Im going to buy myself a Gtx 980-ti.  I thought it was going to be a simple enough thing to do,  but there seems to be several different choices.

I have an i73930k  3.2  turbos to 3.8.   I take it i have enough to run this card ??

 

Zotac 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/ZOTAC-GeForce-GTX-Graphic-Card/dp/B00YNEIAWY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1439815542&sr=8-2&keywords=gtx+980ti

 

MSI

http://www.amazon.co.uk/MSI-NVIDIA-GTX-Graphics-DL-DVI/dp/B00YF8L46C/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1439815594&sr=8-4&keywords=gtx+980ti

 

EVEGA (one fan)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/EVGA-SuperClocked-Graphics-DisplayPort-PCI-Express/dp/B00YMI9S9A/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1439815594&sr=8-5&keywords=gtx+980ti

 

EVEGA (twin fan)  with back plate???

http://www.amazon.co.uk/EVGA-GeForce-06G-P4-4995-KR-Superclocked-Graphics/dp/B00YNEHXY0/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1439815594&sr=8-6&keywords=gtx+980ti

 

ASUS

http://www.amazon.co.uk/NVIDIA-980TI-Graphics-GDDR5-DL-DVI/dp/B00YF8K87S/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1439815594&sr=8-7&keywords=gtx+980ti

 

So which one did yous go for?

 

 

Exept the EVGA "twin fan" model, you only list reference boards. Even if some might disagree, the difference between reference boards is not that big comparing ASUS, EVGA or ZOTAC, as they got those reference boards normally directly from nVidia. I would rather go for a decent custom build (such as the EVGA one), as those cards are usually a lot quieter, more powerful and better looking (and therefore slightly more expensive). The only disadvantage for custom solutions is the fact that with the reference cards, all heat will be blown out of your cage while the custom solutions usually blow it in the cage.

 

As an example: I have the PALIT 980Ti Super Jetstream (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Palit-GeForce-Jetstream-Graphics-DisplayPort/dp/B00ZRIGGY4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1439816845&sr=8-1&keywords=PALIT+980+ti). Similar to the EVGA card you listed above, it has two fans blowing the heat everywhere but not outside your cage. As I have a solid air flow in my Carbide 500R case, I do not care and the card remains cooler than any reference board. And it is faster, as it has a factory overclock. You can easily overclock a reference card to similar levels, but you might run into a heat issue, as the reference cooler is not as competent.

 

The reason why I finally chose the PALIT card was the noise levels. The PALIT (and the EVGA and others (MSI, ASUS)) shut down the fans completely when the card is idling, for example when you use Word, surf online etc. And even under full load, the two fan cooling solution results in a lower noise level compared to the reference cooler, and it is still more efficient, keeping the card at 73°C max in my case.

 

That's basically it. I recommend to read some reviews on some of the 980Ti cards and then go for the one that suits you best regarding budget and noise levels. I would, for FSX or P3D, not think about the overclocking (each brand has slightly different clocks for their custom models), as each and every 980Ti will provide sufficient power, even those reference cards you listed above. I would also think about how good or bad your airflow is in your case to decide if you would be better off using a reference layout (all heat out) or a custom layout.

I'll add even more confusion: EVGA 980ti hybrid. Out of stock almost everywhere at the moment, but check the specs on EVGA website, very impressive. I'm a big fan of EVGA trade-up program, its the card I'm going for when available.

If you can, get the EVGA Hybrid.

 

I have a MSI one. Has a reference cooler, I wish it had something else.

If you care about noise/heat and/or want to overclock to get the most out of the card, get something with water cooling.  The hybrid designs are nice all-in-one solutions for anyone that does not desire to do the work of changing coolers themselves.  

 

Personally, I have a reference EVGA board with an aftermarket custom water cooler I've installed and I run a modified BIOS for additional voltage.  The card runs at 1552MHz core on the GPU and 8000MHz on the memory.  Maximum temperature I see while running stress tests and benchmarks is 38 degrees C in a hot, non-air-conditioned room during Summer.  

 

Do not expect to see results as good as mine unless you go to the same extent.  

Don't forget this one chaps...

EVGA GeForce GTX 980 Ti K|NGP|N ACX 2.0+

Should be available soon. Must say I'm a fan of EVGA.

https://www.evga.com/Products/Product.aspx?pn=06G-P4-5998-KR

Apparently EVGA will be binning them for max overclocking. Essentially the price will vary dependant on how high the chip has been tested to clock.

http://www.bit-tech.net/news/hardware/2015/07/21/evga-gtx-980-ti-kingpin/1

 

EVGA has launched a special edition Nvidia GeForce GTX 980 Ti graphics card, the K|NGP|N Edition - henceforth known as the Kingpin Edition - which introduces a new feature: the ability to pay extra for a higher-binned bit of silicon.

 

Thank you for all reply's and thank you AnKH,  Up to this i didn't know anything about reference or non reference cards so i have been educating myself.   I now know my current card is a reference card as it shoots the heat out the back,  i always thought that was just the PSU fan exhausting the heat out  :smile:  :smile:  :smile:

 

I have not had a problem with my current reference card so i'm going to stick with the heat out the back system.   Ill go for the Evga standard,  plenty to run P3D on a smooth 32 Fps with a little eye candy yum yum yum  :smile:

 

Thanks again 

*Edit*

There's not an Evga 980 ti to found anyware in the world, all out of stock, could be ages before back in :(

 

I wanted to get an Evga (no particular reason, just an idea in my head)

 

Sure i guess any of the refrence boards do the same thing, MSi or Ausus really

*Edit*

There's not an Evga 980 ti to found anyware in the world, all out of stock, could be ages before back in

 

I wanted to get an Evga (no particular reason, just an idea in my head)

 

Sure i guess any of the refrence boards do the same thing, MSi or Ausus really

 

EVGA all the way

Hi Elaine,

 

Amazon has a couple in stock They have the ACX 2.0 version in stock.

 

 

Hold out for the hybrid, the EVGA hybrid cooling is outstanding and its also a reference design, so even though the gpu heat goes thru the rad, the vrm cooler blows out the back of your case. Win-win, except for the out of stock thing, loose.

Hold out for the hybrid, the EVGA hybrid cooling is outstanding and its also a reference design, so even though the gpu heat goes thru the rad, the vrm cooler blows out the back of your case. Win-win, except for the out of stock thing, loose.

Amazon has those in stock too. I am contemplating buying one and selling my current reference 980Ti. 

  Take a gander at Newegg...Personally, I would avoid Zotac, I haven't had good luck with their stuff. For me it will always be Gigabyte, and EVGA FTW. Good luck.

 

http://www.newegg.com/global/uk/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=Property&N=100007709%2050001419%2050001561%2050002058%2050001315%2050001402%2050001312%2050001669%2050001314%2050001471%2050012150%20600559642%20600565061&IsNodeId=1&OEMMark=N&bop=And&cm_sp=Cat_Video-Cards-Devices_1-_-VisNav-_-Enthusiast_1

Amazon has those in stock too. I am contemplating buying one and selling my current reference 980Ti.

 

Excellent, finally!!

Amazon has those in stock too. I am contemplating buying one and selling my current reference 980Ti. 

 

You might consider buying the Hybrid Cooling Solution on its own and do the conversion yourself? Might save you some money: http://www.evga.com/Products/Product.aspx?pn=400-HY-0996-B1

 

BTW: at all others: you can buy EVGA cards usually directly with EVGA, at least here in Europe, this even does not make a big difference regarding price tags...