Replacement for GTX 970

[tweakboy]

Try 980 and you will pown ... gl

 

[Face2Face]

Barely any difference between the two at 1080p performance wise .

 

[ginfest]

Problem solved!
First, I wanted to trade in the card because i usually buy a card every 12-18 months and think the 970 has lost it's resale value due to the issues.
Second, I feel like the 290X is a step backwards even though the price was right. Also, with the price falling as we speak, the 290X will be worth even less when the next gen arrives.
So I went with the EVGA 980 SC for $200.00 more. I'll use the EVGA step up program for the next gen. If I go 390X , the 980 will bring me more $$ to put toward it.
Thanks for all the advice

 

[96Firebird]

Remember to register your card within 14 days if you plan on using the step-up feature.

 

[ocre]

That's the problem with this whole situation. Everywhere people keep pushing down the 970 and how bad it is because of the segmented ram. This is pushing people to return their cards but no one is telling them that after all their efforts and hassle at best the will most likely end up with a side grade. Segmented ram or not, the 970 is still one of the most powerful single card options there is.as much as people try to paint it bad, its actually a very great performing GPU that sips power unlike anything ever before.

OP, people might bash on the fact you ended up with a 980 like they have on me. I had little options as that's all bestbuy had worth getting. But seriously, who would want to end up with a side grade anyway, especially after all the hassle?

I think if people are upset and feel like they were lied to then that is a whole different issue. If that bothers ppl, vote with your wallet next time around.

The performance of the 970 is still very strong. AMD doesn't have anything that compelling right now. People push the issue but there is no way better option rig now. So this is why people end up with 980s, cause they don't really care for a sidegrade that uses 100watts more power

 

[2is]

That's the problem with this whole situation. Everywhere people keep pushing down the 970 and how bad it is because of the segmented ram. This is pushing people to return their cards but no one is telling them that after all their efforts and hassle at best the will most likely end up with a side grade. Segmented ram or not, the 970 is still one of the most powerful single card options there is.as much as people try to paint it bad, its actually a very great performing GPU that sips power unlike anything ever before.

OP, people might bash on the fact you ended up with a 980 like they have on me. I had little options as that's all bestbuy had worth getting. But seriously, who would want to end up with a side grade anyway, especially after all the hassle?

I think if people are upset and feel like they were lied to then that is a whole different issue. If that bothers ppl, vote with your wallet next time around.

The performance of the 970 is still very strong. AMD doesn't have anything that compelling right now. People push the issue but there is no way better option rig now. So this is why people end up with 980s, cause they don't really care for a sidegrade that uses 100watts more power

People don't want to simply give NVidia a pass on these types of shenanigans, and I don't blame them. Some are willing to side grade for that very reason alone, and again, I can't blame them. Most of us have invested many thousands of dollars into NVidia products over the course of our lifetime and deserve better than to be deceived. People are doing what they should be doing. Expressing their dislike of the situation with their $$$ which is the only thing that even has a remote chance of ensuring something like this doesn't happen again. There needs to be accountability, there needs to be consequences.

Saying you can't get a better card for the same amount of money doesn't change the fact that you got a lesser card than you paid for.

 

[Creig]

The performance of the 970 is still very strong. AMD doesn't have anything that compelling right now. People push the issue but there is no way better option rig now. So this is why people end up with 980s, cause they don't really care for a sidegrade that uses 100watts more power

AMD has very compelling options right now. R9 290X cards are less expensive than 970's and offer roughly equivalent performance. The 290, while being slightly slower than the 970, is much less expensive. The 290/290X also have 4.0GB of full speed VRAM while the 970 rarely uses more than 3.5GB due to its segmented memory configuration.

Many people here and on other forums have returned their 970's and purchased a 290 or 290X instead. Some due to stuttering in SLI at high resolution, some because they are afraid that the 3.5GB + 0.5GB configuration will prove to struggle with future games, some because they feel resale value of their 970 will be lower due to its revised specs and some because they simply don't like Nvidia's corporate decisions throughout this whole fiasco.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

That's the problem with this whole situation. Everywhere people keep pushing down the 970 and how bad it is because of the segmented ram. This is pushing people to return their cards but no one is telling them that after all their efforts and hassle at best the will most likely end up with a side grade. Segmented ram or not, the 970 is still one of the most powerful single card options there is.as much as people try to paint it bad, its actually a very great performing GPU that sips power unlike anything ever before.

OP, people might bash on the fact you ended up with a 980 like they have on me. I had little options as that's all bestbuy had worth getting. But seriously, who would want to end up with a side grade anyway, especially after all the hassle?

I think if people are upset and feel like they were lied to then that is a whole different issue. If that bothers ppl, vote with your wallet next time around.

The performance of the 970 is still very strong. AMD doesn't have anything that compelling right now. People push the issue but there is no way better option rig now. So this is why people end up with 980s, cause they don't really care for a sidegrade that uses 100watts more power

First, be careful about using any single observation as indication of a trend: I am about to do that very thing. Second, I tend to agree about the card's performance and the true nature of the RAM issue, but there is such a thing as a herd mentality, and we're all part of it. And third, observations about behavior could be correct, but this is always speculation about something that hasn't yet happened. Some people have made quick decisions to turn over their 970's based on uncertainty about both the card and its second-hand future.

Now for the "single observation." I'm almost ashamed to admit that I spent more for the MSI "Golden" version because I wanted the backplate. I originally thought I might have actually made my own backplate, but I've now heard -- or come to understand -- that it is actually a heatsink of sorts.

The Golden version actually increased in price at the Egg during the last couple weeks or so, but only by about $5 or $10. It seemed that its popularity left the Egg temporarily out-of-stock for the item.

As to customer-reviews, we all like to take those with a grain of salt, although they are a source of information worth analyzing. The ratings for my card are pretty strong, though, despite some folks complaining about the great RAM scandal.

 

[Headfoot]

The performance of the 970 is still very strong. AMD doesn't have anything that compelling right now. People push the issue but there is no way better option rig now. So this is why people end up with 980s, cause they don't really care for a sidegrade that uses 100watts more power

Is this a joke?

The R9 290 when it goes on sale for $250 is as good of a value as the 8800 GT was when it came out. 15-20% slower than the top end card available for half the money. It's 2014's 8800 GT. Unless you didn't think the 8800 GT was compelling too... It's certainly not the performance champ if that's what you mean.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Is this a joke?

The R9 290 when it goes on sale for $250 is as good of a value as the 8800 GT was when it came out. 15-20% slower than the top end card available for half the money. It's 2014's 8800 GT. Unless you didn't think the 8800 GT was compelling too... It's certainly not the performance champ if that's what you mean.

I like to think that "I know" heatpipe coolers, because I'd done a lot of digging over several years, tried various models, and so on. I use this as an example here: I overlooked the performance of one particular cooler model, and it seemed to have been missed by others. I tested the model in a comparison, and the review that I'd found touting it was proven accurate. This occurred over a three-year time-span. The cooler in question didn't have many speaking for it, and a lot of folks were focused in their herd mentality on the Noctua D14 and D15, while this other obscure choice wasn't nearly as massive as those models.

Testing video cards is a much more complicated matter. And unlike the cooler market, there are basically two dominant firms in the market place, each offering several models and "product differentiation." Certainly, the 970 was planned to be a lower performer than the 980. Similarly with the Radeons.

I'm reasonably satisfied with the power-saving features, though. If power-consumption isn't a primary concern, I can see choosing a Radeon card.

I mildly bristle at the review sources I'd read about the card, though. They weren't the ones who uncovered the memory segmentation. I didn't fail to do my homework in the aspect of review-reading, even if I didn't take months to do it. What would we be saying if we knew little or nothing about the 500MB? I can also say that "4GB" was not my primary choice criterion, although "More is Better." Am I misinformed or overgeneralizing with this? All the newest cards in the top tiers are sporting 4GB, so . . .

 

[clok1966]

reading all this and thinking what whiners, I picked up a 7990 and held on hope, even dismissed most of the complaints. I'm here reading as I will be changing card. I even crusaded a bit for it, at first it seemed to be ok and I never noticed many of the problems it has. Sadly simple games (l4d2 one i play regularly) don't like the card, I get extreme stutter. I was here to see if there was some Objective talk on cards. man the love/hate between fanboys is strong. I was thinking a 970 (sli later) or a 290X, from some simple reading it looks like the are close in performance, not equal, but close. The ATI is a heat and power machine, the 970 looks to be considerably quieter, and cooler and lower power. But the cost is more on the 970.. so right now its a bit in the air. I must say (ati has been my boy, not going to deny it, and the 7990 hasn't soured me) but the heat/power is leaning me to a 970. BUT, talk of next gen, any ideas on when this will pass?

 

[Headfoot]

reading all this and thinking what whiners, I picked up a 7990 and held on hope, even dismissed most of the complaints. I'm here reading as I will be changing card. I even crusaded a bit for it, at first it seemed to be ok and I never noticed many of the problems it has. Sadly simple games (l4d2 one i play regularly) don't like the card, I get extreme stutter. I was here to see if there was some Objective talk on cards. man the love/hate between fanboys is strong. I was thinking a 970 (sli later) or a 290X, from some simple reading it looks like the are close in performance, not equal, but close. The ATI is a heat and power machine, the 970 looks to be considerably quieter, and cooler and lower power. But the cost is more on the 970.. so right now its a bit in the air. I must say (ati has been my boy, not going to deny it, and the 7990 hasn't soured me) but the heat/power is leaning me to a 970. BUT, talk of next gen, any ideas on when this will pass?

Why do you care about heat and power? 970 vs 290 uses realistically about 40w more in actual gaming (nitpickers: aftermarket vs. aftermarket. Don't quote me stock 290 numbers...). If you have a well ventilated case, its pretty irrelevant. The cost of the electricity over time would take years and years to overcome how much cheaper a 290 is versus a 970.

40-60w of increased power usage is completely irrelevant for most enthusiasts. The only time it might matter is if you're doing something like HTPC where it's in a tiny case, inside of an enclosed entertainment center (e.g. worst case scenario airflow). If you really care about power use, buy LED light bulbs and get a 10x increase in power efficiency over incandescents, and 4x over CFL.

Ask yourself: what's really going to be different between the 970 and the 290 that I actually notice in real world use? 1) Cost, 2) FPS, 3) Proprietary features (PhysX, Mantle, etc.)

 

[jackstar7]

reading all this and thinking what whiners, I picked up a 7990 and held on hope, even dismissed most of the complaints.

If you don't mind, what is the rest of your system?

I'm using a 7990 without issues and I regularly play L4D2 and do not see stutter.

Just curious how your setup differs and if there's some other cause than the 7990, as mine has been a champ since purchase and it's why I've cared little for the 29x and 9xx series as they aren't enough gains for the possible downgrade.

 

[kasakka]

Is this a joke?

The R9 290 when it goes on sale for is as good of a value as the 8800 GT was when it came out. 15-20% slower than the top end card available for half the money. It's 2014's 8800 GT. Unless you didn't think the 8800 GT was compelling too... It's certainly not the performance champ if that's what you mean.

While this may be true for the US, in Europe the prices for 290X and 970 are neck and neck and the 290 is only about 40 euros cheaper.

I've been mulling over sending my two 970 cards back but unfortunately don't see much in the form of alternatives especially since I have a G-Sync display. I don't think I'd ever be able to recoup the over 400 euros extra upgrading to 980 SLI would cost when selling as the top end cards tend to get the biggest price cuts when competition and new models hits.

While I'm not happy with Nvidias deception about the specs, everything except Shadow of Mordor on Ultra textures (High is fine even at 4K DSR) works great. Far Cry 4 at 4K DSR + 2xMSAA runs well (4xMSAA is stuttering but then it already eats all the VRAM anyway and MSAA isn't a good fit for the game anyway), so does CoD AW at 2x supersampling (4K). Considering my regular settings are "only" 1440p with SMAA for every game I doubt I'll be in much trouble with the 970s.

 

[ocre]

I don't guess my post was clear enough, I was at work and didn't have a lot of time.

AMD has very compelling options right now. R9 290X cards are less expensive than 970's and offer roughly equivalent performance. The 290, while being slightly slower than the 970, is much less expensive. The 290/290X also have 4.0GB of full speed VRAM while the 970 rarely uses more than 3.5GB due to its segmented memory configuration.

Many people here and on other forums have returned their 970's and purchased a 290 or 290X instead. Some due to stuttering in SLI at high resolution, some because they are afraid that the 3.5GB + 0.5GB configuration will prove to struggle with future games, some because they feel resale value of their 970 will be lower due to its revised specs and some because they simply don't like Nvidia's corporate decisions throughout this whole fiasco.

Is this a joke?

The R9 290 when it goes on sale for $250 is as good of a value as the 8800 GT was when it came out. 15-20% slower than the top end card available for half the money. It's 2014's 8800 GT. Unless you didn't think the 8800 GT was compelling too... It's certainly not the performance champ if that's what you mean.

I didn't mean that AMD has nothing compelling at all. That's not want I meant. I agree with every last bit of what I just quoted. You are absolutely right.

My post was from the perspective of a person who already owns a gtx970.
When your gaming at that level of performance, there is really nothing that compelling. The 290 is a downgrade and the 290x is a sidegrade. I think its a shame that there isn't many great options for a person feeling upset over the 970 misinformation.

Don't get me wrong. Its not just AMD cards, I also don't think the 980 is very compelling to a person who already owns a 970. Most of the time in most real world scenarios, the 980 is only 10-20% faster than the gtx970. About 115%.
That's a very small bump up in performance. I actually know first hand because when I took my gtx970 back to bestbuy, my only options were an exchange with something on the shelf. which was another 970, a gtx980, or signifcantly weaker cards. They did not stock AMD r9 290s on the shelf.

I was upset enough to return my card and I felt its a shame how limited the options are. there really isnt anything all that compelling if you already have a 970. Once I got the 980, it only reinforced that. The performance improvement is not all that much.

I guess I am the kind of person that wants to see improvement when they go thru the trouble of a refund and/or swapping out gpus. If there isn't much of an improvement, its kind of a waste.

Look, you could secretly swap out someone's 970 with a 980 without them knowing it, and unless they look at it with gpuz or run with a fps overlay (before and after the swap), they wouldn't even be able to tell.
The performance difference is quite small.

People don't want to simply give NVidia a pass on these types of shenanigans, and I don't blame them. Some are willing to side grade for that very reason alone, and again, I can't blame them. Most of us have invested many thousands of dollars into NVidia products over the course of our lifetime and deserve better than to be deceived. People are doing what they should be doing. Expressing their dislike of the situation with their $$$ which is the only thing that even has a remote chance of ensuring something like this doesn't happen again. There needs to be accountability, there needs to be consequences.

Saying you can't get a better card for the same amount of money doesn't change the fact that you got a lesser card than you paid for.

I don't blame anyone for being upset. That's not what I am saying. If you want a refund and just want to sock it to nvidia and get a 290x out of spite, I am all for it. Anyone who is angry and already knows what they want to do, do it. I support them all the way.

But then there are those who just want to take the card back because they are told it is bad. They are those that feel screwed over but don't really want a sidegrade. I am more talking about that bunch. I think they should be upset. But they don't need to be pressured to refund their cards just to end up with something they really didn't want. If they want to show nvidia, if they want to get them back, they can still vote with their wallets next time. Nvidia isn't going anywhere and it will probably hurt them a lot more if people just decided to go AMD for awhile. Especially when AMD has a options that truly are a real upgrade over a gtx970.

I just think people are pressured to act when there aren't many options. But you don't have to to get nvidia back. If you truly are upset, just boycott nvidia your next card purchase. You can still get them later, probably even hit them harder.

I am talking to those who don't really want a sidegrade but aren't happy with being mislead.

 

[RaulF]

I would find a aftermarket 290X and run with it. Unless you want Nvidia and the only choice is 980.

 

[DarkKnightDude]

Pretty much the consensus is a 290X aftermarket card or a 980.

 

[Silverforce11]

Or even a nice R290, pocket the savings toward a future upgrade.

 

[MeldarthX]

I picked up PCS+ 290 for 199 pounds; cheapest 970 was 50-60 pounds more. It was a no brainer.

I've not even really tapped this card yet; everything I play I've turned up and was a nice upgrade from my 7870 LE. Only problem is I didn't measure properly in my case so I've got it plugged into my pci-e slot 2.....*its not a problem as its 16* and cage for 3 hds slightly pulled out.

I'll snag a new case soon....its a beast of a card.......right now they are 215 in UK; again the cheapest 970 is about 250; we've got some 290X for the same price. So in the UK there isn't a real compelling reason to get the 970; specially way Nvidia's contemptable treatment of their customers.

I am a fan of AMD but the 970 was the first card I was considering from Nvidia in a long time as I'm more of a fan of price/ performance......

 

[Shmee]

Another choice, that may not have already been mentioned, is 290 CF. Great bang for buck, especially if you are at a higher res where you need it.

 

[guskline]

I agree Shmee. My 2 Sapphire Tri-X OCs in CF in my rig below convinced me to send the GTX970 Gamer back for my 3770k rig and replace it with another Sapphire Tri-X OC��

 

[Headfoot]

My post was from the perspective of a person who already owns a gtx970.
When your gaming at that level of performance, there is really nothing that compelling. The 290 is a downgrade and the 290x is a sidegrade. I think its a shame that there isn't many great options for a person feeling upset over the 970 misinformation.

I see what you mean now, agreed. It seems the only real option for people who don't want to sidegrade is to wait for new chips in spring (at least for folks trying to stay single GPU)

 

[ocre]

Its not like nvidia is going anywhere. A mass exodus the next few rounds will surely set them back in their place.

People seem to focus on the 970 but if they truly believe that nvidia set out to deceive, is not the issue much larger than that one card?

It is bigger than the 970. So I dont automatically think that everyone needs to rush and return their cards, especially if they aren't much interested in a 290(x). Why go thru the trouble and hassle, be without a a GPU only to end up with a sidegrade you didn't even want. This may even use people towards a 980, in a strange twist.

I am not saying people shouldn't get refunds and buy Hawaii, I think anyone who knows that is what they want to do- they should do it.

But there are just as many (if not more) that aren't very interested in that option but they feel pressure to act.

This is why I think like I do.

If you believe nvidia was purposefully setting out to deceive their customers, than this issue is much larger than a gtx970.
Nvidia loosing business down the road will hurt them just as much if not more.

I am not sure where I personally stand on this but I can say that I absolutely don't like how nvidia handled the situation. And here I am, with a 980. Its a great card in all. But honestly, its such a small boost over a 970. So now I have it overclocked to ~1500mhz, boost locks there during gaming. So, the 390x would have to be really really powerful for me to be the slightest interested. I don't want another 15-20% upgrade. How much faster can the 390x be over an overclocked 980? Hopefully a lot but I don't like to hype up cards before they launch.

Honestly though, I was playing DSR on my 970 and I was experiencing stutter. I since have discovered it wasn't due to the ram segmentation, cause the 980 struggles at those settings too. Even overclocked, its too much. I have since found out that there is this point where your GPU just gets overwhelmed. That DSR is extremely demanding in modern titles. Games like dragon age inquisition, its just crazy how much the frame rates plung with DSR.

I was led into believing the 970's ram was causing me issues already with DSR and I felt the need to act straight away. This is how I ended up with a 980. See, first thing I was concerned with was my personal experience. 2nd was being misled. Bestbuy only had one option for me since I was sure that the 970 ram issue was effecting my gameplay. I was wrong though.

So while I focused on improving my experience, as a top priority, nvidia gets a free pass this round from me. Had I not jumped on the bandwagon, I would have surely bought a 390x. Not saying that I still won't, but its got a lot higher bar now that I have a 980 that overclocks 1500mhz while being cool and quiet.

I actually am enjoying my 980 which kind of makes me feel a little dirty when I think about it, lol

 

[96Firebird]

I am not sure where I personally stand on this but I can say that I absolutely don't like how nvidia handled the situation.

Same with me. They really messed up the handling of the situation, but there is no better card for me and the "issue" doesn't concern me either. I was actually hoping the used value for 970s would tank, but sadly that hasn't happened. Wanted to pick up a second for SLI...

 

[rgallant]

Honestly though, I was playing DSR on my 970 and I was experiencing stutter. I since have discovered it wasn't due to the ram segmentation, cause the 980 struggles at those settings too. Even overclocked, its too much. I have since found out that there is this point where your GPU just gets overwhelmed. That DSR is extremely demanding in modern titles. Games like dragon age inquisition, its just crazy how much the frame rates plung with DSR. I was led into believing the 970's ram was causing me issues already with DSR and I felt the need to act straight away. This is how I ended up with a 980. See, first thing I was concerned with was my personal experience. 2nd was being misled. Bestbuy only had one option for me since I was sure that the 970 ram issue was effecting my gameplay. I was wrong though.

if I had 970 in sli I would return them. the option might not be there 3 months down the road.

for the very reasons you mention as that will happen in maybe every new game released going forward.

might be not the vram issue but it is such a unknown issue when a new game has a problems and the capped 3.5 gb can't be seen , it just adds to the list of maybe it's drivers ,driver install . windows 7 or 8.1, cpu oc, game settings ,game does not work with xxx turned on or the memory of the 970 .

it's not like a line in the sand but depends on special nv 970 drivers + windows playing nice with the game.

for me to have upgraded from 780 sli crippled with 3 gb it would have been for the full 4gb of vram ,not 3.5 + .5gb of $$$ storage.

I don't even open threads "970 sli can you help me threads" say over at evga forums no point.
but for peeps at 60 hz 1080 it was a good upgrade from any older mid. range card.