coolchip licensed it before teaming up with Cooler Master for the CPU version. But Sandia has said that the kinetic cooler can be used on tons of stuff that generates heat, from servers to air conditioners, so this is just the beginning of the roll out.

 

[reKon]

When will the 970 hit that $250 price point? I'm in no rush the buy a GPU and will be gaming on a 1080P TV, so I imagine that I should be good with this card for the next few years playing on high settings for games? I mainly plan on playing Starcraft II, sports games like NBA 2K15, indie games, Dolphin, and RPGs like Witcher 3.

 

[The Llama]

When will the 970 hit that $250 price point? I'm in no rush the buy a GPU and will be gaming on a 1080P TV, so I imagine that I should be good with this card for the next few years playing on high settings for games? I mainly plan on playing Starcraft II, sports games like NBA 2K15, indie games, Dolphin, and RPGs like Witcher 3.

Probably never.

 

[Sir Abacus]

potential new heatsink design?

https://semiaccurate.com/2015/01/06/coolchip-technologies-turns-fan-heatsink/

on the right; the whole thing spins, the fan as well as the heatsink. they claim it provides 50% better cooling at 30db less noise. from what I can tell, it's going to be marketed as an after-market cooler, to be sold by Cooler Master. I wonder how this would perform with some heat-pipes attached to the bottom side...

Charlie Demerjian is a useless twat who shouldn't be trusted any further than you can throw him.

Time and again he purports baseless speculation and his own crackpot theories as news. He was so bad at it he got fired from The Inquirer.

 

[tuxfool]

cooling of parts is less about what is cheapest than what is necessary. after all, it would be cheaper to not include any sort of heatsink/fan at all. so why don't we see more GPUs without those extra parts? because they are necessary for the device to function.

They use whatever is cheapest that gets the job done. Seeing as mid-end gpus get on fine with cheaper Heatsinks, manufacturers wouldn't bother with a quieter, more efficient but more expensive heatsink. That is unless they can charge a premium for it, as margins in the mainstream are razor thin, unlike the high end.

 

[magnumpy]

Based on the Sandia (the company that originally developed the kinetic cooler design) reports, you can orient it in any direction. And since the first models available to consumers are going to be for CPUs, which are typically mounted parallel to the CPU and perpendicular to the case's bottom, that's not a problem.


Sandia owns the patent, IIRC, and Coolchip licensed it before teaming up with Cooler Master for the CPU version. But Sandia has said that the kinetic cooler can be used on tons of stuff that generates heat, from servers to air conditioners, so this is just the beginning of the roll out.

I see. it will be on my radar for the future.

Charlie Demerjian is a useless twat who shouldn't be trusted any further than you can throw him.

Time and again he purports baseless speculation and his own crackpot theories as news. He was so bad at it he got fired from The Inquirer.

hey, you're preaching to the choir about Charlie Demerjian. I can't believe he is charging a membership fee for complete access to his site, especially when there are so many more reputable sites free of charge.

They use whatever is cheapest that gets the job done. Seeing as mid-end gpus get on fine with cheaper Heatsinks, manufacturers wouldn't bother with a quieter, more efficient but more expensive heatsink. That is unless they can charge a premium for it, as margins in the mainstream are razor thin, unlike the high end.

they can, for example the Gigabyte Windforce cards are sold at a premium due to their coolers.

 

[tuxfool]

they can, for example the Gigabyte Windforce cards are sold at a premium due to their coolers.

Those premiums are found in the higher end. The mid-range windforce cards aren't that spectacular, there is no way they could be, as one does not gain much from extreme cooling on a card that doesn't need it.

They might be charging a premium for the brand name and silicon binning, but I doubt it is for a much more expensive cooler. In the end usage of a kinetic cooler would depend on where the it falls on the cost-performance line.

 

[GearDraxon]

I'm in the queue too. What do I need to send back besides the card? The 6-pin cables, DVI to VGA adapter, driver disc, etc? Are they picky about that stuff?

I didn't include the 6-pin cables, and I believe I still got full credit for my Step-Up.

 

[MizzouRah]

I asked in the PC thread, but I figured you guys may be able to help me out, too.

Looking to upgrade from my 770 to a 970. Will I see a big enough performance boost to justify the price? And can I just leave my 770 in to be a dedicated PhysX card at that point?

I upgraded from a 2 GB 770. Sold it for $300, I think. I had just grabbed a VG248QE 144hz monitor, so I wanted something that could stretch it's legs.

Picked up a G1 Gaming 970, and then a couple of weeks later picked up a second to run in SLI.

Then I picked up two more VG248QEs... it's a slippery slope.

 

[magnumpy]

Those premiums are found in the higher end. The mid-range windforce cards aren't that spectacular, there is no way they could be, as one does not gain much from extreme cooling on a card that doesn't need it.

They might be charging a premium for the brand name and silicon binning, but I doubt it is for a much more expensive cooler. In the end usage of a kinetic cooler would depend on where the it falls on the cost-performance line.

it may be overkill, but the EVGA "ACX Cooling" cards are sold for a premium due to their coolers. that goes for their 750ti cards as well, which are certainly anything but high end. but they do average $20 more than the reference 750ti cards.

 

[Undead Hero]

So bizarre... So I wasn't experiencing coil whine. I just assumed that was what was going on because I'd heard so much about it. It turns out that by default my 970 ACX 2.0 had the fans turned off, unless it got close to 90 degrees, at which point it blasted the fans for 5-10 seconds. It was so loud my friend over skype thought someone was vacuuming in the room. I checked my case to see if there was an airflow issue, and after feeling that the card was super hot to the touch, I discovered that the fans weren't spinning at all. I had to go into EVGA PrecisionX and enable the automatic fan control. So damn weird that that wasn't on by default. Running super cool with no issues now.

 

[broncobuster]

EVGA is offering step-up from the FTW/SSC to FTW+/SSC+.

Is the FTW+ much improved over the FTW to be worth it?

 

[garath]

Is the FTW+ much improved over the FTW to be worth it?

If my FTW didn't have any coil whine at all, my answer would be definitely not.

However, I'm paying to see if the FTW+ resolves the light coil whine I have on my FTW.

 

[jfoul]

Is the FTW+ much improved over the FTW to be worth it?

New Features:

• Included Backplate with thermal pads cooling topside memory
• Dual Bios
• MMCP – Memory MOSFET Cooling Plate
• New heatsink with straight copper pipes
• 6 Phase Power
• Higher power limit with 8+6 pin power connect
• New video output config (DVI-I, HDMI, DP, DP)

Even the SSC+ is better than the original FTW. I'm pretty sure EVGA is also allowing step-up up from the FTW to the SSC+. The SSC+ has all of the above improvements except the backplate with memory cooling and slightly lower clocks.

 

[THE:MILKMAN]

My brother is having a EVGA 970 SSC (3975 KR) delivered tomorrow after a few months saving. He'll be going from a Sapphire HD 6850 so he should be in for a treat.

 

[thewhitehawk]

Should I upgrade to a 970 from a 670?

There aren't that many games that you can't play with quite good settings with the 670. I'm quite satisfied with mine and I don't think I'll upgrade within the next 12 months. I may not get 60fps in all games, but in most of the ones I play the framerate sits comfortably above it with near-maximum settings and that's good enough for me.

 

[JimmyRustler]

So I'm pretty soon gonna buy a whole new PC and can't decide which 970 GTX I should buy. Any suggestions? The one from Gigabyte or Asus? Heard the one from Gigabyte has the most juice but the one from Asus seems more fitting as my mainboard will also be from Asus (ASUS ROG Maximus VII Formula). What do GAF experts say?

 

[nicoga3000]

So I'm pretty soon gonna buy a whole new PC and can't decide which 970 GTX I should buy. Any suggestions? The one from Gigabyte or Asus? Heard the one from Gigabyte has the most juice but the one from Asus seems more fitting as my mainboard will also be from Asus (ASUS ROG Maximus VII Formula). What do GAF experts say?

Someone suggested this one to me in the PC thread. I bought it and will be installing it when I get home from work.

 

[Dreams-Visions]

guess i better get in the step up line.

 

[garath]

Someone suggested this one to me in the PC thread. I bought it and will be installing it when I get home from work.

EVGA is probably my top choice right now. I have a FTW and stepping up to a FTW+. I didn't like my ASUS - lowest base clock, poor overclocker, louder coil whine than my EVGA. I like the support EVGA shows their products as well.

guess i better get in the step up line.

Yeah. I was on day 80 of the 90 day window when I put in for it. I have a feeling it'll be a few weeks at least before I get out of the queue. The cards are STILL in high demand.