980 Ti Availability

[waldoh]

Why no returns accepted?

I went with EVGA for 780 classy and was a little disappointed. Despite that acx 2.0 is supposed to be an improvement I am going to try gigabyte's windforce/g1 this time around. I would wait for msi lightning but the article on guru said about 2 months which is too long for me.

Just means they probably intend to unveil it at E3 for more publicity.

It would be curious if it was only available after 6/16 and no return accepted

 

[RaistlinZ]

Why no returns accepted?

Probably because they don't want to deal with people with buyer's remorse, or have to sell open box units at a loss. They probably offer RMA if it's defective, but I wouldn't expect them to accept returns of perfectly good cards.

 

[flexy]

Why no returns accepted?

I went with EVGA for 780 classy and was a little disappointed. Despite that acx 2.0 is supposed to be an improvement I am going to try gigabyte's windforce/g1 this time around. I would wait for msi lightning but the article on guru said about 2 months which is too long for me.

I don't know what's up with those ACX2.0 coolers and why, but I think those are really poor coolers *if* you're overclocking. To me it seems that pretty much any other make/vendor has better temps on their GPUs than what EVGA offers.

At default and if you don't OC, the ACX2.0 coolers are fine. Quiet. But dare you need to go over, say, 45% fan speed. 77C here on my GTX 970, requiring me 47% to keep the VRMs and the GPU at decent temps. This with EXCELLENT air flow, a great case (Fractal Design R2) and a biga$$ 140mm on the side blowing right onto the GPU.

 

[Pwndenburg]

Sorry to off topic, but, do you all think those models that turn the fans off up till 65C use weaker fans than in the past? I thought about using a fan profile, I suppose it really isn't necessary as my MSI 980 gaming has never gone over 68C with moderate oc (120 on core and just 100 on memory).

 

[RussianSensation]

Sorry to off topic, but, do you all think those models that turn the fans off up till 65C use weaker fans than in the past? I thought about using a fan profile, I suppose it really isn't necessary as my MSI 980 gaming has never gone over 68C with moderate oc (120 on core and just 100 on memory).

Not really, it's just a way to reduce unnecessary noise levels. It's a win-win situation:

1) Much higher base/boost clocks out of the box => more guaranteed performance for $20-30 extra
2) Much quieter at idle and load
3) Actually bearable when overclocking -> the reference card overclocked is a jet engine even at 70%, nevermind 100%.

Of course not all open air coolers are created equal. On the NV side, MSI Gaming, Gigabyte Windforce and Asus Strix are much better than EVGA's ACX 2.0.

If your case has decent airflow and you value both overclocking, low temperatures and quiet noise levels, an after-market 980Ti is superior in these areas vs. a reference blower one. A reference blower card is more targeted for multiple SLI setup usage model and for smaller cases with very poor/constrained airflow.

 

[flexy]

The ACX2.0 fans sure are anything but "weak" fans, in fact they have ball bearings which makes them louder than some other fans. (EVGA is advertizing this as a feature, supposedly making the fans last longer, like this matters...). They're also spinning up to 4000RPM at 100% (which is crazy), and overall I wouldn't see them as "weak" whatsoever. (All you need to do is set them to 50% or 60%, just by listening to them it's clear those are some heavy duty fans

As for ZERO at idle, I can totally live with a fan spinning at IDLE at 20% or so, in-fact this is what I set with my custom fan curve. Up to 40%, those fans are very quiet. The problem really once they exceed 45% or so. Which sadly you have to do to keep temps in check when you OC)

(PS. The fans of my Gigabyte GTX 660 TI is what you might call "weak" fans, MUCH quiter than the ACX2.0...and probably and ironically, such as with the GTX 970 G1 better performance too. I can only dream of temps below 70C at *acceptable* noise levels. YES, the ACX2.0 cools excellently...but it's LOUD..and I am not even a silent freak)

 

[007ELmO]

Almost all EVGA models of 980 TI are currently in stock on new egg.

I'm personally looking for something that will push high frames at 1080p and do it quietly. Is the 980TI a good choice? I think I'm going to put the PC in the basement and route HDMI and USB controllers through the wall to keep the sound away!

 

[RussianSensation]

Almost all EVGA models of 980 TI are currently in stock on new egg.

I'm personally looking for something that will push high frames at 1080p and do it quietly. Is the 980TI a good choice? I think I'm going to put the PC in the basement and route HDMI and USB controllers through the wall to keep the sound away!

A reference 980Ti is not a great choice then. May want to wait for MSI Gaming 980Ti.

 

[007ELmO]

Thank you

 

[Pwndenburg]

Not really looking to upgrade, just wish to take the best care of my current 980 possible. It may have to last me quite awhile given how NV is slowly leaking out performance these days. I'm truly hopeful that AMD can put some pressure back on them in the coming couple years.