MSI or STRIX 970?

Alex Kelly

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Hey guys, I have ben saving for quite a few months to get a 970 on release, but I can't make up my mind, I though I was set on the Strix because of the colour scheme, backplate and metal shroud, but MSI also have a great 970. Any thoughts?

Pro's of Asus (as far as I can tell) - $499 AUD
-single 8 pin power connector (I have a modular PSU so the less cables I need to use the better)
-metal shroud & backplate makes it look a whole lot nicer than MSI's card
-Black colour scheme will match future builds
-Cheaper

Pro of MSI - $520 AUD
-Better overclocking
-thinner than 2 pci slots for better airflow in SLI
-LED on the msi logo (does the Asus have this?)
-plate on the memory chips and mosfets

Someone please help me make up my mind, I want to order it asap! Thanks in advance.

EDIT; reviews show that the MSI overclocks far better than the ASUS. So it's pretty much better looking card vs better performing card. Dilemmmaaaaaaaa
 
Solution
MSI- better cooler and 6pin + 8pin for max oc potential. All at the $349.99 price point

I have 2 MSI gtx970 G4's in SLI and have them OC'd to 1496mhz Core and 8002mhz Memory on stock voltage/fan control. Been playing Shadows of Mordoor @ 1440p ultra for 10 hours over the last 2 nights. The OC alone makes the game run better than the stock OC. (54fps average to a solid 60fps w/ vsync on)
Hey mate :)
I've been going through some reviews lately, and MSI's new cooler pretty much keep it uber cool and provide base for some great OCing capability, so say the reviws. They also say its really silent, which is surely a plus point for you!
Asus is good overall, but you'll get some better performance both out of the box and on OCing with MSI.
Also, have you considered the Gigantic GB G1 and have you considered that EVGA ACX 2.0 are releasing in sometime?
 

Alex Kelly

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Thanks for the replies :)
Yeah I'm after a silent card, which is why I've been looking at the MSI and ASUS cards. The Gigabyte is good, although it's fan don't turn off at low loads and the blue LED wouldn't match my build. The EVGA card looks nice but it's loud, so I've seen in reviews. I'm leaning towards the MSI, but ahhh the STRIX just looks perfect! I love the backplate, metal shroud & 8 pin connector. But it seems MSI have a better designed and better performing card. Hmmmm. I feel like whatever I get I'll feel like I made the wrong decision :p

I keep saying to myself I'll get the MSI, then I remember how good the Strix looks and I'm back to square one, haha.
My cable management is pretty horrible so the single 8 pin connector is a pretty big deal for me, but the MSI is too good to not consider.. Hmmmm.
 

Alex Kelly

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I'm thinking Strix, simply because I have such a clean setup and I think this http://images.bit-tech.net/content_images/2014/09/nvidia-geforce-gtx-970-review/msi970-2b.jpg would ruin it.

This http://images.bit-tech.net/content_images/2014/09/nvidia-geforce-gtx-970-review/asus970-3w.jpg looks SO much better. And I think I could live with losing a few frames in exchange for such a nice looking card. Hmmmm.

I swear this is the hardest decision I've ever made haha! I really want the MSI, if only the visible part of it wasn't so ugly. I know it's the better card, but ugh. Halp
 
Actually, both are great cards and you can't go wrong with either. Its a matter of 2-5 FPS in real world, we all know it. Looks matter to some, not much to some others. Asus is great brand too, you won't regret it, definately.

Actually it's a tad cheaper so you got a deal there as well. But yeah, performance (raw), MSI looks a bit better. Its really hard to even recommend one card lol.

Moreover, EVGA is not the best looking card I know, but I've read ACX 2.0 is going to be killer, silent+cool+powerful. You 'might' want to wait and watch a bit more.

Right now though, its Asus or GB for looks (I just love those 3 fans, vroom!, and a backplate too, too sad it doesn't meet your color scheme) and MSI/ GB for power. Asus is fairly good too.


 

Alex Kelly

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Yeeah man, thanks for yur input. I'm stick stuck though D: I really want a backplate, I don't like seeing all the innards of the card. Although I'll probably get another for SLI, and the MSI cards would be better for that. I would be happy to pay an extra $20 for a backplate and metal shroud on the MSI card, god dayum! There are reviews out for the EVGA 970 already, and the cooler is actually a lot louder than the other 3 cards. Otherwise, I would totally go for it. :(
 

Alex Kelly

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Man I wish they sold a backplate separately. I have been sitting here all day trying to decide because I want to order it and have it by the end of the week but still I have no idea! I want the Asus because looks and 8 pin power, but MSI because of everything else. Although if I decide to SLI, the MSI cards would look better as the bridge wouldn't cover the logos. Hmm hmmm hmmm hmmmmmmmm.
 

Alex Kelly

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I think I'm set on the MSI. Their cooling solution is just too good and the OC potential is great too. Doesn't look as good, but hey. It has a white LED on the logo which sorta makes up for it :p and I need to remind myself that PCs are about performance, not looks.
 

Alex Kelly

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Yeah, I would have been unhappy no matter what I got :p
Lower temps, better OC and the LED are worth it over the backplate & 8 pin power though, I think. :)
 

maxtex

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Just like you I was forever trying to choose between these two cards. Except that I probably won't be SLI-ing this card in the future (although i might..).
But I think these are the best two non-reference 970's out there at the moment, because they score among the best in cooling and noise graphs, and also because of the amazing passive cooling feature. So you can't go wrong with either of these cards. I already made my decision, it almost went down to an eeny-meeny-miny-moe but in the end I just made a choice based on some pictures. (I assume you haven't ordered one yet so I won't tell you which one yet.)
 

maxtex

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Then you probably shouldn't recommend anything to anyone. MSI are are truly top-notch brand, one of the very best, in both graphics cards and motherboards - especially these days.
 

Alex Kelly

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The Asus has a backplate, and looks a LOT better, in my opinion.
I did order the MSI, though. The overclocing potential was just too good to turn down c;
maxtex, I assume you went for the Strix because it looks better? Let me know :)
I already regret getting the MSI, but hey I would have been unhappy no matter what I got.
I just like MSI's new cooler, looks really good. Asus' is more of a rehash of the DirectCU2 cooler.
 

maxtex

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Yep i did get the Strix, its design just looked so rigid to me, but i'm not certain if I made the right choice either haha. Well, at least both the companies will get our money now, so neither of them will have to cry. :p
I think both the MSI the Asus look decent, but not too pretty really. I actually thought the previous TwinFrozr design (from the 700 series) looked better than this one, and I don't really like all this owl-fetish that Asus seems to have right now.. But for gaming they're gonna be super sweet I think.
 

Alex Kelly

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Aw yeah :) well report back and let me know how you like your Strix! I'll do the same with my MSI TF5. :)
 

maxtex

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Yeah I'll do that in this thread. It'll probably take a while though, my guess is it'll arrive at the end of this week, because none of the stores here (Holland) had the card in stock.