980 Ti Choices

Best model for the money

  • Hybrid

    Votes: 12 26.1%
  • Classified

    Votes: 19 41.3%
  • K|NGP|N

    Votes: 6 13.0%
  • Other (post in thread)

    Votes: 9 19.6%

  • Total voters
    46

CrimsonKnight13

Lord Stabington of [H]ard|Fortress
Joined
Jan 8, 2008
Messages
8,408
I'm wondering what would be the best bang for the buck in regards to 980 Ti models. I'm looking to have great cooling & overclocking. I'm not an expert on OCing but I do make the best of programs like the Precision tool & custom BIOSes if there's a need. Please reference my signature for the current system configuration. I will be replacing a reference R9 290 with a Gelid Icy Vision cooler ( http://www.amazon.com/Gelid-Solutions-Vision-Cooler-GC-VGA02-01/dp/B003U8BLJI/ ).

I'll list 3 from EVGA as examples but I'm open to other brands.

980 Ti Hybrid - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00Z0UX8TA
980 Ti Classified - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B010GK3YYC
980 Ti K|NGP|N - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B016703RXS

Source Wishlist (as a reference for others that I'm thinking of): http://amzn.com/w/13340AD1GYE30

I appreciate any insight, since my last NVIDIA flagship card was the reference GTX 680.
 
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after owning a classified card, it's really hard to recommend anything else, especially at the new price point. Look at the pictures of an classified vs any other card. The classified card is MUCH wider and beefier card.

I love the kingpin cards, I just don't think they are worth the premium as all 980ti overclock pretty much the same. Only really makes sense if you absolutely need the most out of your cards.

The hybrid system are REALLY great. I used to run the hybrid setup on my old cards. Now I used a swiftech AiO kit that is expanded to cover my cpu and gpu. But, that over a $100 more than the ti hybrid. Since you already have the h100i, I would say get the hybrid.
 
Doesn't MSI also make a Hybrid with Corsairs system on it now too?
 
Mad[H]atter;1042105509 said:
Doesn't MSI also make a Hybrid with Corsairs system on it now too?

Yep, the SEA HAWK. A lot tougher to find than the Hybrid on shopping sites. I've read that both are using Asetek cooling.
 
Sea Hawk & Hybrid, cant go wrong with either. Also the Gigabyte Waterforce. I'd just buy whichever one you can get for the cheapest price. Problem with the Sea Hawk is for some reason MSI doesn't make enough?
 
I am likely going to get a pair of 980ti classified cards.. been eyeballing them for weeks now. My 970s are just barely keeping me happy playing the witcher @ 4k.. with Pascal not out for 6 months at least I think I will probably bite on a pair. Seem like solid electronics, cooler, back-plate, and mfg.
 
I'm intrigued in seeing that the Classified has a strong following so far. I'm definitely torn between it & the Hybrid.
 
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I love my Sea Hawk, I got it for $738 on amazon, hits 1500mhz with only +13mV, lil fan on the card stays at 33% which is pretty much silent and I've got a couple 120's in a push/pull at low rpm keeping the card at 23-25c idle and 50-55c load...

I really like the look of the Sea Hawk over the EVGA, the brushed back is sexy w/ chrome rivets.

d6qpApR.jpg
 
I'm intrigued in seeing that the Classified has a strong following so far. I'm definitely torn between it & the Hybrid.

I picked my Classified partly due to previous polls on here voting the Classy as best card. I always buy Evga anyway bc of the warranty but I wasn't sure which one to grab. I'm glad I did, I've had zero problems and it's a real beast. When I was shopping I read many user reviews for the hybrid, and I was consistently reading that the cooling system was louder than other models. I don't see the point of that at all.
 
the problem with EVGA's cards is that they don't make any sense. they put their best power delivery system on cards with one of the worst air coolers on the market, but not on their liquid cooled card, nor do they put a BIOS on the Hybrid with increased voltage and power limits to take advantage of the massively increased cooling potential. i mean, just looking at EVGA's card lineup, you would think that the Hybrid would be above everything except the hydrocopper model, but it's not.

regardless, even with the default BIOS on the Hybrid you should be able to get at least 1450 MHz. personally i just ordered EVGA's 980 Ti Hybrid from jet for $628 and a Noctua NF-P12 for the radiator because, let's be honest, silence and low temps (even though these temps are basically just for e-peen) outweigh a potential extra 50-100 MHz.
 
I've been reading that a good custom BIOS for the Hybrid would raise the OC ceiling & make the best use of the card's cooling features. Would this bring it to a comparable level with the Classified as far as capability goes?
 
well the Classified and Kingpin still have their massive 14+3 power phase configuration while all the other models including the Hybrid have a 6+2 configuration (except the FTW which has an 8+2 configuration.)

i don't know how much effect this has on overclock capability but just going off of the 980 Ti overclock thread on here i would say it really doesn't make that big of a difference. that being said, a custom BIOS with higher limits loaded onto the Hybrid would probably guarantee you 1500 MHz if not more.
 
So, what I'm seeing is that the SEA HAWK is similar to the Classified, just with liquid cooling instead. The Hybrid is a lot closer to the reference boards, except for the cooling configuration. Maybe the SEA HAWK would be the better choice if I find one available for a fair price? I'm feeling quite overwhelmed with the options, especially when a bunch of them look quite good.
 
Specs look good. Mind providing your opinion on it?

Well I have never owned the 980 ti version, but I had the 680, 770, 780, and 970 version of these cards. Loved the performance and the white pcb is super sexy, especially in person. Galax support is also pretty solid from my personal experience. While maybe not evga level, they never gave me trouble when I needed to rma and I shipped the broken card to Illinois, not overseas. I believe galax (formally galaxy) had a rep these forums. Not sure if he's still around :)

Here's a pic of when I had sli 970s with the backplates removed

 
I put myself on the notify list, due to having to wait for income tax refund money & lack of it being in stock. At this moment, the battle is on for me between the Classified-types & the Hybrid-types. I'd say that the HOF one fits right in with the Classified & is definitely an option.
 
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well for high end air cooled cards the only one to look at is the Lightning LE. it has 1 less phase than the Classified/Kingpin but it has the best air cooler ever made. it is quieter, cooler, and overclocks just as well as EVGA's top-end ACX 2.0+ cards. the only downside to it is that it's about $20 more expensive than the Classified. here's a review from my favorite reviewer.

the differences between the regular Lightning and the LE are: lower base clock on the LE and no LN2 BIOS on the LE.

edit: actually scratch that, the LE simply has lower stock clocks and that's it. it still has the dual BIOS feature. no idea why the price difference is so big.
 
Lightning (and the LE version) is 12+3 I believe, so 2 phases less. Not that it matters for GM200. One potential upside to the Lightning LE is you can monitor the memory and VRM temps if that's your thing, also 8+8+6 pin instead of 8+8 for Classified. This might actually come in handy if you push your card to the limit like I do, as it's really not that hard to push GM200 beyond 400W. While the 8 pin is easily capable of handling 200W, I always feel kind of funny when going out of spec.

the problem with EVGA's cards is that they don't make any sense. they put their best power delivery system on cards with one of the worst air coolers on the market, but not on their liquid cooled card, nor do they put a BIOS on the Hybrid with increased voltage and power limits to take advantage of the massively increased cooling potential. i mean, just looking at EVGA's card lineup, you would think that the Hybrid would be above everything except the hydrocopper model, but it's not.

regardless, even with the default BIOS on the Hybrid you should be able to get at least 1450 MHz. personally i just ordered EVGA's 980 Ti Hybrid from jet for $628 and a Noctua NF-P12 for the radiator because, let's be honest, silence and low temps (even though these temps are basically just for e-peen) outweigh a potential extra 50-100 MHz.

FINALLY somebody who gets it. Both the hybrid and the hydrocopper are 100% bone stock ref cards. Now for Maxwell since it doesn't voltage scale worth shit until subzero, it's not too big of a deal, but still doesn't make any sense. (hydrocropper makes even less sense, it's actually cheaper to just buy a ref card and a separate EK waterblock, and if you're so lazy you have to have the waterblock preinstalled for you, please stay away from watercooling)

Btw, nothing beats the Gentle Typhoons in terms of noise/perf. I have 3 AP-14s on a 240, and even going full blast at 1450 rpm, the hum is just barely audible.

Let's say I go for the Classified. Do any of the models listed below compare to it?

ASUS STRIX - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B013XFK0SK
ZOTAC ArcticStorm - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00Z9D1ED0
Gigabtye XTREME Gaming - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B017YPHVGO
MSI Gaming GOLDEN EDITION - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0166T31O0

The Gigabyte card is probably on equal footing in terms of build quality, slightly behind in power delivery (12+2 instead of 14+3).
 
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Lightning (and the LE version) is 12+3 I believe, so 2 phases less.

oh yeah you're right, woops. it's been a long day. from my research the NF-F12 is as good as it gets in terms of noise:static pressure, gentle typhoons actually have pretty low static pressure and cfm when you compare the two at the same noise levels. sources: Gentle Typhoon AP-13 and AP-14 review and Noctua PWM fans review. i just buy P12s because they're cheaper and i don't have to configure them at all, as their max rpm is the perfect sound level for me. the NF-F12 does barely outperform the P12 at similar noise levels.
 
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Yeah I've seen CoolingTechnique's tests, but the thing is I don't think they actually test fans on a radiator, so the static pressure is simply a "theoretical" measurement.

From the review at ThermalBench, you can clearly see how the Noctua fan stacks up against others, whether in terms of airflow through rad vs given rpm, noise vs rpm, or airflow through rad vs noise. Granted it's the iPPC that's not exactly known to be silent, but he tests several other Noctua fans and the results are there.

NF-F12 vs AP-15, still not quite a direct comparison, but you get the idea. If you're in the mood for some light reading, Martin has a piece on why static pressure and max airflow numbers can be misleading.

Anyway I should probably step off the soap box, and yeah I understand the not wanting to mess around and getting a good deal parts. :)
 
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The Classified seems to hold its own pretty well with what everyone is saying. The Hybrid & the SEA HAWK are close seconds but having a non-reference card would be nice.
 
i'd just like to say that i wish this forum had some kind of post rating system so you could +/- or thumbs up/down, or maybe just thumbs up or +, a post so you can show approval/appreciation of what someone said without wasting space in a thread with a useless "i agree" post or something like that. i'll let crimsonknight have his thread back now...
 
Yes, I wish that it had a similar system to XDA Developers or one with more comprehensive ratings.

Anyways, it appears that my choices by popularity are
1) Classified
2) Hybrid
3) SEA HAWK
4) Classified equivalents (Gigabyte & Galax)

I personally haven't decided yet, but I am pondering how much the cooling matters. The room the system is in has no AC & I have to use fans during the summer to keep it cool (Korean business-class apartment). I get 45 to 50C idling right now, so the cooling does alright with the OC & during load, it hits around 65C. Might the water cooled AIO cards do best or would something like the Classified still be fine? My R9 290 under load doesn't go too much above 65C either but w/o any OCing involved plus with the aftermarket air cooler.
 
Perhaps one of the more significant differences between the EVGA Hybrid and the MSI Sea Hawk is fan control. I'll quote the HardwareCanucks review of the Hybrid (they had previously reviewed the Sea Hawk):

"EVGA has also taken a different approach to fan control than MSI. The 120mm radiator fan is attached directly to the card’s internal header so core cooling is based on water temperatures rather than a random set of motherboard-based variables like the Sea Hawk. There are both benefits and drawbacks to this approach. On one hand, ease of installation is enhanced and users don’t have to worry about modifying speeds of their motherboard’s fan headers for that optimal combination of acoustics and cooling power. However, MSI’s solution does grant more fine-grain control for those who are willing or able to customize their fan profiles."

Also, it's worth knowing the Hybrid's radiator comes with a 14" tube (better for a really large case) while the Sea Hawk has 12" (better for a really small case).

With so much "one could be better or worse than the other, depending", you could almost just decide between the two on availability and cost. I went with the EVGA 980 Ti Hybrid; I'm waiting for the last parts to come in for my new build to put it in.
 
I suck at fine grained fan control since I've never really dived into such all that much. Would the default mobo fan control be fine for the SEA HAWK even with OC?
 
Perhaps one of the more significant differences between the EVGA Hybrid and the MSI Sea Hawk is fan control. I'll quote the HardwareCanucks review of the Hybrid (they had previously reviewed the Sea Hawk):

"EVGA has also taken a different approach to fan control than MSI. The 120mm radiator fan is attached directly to the card’s internal header so core cooling is based on water temperatures rather than a random set of motherboard-based variables like the Sea Hawk. There are both benefits and drawbacks to this approach. On one hand, ease of installation is enhanced and users don’t have to worry about modifying speeds of their motherboard’s fan headers for that optimal combination of acoustics and cooling power. However, MSI’s solution does grant more fine-grain control for those who are willing or able to customize their fan profiles."

Also, it's worth knowing the Hybrid's radiator comes with a 14" tube (better for a really large case) while the Sea Hawk has 12" (better for a really small case).

With so much "one could be better or worse than the other, depending", you could almost just decide between the two on availability and cost. I went with the EVGA 980 Ti Hybrid; I'm waiting for the last parts to come in for my new build to put it in.

i mean you can easily bypass that by plugging the radiator fan into a motherboard header like the Sea Hawk, only issue is that you'd have to hide the Hybrid's fan cable. if anything that's a plus for the Hybrid not a negative, as users who find the Hybrid's fan curve a non-issue can simply use it as it was intended and not mess with their motherboard controls.
 
personally i just ordered EVGA's 980 Ti Hybrid from jet for $628 and a Noctua NF-P12 for the radiator because, let's be honest, silence and low temps (even though these temps are basically just for e-peen) outweigh a potential extra 50-100 MHz.

I was going to just try the fan it came with in the Fractal Design Define R5 I got for my new build to see if it was audible.

As far as the radiator location goes, several threads that I've read seemed to make it quite clear that putting the radiator on the front of the case as an intake will result in significantly lower temps, but the fan would need to be on low RPMs as it gets noisy on higher RPMs.
 
Other: Zotac 980Ti Amp! Extreme. Fastest factory card out there, and very quiet. Priced at ~$650 on Amazon

IMG_5627.JPG



It's always big, but its even more satisfying when it looks enormous in her hands. Lol. That guy...lmao
 
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Other: Zotac 980Ti Amp! Extreme. Fastest factory card out there, and very quiet. Priced at ~$650 on Amazon

<snip>

It's always big, but its even more satisfying when it looks enormous in her hands. Lol. That guy...lmao

The specs on that card are quite impressive for the price & rating. :eek:
 
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I'd like to get advice on whether a 2-slot or 3-slot card would work best. Card layout suggestions please.

Classified or Hybrid - 2-slot
Amp! Extreme & similar cards - 3-slot

Motherboard layout - 5x PCIe 3.0 x16 slots @ 28 lanes max

Right now, the R9 290 w/ aftermarket cooler takes up 3 slots (1st slot) & the SB Zx takes up 1 (last slot). At the moment, I'm pondering how well the new card would fit with a Galax GTX 750 (for PhysX offload) - http://www.galax.net/GLOBAL/750oc2gb.html & the SB Zx. I'd like full clearance for air flow if I go with a 2 or 3-slot card. I acknowledge its not as big of an issue with the 2-slot, especially with a Hybrid-type. The 3-slot cards concern me some, but there's probably less of an issue if the fans from the new card don't stick out like the Gelid Icy Vision.
 
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Maybe? I have a spare card that's sitting in my server, I figured I could put it to better use doing something more than nothing. <shrug>
 
I'll have to do some reading. nVidia claims on their website that offloading results in a smoother experience. I'm interested in this!
 
My understanding from reading articles & threads here on [H] is that it frees the main GPU up from PhysX processing. The secondary GPU does all of the PhysX crunching w/o bogging down the graphics processing. I figured that based from this knowledge, I'd take full advantage of the concept.
 
My vote is for whatever you can get the cheapest.

Pascal is rumored to be right around the corner, so I can't see shelling out for any kind of premium on a 980 Ti.

Regardless of how many power phases the card has, on air, none of those cards are going to overclock significantly better than a reference card.
 
My vote is for whatever you can get the cheapest.

Pascal is rumored to be right around the corner, so I can't see shelling out for any kind of premium on a 980 Ti.

Regardless of how many power phases the card has, on air, none of those cards are going to overclock significantly better than a reference card.

I understand that Pascal-based GeForce GTX cards may not be out until this summer. Despite this, I'm feeling more confident in buying the 980 Ti, which is tried & true over a brand new card & architecture which may or may not have issues. Maybe its because I'm not as jumpy for the bleeding edge tech as I used to be. I'd rather have a high powered & stable gaming environment than one that might possibly bring me headaches.

As far as the cost goes, I've reduced my choices down to 4 cards now.

EVGA Hybrid
EVGA Classified
ZOTAC AMP! Extreme
MSI SEA HAWK

The ZOTAC card is looking quite enticing but the Classified still demands interest. The two liquid cooled cards remain due to my preference for AIO solutions.
 
Another thought: if you don't absolutely need (not want, NEED) the 980 Ti right now, waiting until Pascal drops has the advantage that 980 Ti will suddenly become much cheaper. And if you still prefer a 980 Ti, you can pick one up for dirt cheap then.
 
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