960 vs 970

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ep0x73

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The 970 is a year older but obviously more powerful. Not sure if the 960 with 4GB fixed the 3.5 + 5 issue.
The 960 is touted as playable at 1080 although reviews show this is not the case with newer games maxed out.
I have a 32" 1440 monitor but must play at 1080 with my 750ti.

I notice the Gigabyte blower 970 dropped in price as is only 80 bucks more then the 960 4GB.

Sounds like a no brainer?
Just wish it was not 10.5 inches long, damn.
It will fit in my Lian li case without issue but block the sata ports, not that I switch the cables around often if at all so not a real deal breaker.

No reviews on the blower version yet but if it can do 25% less heat then reference according to Gigabyte it should run pretty cool, like 140F range.

The 20 MIR right now helps a bit if you get it too.

Is the 960 "good enough" or just go with something that has more future breathing room [until Pascal]?
 
I have both a 970, 960 and 750 and from my experience the 970 does give more consistent results. My fiance has the 960 in her i5-4560 rig and she says it does wonders in sky rim, talos, and various other indie games she plays. She noticed stuttering with the 750 during 1080p gaming. The 750 when I put it in the 4820k got some pretty high framerates but then the action got big I noticed it really cropped out and dropped a bit. With the 960 and 970 the frame rates dont drop as much and offer pretty solid game play.

If you ever want to 1440 game I would suggest go ahead and get the 970. But if you want a better 1080 experience a 950 I'd actually smarter than a 960 now. Cheaper but pretty much same performance.
 
Like Trentchau was saying, it really depends what games and resolution you plan to be playing.

I had a 7850 die on me recently in a spare PC, and my friend gave me a 750ti to replace it. As generous as that was, I've been so used to gaming a 970 on my main PC, I think seeing the 750ti compared to the 970 made me want to upgrade.

I was thinking about putting a 960 in my spare PC to replace the 750, but the prices (cheapest one being 180 after rebate, and a poorly cooled MSi one) compared to an EVGA b-stock 970 (for 260) I decided to pony up the $80 extra dollars for the 970.

So unless you can get a good deal on a 960, i'd either get a 950 or 970 like trentchau has said.
 
Thanks for the feedback. As the 970 is just about a year old and with the 960 just being out it appears the 970 has been reduced in price and might fall even further as the holidays arrive.
I usually wait for deals.
I've always received any MIR I've submitted but it's still a gamble and I considered it a bonus when you get it.

Frames are decent in skyrim with the 750ti but I don't have it cranked up all the way either.
One review showed the 960 can do 55+ frames maxed at 1440.
DA:I the card gets crushed, even the 960 takes a hit.
 
Satisfied 960 2GB owner here. I've been able to max out anything I've thrown at this thing and maintain 30fps or more in the more strenuous titles (including DA:I) at 1920x1080. Since you're on a 2560x1440 monitor, GPU upscaling is your friend. 4GB cards offer little improvement in most things from what I've read. If 30-60fps is good for you and you're okay with continuing to upscale but at much higher image quality than your 750 can provide, get the 960 and save $$$ for other things/games/hookers & blow, etc.

EDIT: my card is a stock blower exhausting version rather than the double fan custom cards that radiate heat into your case - it's whisper quiet and sips power.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814133579

I vote get this and wait for next gen cards, but if thou must hath 60fps and uber levels of AA at native resolution right now, get the 970.
 
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I couldn't help but to snag an EVGA 4GB 960 mini-itx when it was $199 AR briefly this weekend, to upgrade my HTPC. Curiously the EVGA website no longer shows any 4GB mini 960 cards. They had two models before. Now only a 2GB model remains.
 
I liked my 960. It overclocked really scary high. Had fan noise (EVGA ACX), had them step me up to a 970, even happier.
 
The 970 is the only answer. Not only does the 960 struggle at 1440p, it's also not enough of an upgrade over the 750 ti to justify the price. If you can't afford the 970, then save up for Pascal next year
 
defaultluser said:
The 970 is the only answer. Not only does the 960 struggle at 1440p, it's also not enough of an upgrade over the 750 ti to justify the price. If you can't afford the 970, then save up for Pascal next year
Click to expand...

This. /thread
 
I would not even consider a 960 for demanding games at 1080 never mind 1440. The performance gap between the two cards is massive with the 970 being 65% faster. That is probably about the biggest gap I ever seen in a line up and makes the 970 look like a killer deal. And considering you will already have to turn down settings on a 970 at 1440 then how could a 960 even be a consideration?
 
Try getting a B-Stock 970 if you can. Similar price to 960 and will blow it out of the water.
 
I'm firmly convinced the 960 was and is the best card for my needs, but the release of the 950 along with the 970 has made it mostly irrelevant when recommending a card right this moment.

Reviews have the 950 not trailing the 960 by far, with the same amount of VRAM but at a proportionately advantageous $30 discount. You should stay with 2GB with these cards. To go the other way, the 970 is the price-performance-efficiency king, and it's hard to find a setup that you wouldn't recommend it for.

Though, don't count on them dropping in price by very much. Black Friday might be the only substantial (i.e. slightly more than $20) discount and even that's pretty far from now. I say buy now and be happy with it.
 
I would not buy at the moment. It is likely Nvidia will start another bundle which is a $30+ resell value.
 
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