Hi all sifu,

can suggest me which gtx 970 to buy?

i have in mind : MSI / Asus
I have done some research , but still can't decide...

I know MSI is more expensive , but is it better than other in terms of quality & performance ,
i m willing to spend for the difference
pls give some advices bro

thank you

This post has been edited by andykok: Oct 1 2014, 05:15 PM

thx for ur info bro , i believe some ppl may say either one is still ok, but would like to hear some opinion from ppl . because first time spend so much money

i notice u r using fractal design R4 case, how is the cooling performance of tat case? good enough ? since i m also thinking to change my pc case

This post has been edited by andykok: Oct 1 2014, 05:34 PM

i think either one is ok, but i tend to lean towards Asus GPUs. reliable and long lasting.

i dont really overclock or do much crazy mods on it. the R4 is ok. cooling performance wise i think its decent. If you are looking for more cooling performance, maybe can resort to other casing which are more suited for something like water cooling etc.

Can have a look at Gigabyte card too, the new G1 Gaming looks pretty good and the windforce logo would lit up (can be seen through your case window

ya, i totally agree with about the quality & cooling of Asus gpu.
but , nowadays msi gpu seems like being better and better. especially this new series of gpu

asus 970 only requires 8 pin power connecter , scare that it wont be stable when heavy gaming .

Alright , i think i will choose R4 , i only do air cooling not watercooling .

thank you for ur advice

another gpu to consider ,
it looks quite aesthetic. will do some research for it . thx q bro

8-pin is already meant for supplying 150watt, and the PCI-e slot itself is capable of 75watt. and that is already 225watt. iirc nvidia specs says of gtx 970's TDP is 165watt. (or was it 145watt )

even overclocked version of gigabyte's gtx 970, only draws 177watt while gaming. only during stress test does it draw 242watt. however, do keep in mind that real gaming is nowhere near that heavy loaded as there are ups and downs of processing due to changing scene.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/nvidia...ll,3941-12.html

This post has been edited by runsing: Oct 1 2014, 08:57 PM

o.. i c, now i only know pci-e slot got 75w watt.. ..hahaha~ i think should be enough for Asus 970 (225w)
will probably choose asus
thank you so much bro, and nice link for my reference

For me, i will go which brand offer better after sale service, eg RMA.

based on review i think best one is gigabyte in terms of noise, temperature and clock speed.
have order one for my own

already got my 970 G1 Gaming today credit to drivenheat
http://www.facebook.com/ExtremodComputer

This post has been edited by LordMuramasa: Oct 21 2014, 04:51 PM

price?

Same price as Asus. The whole reason why I don't recommend it is because of the length.

Just make sure the casing clearance is more than 12.3".

This post has been edited by TristanX: Oct 21 2014, 05:21 PM

asus strix GTX970 my dream.. come with backplate, dun u like it?

and also 11 inch only sure fit in most case

Sorry hijack a little. I'm also comparing both card... But siding more to MSI for the value:performance:feature.

Problem now, I hear many horror story of MSI from many shop.
First I hear, (not sure If the shop technician is Asus fanboy?) Saying msi card have high return/repair rate and it takes months due to lack of stocking.
2nd story is from my own relative own pc shop, who hate Msi.... Reason because there is no stable dealership. They changed few times for pass few years, so when their mobo/gfx claims, the previous dealer will push to new dealership, new dealer will say Its not supply by them then push back old dealer... So warranty = no warranty.
3 many more.

So i need advise from people who have experience with MSI themself.

My MSI HD7870 TF3 OC is 2 1/2 years old. I've cleansed it 2 times. No issues.

I also changed the thermal compound to Coollaboratory Liquid Ultra too. I've checked with MSI-MY and confirms that changing thermal compound does not void warranty.

I also in the middle of picking A GTX970~~ Asus Strix have increase to RM1499 from viewnet.... I still waiting more review XD

Some overview in overclock forum GTX 970 Review

This post has been edited by bananalow: Oct 23 2014, 09:24 PM

How about leadtek? They seems reliable imo

Lol seriously... what more review do you want?
They are all 970s. They are blazingly fast. They overclock like lunatics. They consume relatively very little power and run quite cool.

So yeah, what more you wanna know?

This post has been edited by SSJBen: Oct 24 2014, 05:44 AM

more view?

http://www.goldfries.com/hardware-reviews/...ic-card-review/

I love it to bits! Just that RM 1,499 is rather steep a price to pay.

Just cough up a bit more and for RM 2,200 you can get 2 units of Gainward GTX 970 reference.

Personally, I haven't tried any card with leadtek brand before but it seems to be getting bad reviews from the most of the sites. Back to the question, I would highly recommend these two brands, MSI gaming and Gigabyte G1 Gaming.

Hey there, im also planning to get the gtx 970 but very confused.
So after doing some research and asking my friends over at MSI, Gigabyte and Asus for their honest review..
It seems like the winner is either Gigabyte G1 Gaming or MSI Gaming.
And if you really overclock, the Gigabyte would be the winner if you are using the stock cooler and stock bios.
The MSI can also overclock to the Gigabyte without changing the voltage to about 1.5Ghz core clock but if youre unlucky, the card will be unstable..
1.5Ghz on both these cards will surely match the GTX 980 in term of gaming..


But then....
Some of my friends over and MSI and Gigabyte tried water cooling the card under budget..
They were using the NZXT Kraken G10 and some 120mm AIO liquid cooler from corsair, thermaltake and even antec.
The results were outstanding with the MSI card..
This is because of the heatsinks of the VRM and GRAM.
It will definitely outperform the Gigabyte in term of noise, heat and performance..
Im sorry i dont have any benchmarking graph because its all from my friends in the USA..

So thats what my opinion..
If you want a sexy beautiful card with a backplate and dont want to spend anymore on the cooler = Gigabyte G1 Gaming
If you want a card that can be water cooled by the NZXT Kraken and a very good PCB = MSI Gaming
If you just want a card that can overclock very well and have good stock cooling = Both cards also good (More toward personal preference)

Pros of Gigabyte G1 Gaming:
-very good overclocking capability
-very good cooling
-look very sexy with backplate and glowing "WINDFORCE" logo
-can be the same standard with GTX 980 after OC

Pros of MSI Gaming:
-good overclocking capability
-good twin frozr 5 cooling
-zero frozr technology (passive cooling) which makes the card to not produce any sound at all
-dont have backplate but have glowing MSI and dragon logo
-can also be the same standard as GTX 980

Another thing to consider if you wanted to watercooled in under budget..
An NZXT Kraken G10 would cost you around MYR 145.00
A new 120mm AIO liquid cooler would cost around MYR 189.00 (Thermaltake Water 3.0 Performer)
Bare in mind that that would cost another MYR 350..
You can get a card which includes this but there is no card that can outperform the GTX 970 at this point with the price of a GTX 970 + budget water cooling..

So thats it. i hope it helps.



this is the NZXT Kraken G10 with an AIO liquid cooler installed to a graphic card



This is the Gigabyte G1 Gaming after its stock cooler is removed



And this my friend, is the MSI Gaming after its stock cooler is removed.. Look at that sexy heatsinks

Thats good to hear bro, a experience feedback. Thanks. Leaning towards msi now.

pick zotac. i personally won't get msi or gigabyte gpu or even mobo.

my Gigabyte GPU and Motherboards have been rock solid through the years so I don't see what's the problem about them.

among my most stressed out R9 280X, the Gigabyte Windforce has a 100% survival rate so far while brands like Sapphire and ASUS both now KO state and having to RMA.

Won't be getting gigabyte... Won't fit in my casing anyway... Lol

Just order Asus GTX 970 from Hikari..but then I noticed in the facebook there's promotion for PSU + Gigabyte GTX970 with free Steel series Siberia V1...not sure did I make the wrong decision or not.

The price with Gigabyte + Steel series headset is a bit higher. In Lowyat, you can get one for price around RM1,480-RM1,499.
W/o that headset, you can save RM80-RM100. Depend on you whether you think that headset is worth it or not. Retail price for that headset is RM199 though.

In a sense, spend more to save more lol. Cause with that headset, the card cost RM 1549 (have to bundle with PSU though)...so roughly more 50-60 more only and can get 1 free headset worth RM 199 : D



This post has been edited by Duckies: Nov 9 2014, 11:21 PM

link?
why did they get bad reviews or are you just biased because theyre not available to the global market?

Hiking prices of GeForce GTX 970 really bad for us(consumers).

By the way, a lot of GeForce GTX 970 are affected by COIL WHINING issue. Read here, http://www.pcper.com/news/Graphics-Cards/G...-Whine-Concerns
But, I think it's not a big issue to be really concern about...

My opinion:

Gigabyte = TOO LONG(many cases can't handle it). Nice backplates. Nice cooling.
Zotac Omega = Triple Slots(making SLI not good for some motherboards). Nice backplate, nice cooling.
ASUS Strix = Good looking, nice cooling, least noise and the only model which have the least COIL WHINE issue, having a nice backplate too.
MSI Gaming = Good looking, nice cooling, lack of a backplate.
Palit Jetstream = Cheap, but is using stock PCB(let down) Cooling is good. Doesn't have a backplate.
Leadtek Hurricance = Cheap, come with backplate! Cooling is good. I think it's using stock PCB(let down) too.

ASUS Strix coil whine is audible, the cooler is not-audible!

I think the Gigabyte's recent offer with headset is worth the purchase.

Yup I agree hiking GTX970 prices is really bad faith!
Good thing I got a Gainward GTX970!

How much did it hike? And this Coil Whine issue..do it actually damage components or it just simply irritates people.

This post has been edited by Duckies: Nov 10 2014, 08:21 AM

So far it's by about RM 100. ASUS Strix GTX 970 was RM 1,399 on launch but it's now selling at RM 1,499.

Price gap between Gainward reference model and ASUS Strix GTX 970 is about RM 400 - and that's insane!

I feel they are just greedy but then I hear ppl says they produce the chip not enough and unable to met the overwhelming demand!
Suddenly the green camp becomes too popular

Aiya, want more money just honest say so lah...

Not enough chip is some crap excuse... If not enough chip, how come those less popular brand like gainward/zotac still can land their hands on the chips and sell their products at cheaper cost?

But still, this is a supply and demand market. Manufacturers/distro are free to price as they wish, even if overpriced. A higher price will lower down the demands. And they can't price it higher than the point which had a demand far lower than their supply.

Other places also priced their cards similarly.

http://24h.pchome.com.tw/prod/DRAD1N-A9005JYS1

Leadtek GTX970 OC Hurricane arrives. The price is RM1299. Not bad.

It's like handphones war, Sony, Samsung, HTC, etc(except for those XiaoMi, Huaiwei, etc) priced their flagships for around RM 2000+.
And, they don't bother to sell it at lower price just to compete with one another.
They already planned and discussed about the price they set internally.

So, if hike RM 100, all brands will hike RM 100.

http://global.pchome.com.tw/?mod=store&fun..._NO=DRAD55&tm=u

Generally, Asus's networking devices are whole lot cheaper in Taiwan (from the PChome).

This post has been edited by Human10: Nov 10 2014, 09:55 AM

I think RM 1299 is reasonable, RM 1399 is pushing it and RM 1499 towards ridiculous.

I'm using the STRIX now and I like it so much but you're getting the same performance as an RM 1,099 Gainward reference model.

The demand for big player brand like gigabyte, asus and msi is far higher though. There are consistent shortage of stock for this card all over the world. Price hike is understandable until they able to stabilize the production.

I gotta agree the price is a bit too high but i think, we can still get reasonable price if rajin to roaming around in every big shop in lowyat. I even quoted RM1,420 for asus strix last friday but end up optimize for Gigabyte G1 for RM1,399 (w/o headset).

For me it still worth to spend more budget a bit toward big brand. They usually got more online review, provide better cooling (not most of the time) and the build quality is top notch.

This post has been edited by -cmi-: Nov 10 2014, 09:55 AM

I somehow agree to this. I feel that RM 1399 is still okay but anything over RM 1450 is over. They are basically gives the same performance...so I guess paying more is better cooling and aesthetics?

Asus's brand is like "premium" in local PC market, true story.

If I were to pay for RM1499, I'd rather save RM2198 for Gainward GTX970 SLI. Much more performance than GTX980.

Well most of the time "brand" cost more as it provides trust and reliability. I don't mind paying a bit more as long as the quality and service is good : D

So far MSI and Asus gives me this kind of good service "feel"

This post has been edited by Duckies: Nov 10 2014, 10:06 AM

You're paying for 3 years ASUS warranty and that super awesome silent STRIX cooler.

I like the cooler so much but asking me to pay RM 1,499 is ridiculous.

I might as well buy 2x Reference GTX 970 for 2x RM 1,099. Total price is RM 2,200 but I get to SLI!

After typing the above, I just realize that TristanX mentioned the same.

For me a reference cooler isn't a problem because I have Kraken G10 with me and a bunch of AIO coolers that I can use with.

Premium is one thing but RM 400 difference for GTX 970 is really bad.

Look at the R9 280X, at least the price gap isn't that huge when you compare a Sapphire Dual-X vs ASUS DirectCU II Top model.

Yerp. If people got budget, nothing wrong to spend more toward big brand. It also easier to ask for help from international forumer if you face any issue. RM200 more compare to other cheaper brand is ok (for gtx 970 case). More than that is over and depend on you whether you think its worth to throw so much money for it or not.

That's what I thought. And for the overkill performance, I get to turn the 2nd card to PhysX when needed.

I hold back because there is also R9 3xx and 20nm Maxwell coming.

Really?

Can't wait to see efficiency overloaded, LOL...

When are they coming?

Now with the cards being so efficient, it's very hard for me to stress test PSU!

I'm now testing a 1000w PSU and I couldn't get the load past 700w wall draw despite 3x R9 280X and FX 9590!

*yay 40,000 post count!

Congrats on your 40k post count Anyhow, wow nowadays hardware are really that efficient ya..hmmm..then what do you need to do to maximize those 1200w PSU? Super overclocking?

4X SLI/Crossfire.

4x R9 290X would make it reach 1000w++++ total estimated maximum power consumption but this is not the case.

Even for my 250w cards, I'm throwing folding@home / mining / Furmark stress test and with the FX-9590 on Prime95 + folding and I still couldn't get pass 700w wall draw!

Anyway we're going off-topic.

GTX970? Well it's on one of my gaming rigs. It's really great but I wouldn't spend more than RM 1,399 on it.

I think Gigabyte's recent promotion of their GTX 970 G1 with free SteelSeries headset is the best value proposition so far.

doing that already la. No go.

I need to find a more power hungry coin mining setup. Currently running X11 hash which is actually quite power efficient.

Need to find the other scrypt / n-scrypt to push more. Aihhhhhh life of a techie, want to stress test also have to do so many things.

Here is the article for Maxwell 20nm. Maxwell Gen 3:
http://www.dailytech.com/Second+Generation...rticle36679.htm

R9 3xx:
http://www.redgamingtech.com/amd-r9-380x-f...370x-announced/

The Gigabyte promotion...is about RM 1500++? Quite expensive but considering you get the headset for a cheaper value...somehow seems worth? So it feels like saving more by spending more

RM 1,499 card alone vs RM 1,499 card + headset with SRP 199.

If 1429 vs 1549?

This discussion should include Palit, Gainward, Leadtek and Zotac. All cheaper than Big 3, although Zotac Extreme is comparable. All have three year warranty except Gainward. All different MY distributors, even though Palit owns Gainward. If you guys are worried about warranty, then buy from retailers who are willing to handle RMA for you. Peace of mind!

Of the Big 3, I believe that ASUS is the best choice. They have service centers in Lowyat and Digital Mall.

Might be due to the USD appreciating against the ringgit.

MSI Gaming FTW

My mistake, the Gigabyte promotion is RM 1549
https://www.facebook.com/Compuzone/photos/a...2479899/?type=1

After minus the freebie, the card could be value at about RM 1399 - RM 1449 range.

Do also have a look at GTX 980 at RM 1,999 https://www.facebook.com/Compuzone/posts/10153353599469899

Wow, R9 380x to compete with GTX980. I wonder how much it will be priced

i love asus's design but i read on a post here that their warranty claim is

Asus here are Grand Master of TaiChi!

Lol that means Asus is gooding yo

my suggestion the gigabyte G1gaming

is it worth waiting for the 8gb version or grab a 4gb 970 now? will only be gaming at 1080p for the time being..

Hi guys, i'm in the middle of choosing GTX970 as well, is Gainward a good brand? Sorry i have no experience on this brand. Just found some review on here http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/...-review.205648/

Will it effect long term usage? Currently it seem only this brand offered the cheapest and ready stock.

no prob about gainward just go according to ure budget cuz it wont affect much

The Gainward GTX 970 is simply the best-bang-for-buck GTX 970 that you can get in our market, period. It is based on the similar boxed reference cooler found on its older 760 brethren. I personally find these box coolers to be rather inefficient in terms of noise output and thermal performance compared to some of the more exotic and expensive coolers like TwinFrozr V, DCUII or Windforce. Then again, you get what you pay for and at this price range (RM1099), no other card will come in close to its raw performance.

This might be a "your mileage may vary" type of question... but is it reasonable to get the cheapie Gainward and expect to clock it at 1300MHz (boosted) like the phantom version?

You should be able to push it quite a fair bit but with more heat means the fan will go on higher RPM.

Perhaps you should just consider those RM 1,199 to RM 1,299 range. I think those that are in the middle-point are worth consideration.

Ok. I think I'll err to the side of caution and get the Gainward Phantom then.

Let say Maxwell 20nm and R9 3xx enter Malaysia market around April 2015 (which GST will be applied) the price will increase?

Will be better if I just take GTX 970 now?

As usual if you need it you can get it now, else you can wait til next year. Cause if you for next year, then next few months come out new..then wait again. Cycle repeats forever.

Welcome to the Phantom Club!
Bestest bang for the buck!

Getting the 970 card today.

I'm considering Zotac, since it's the smallest 970 available. I'm using Jonsbo U3 case with max gpu length of 260mm (the case is 270mm). But a lot of shops are out of stock.

If MSI, I'm really pushing the limit (about 267mm), but I've read some forums, some did manage to put a Titan 266mm inside a U3 case, so MSI is plausible.

I've read that Gainward (noisiest fan of all, can anybody confirm?) and Palit' Jetstream temp are not very good, tend to be a lil bit hotter than other brands.

EVGA, seems can't find them anywhere except ordering online.

Anyone can suggest good place with lots of 970 stock in Penang? No shops in Kedah keep stock of 970, need to travel abit for this sweet stuff.

I'm in Pg. But I bought Gainward GTX 970 from IdealTech, KL.
I dunno about noisiest fan of all, so far I can hardly hear it over the game sounds.
Anyway the queue for Gainward GTX 970 is bloody long cos it is the cheapest and bestest bang for the buck right now!
If the Gainward distro had brought in more, all the rest of the brand wont have upcar the prices!

For me, buy the cheapest bang cos GPU prices will drop and become obsolete very fast, ... 6months later no need regret buying RM1400 GPU, ... no need the bling bling ... just use and throw... err ...sell & upgrade to the next latest mid-performance card.

That's why on another thread I said the fan may be faulty. The user's tolerance for noise and the casing noise suppression also comes in play.

Nvidia reference cooler is quite silent.

Yeah, I would buy the cheapest because the base performance is guaranteed. Those factory overclocked cards only gives you a few % improvement and better heatsink. If you already got good cooling, you don't need it.

Maybe also my case have 4 intake fans and one gigantic NH-D15 to keep the components cool.

Most shops are restocking their Zotacs around Thursday/Friday, can't wait till next week to receive the card.

Hoping Gadget Zone have some Zotac left, waiting for their reply. The only brand in stock is MSI/Asus, well, surely because of the pricetag.

Now a bit regret changing to U3 case, but it does looks good tho

There's smaller version... Zotac is short but THICK(3 slot).
Smallest version of all will be Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 Mini-ITX version.

haven't seen this model in any pricelist, only G1 version.

get zotac with 3+2 warranty. gainward & palit come with mini port very troublesome. try get from online with other brand seem cheaper but warranty is another issue. the most important is the pcb & component quality. for cooling can easily change with water cooling.

gainward got free game promotion?

http://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/2014/11/04/ge...cry-4-for-free/

m'sia will get the offer?

bro order from hikari, she from pg. no need travel to pg all the way since petrol & toll not cheap. get zotac & the only brand under rated.

yea, waiting for her reply for stock status. she doesn't have zotac tho, waiting update for gainward prices. Btw, i've asked most sellers, none have any zotac 970 in stock (except for omega and extreme, both cant fit my case)