Of course the 3.5 GB RAM is going to factor in.. It matters right now and will matter a lot more in 1-2 years.. Let alone the 4-5 years you intend to keep this card. And that too at 1080p..
For 1440p or higher rez, you'd have to dial down on the quality settings in most games..
Most of the members here buy their 970 for $300 or less.. Its a great card for that price.. But, you're buying this 970 for $450-$470
There is a reason why 980ti comes with 6GB because more RAM is and will b needed at higher resolution and in upcoming games..
Don't cripple yourself with a $450 3.5 GB in 2015.. It's 2016 basically.. 970 was released in 2013 i think.. More and more Hi Resolution, affordable /TVs are gonna come out and you'll b kicking yourself in the foot as this card is gonna held you back..
It's fine if you don't like AMD .. But AMD is selling 8GB 390/390x which performs the same as 970.. Yes it uses 80-90 more watts but it'll perform much at higher resolution / games that need more RAM..
At least inquire about the local AMD 390/390x prices..
That power difference of 80-90 watts is probably a lot less since for the GTX 970 to match the R9 390/surpass it. It needs a max OC. That difference in actual gaming loads is probably a lot less if the GTX 970 is clocked to match an R9 390.
I understand you're making the point and trying to be as nice to the GTX 970 as possible to show that the R9 390 is a good deal though!
Honestly though I agree with you. GTX 770 owners who picked up a 2GB VRAM card when new consoles were coming out made me cry. I mean 2GB of VRAM when you know the consoles have a 8GB shared RAM pool? Do you expect your card to last?
But hey, Nvidia is THE best company at this. It's why I love them so much as a company. They sell cards that win benchmarks TODAY right NOW. They maximize profits by giving people enough hardware to be great NOW, but don't give much leeway into the future allowing them to sell ANOTHER card later.
But hey, we saw this with the GTX 770 2GB VRAM card. So I won't be surprised to see people make the same mistake now with the GTX 970.
OP has 2 choices.
NEVER worry about VRAM again.
or
Worry about VRAM, and pay more to do so......
He has chosen option 2.... I don't get it, but that's his choice.
Edit: I was NOT an AMD fan or even wanted an AMD GPU myself. But it was 2 GB of VRAM in a GTX 680 vs 3 GB VRAM in a HD 7950....
Thank GOD I did not Pay more for the Nvidia GPU back then with LESS VRAM.