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Upgrade my GTX 660 to a 970?

Tags:
  • Graphics Cards
  • Nvidia
  • GTX 970
  • MSI
  • Graphics
  • Gtx
  • GPUs
  • GTX 660
Last response: in Graphics & Displays
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October 11, 2014 12:34:08 PM

Hello everyone!
Is it worth upgrading my MSI 2GB GTX 660 to a Zotac GTX 970 for $400?

My specs are:
CPU - i7- 3770 Ivy Bridge
RAM - 8GB DDR3
HDD - (2x) 1TB 7200
GPU - MSI GTX 660
OS - Win 8.1 x64
PSU- 600w Cobra Power

I was talking to a couple of my very trusted buddies about how Shadow of Mordor and a couple of my other newer games can't handle running for more then an hour on a good day before crashing and they said that it is my GPU. SoM runs at mostly Medium for my 660, with a few highs. I have tried plummeting the video settings, to no avail, tried re-installing and verifying the games and have tried both the newest GTX drivers and the beta ones, none of which has helped any of the games. I have completely reinstalled my GPU driver, Nvidia experience, and my physical 660.
I have had this 660 for about 2 years now, but it has been through a lot. I have my case well ventilated, but 6 months back, my card's fan got stuck and I didn't realize for a about a week or two. Stupid, I know. The fan is perfectly fine now.
So, anyways, as the 900s were just released, I want another opinion before dropping 400 bucks. I found a GTX 970 Zotac card on Newegg (GTX 970) for $380 plus shipping.
Is it worth it currently? If not or you have a better idea, please, I would love to hear your suggestions :D ! I would rather not go much over $400 total on a GPU currently.

Thank you all so much!

EDIT: Thank you all so much for your fast and incredibly helpful answers! Sorry if you weren't picked!

More about : upgrade gtx 660 970

a b U Graphics card
a b Î Nvidia
October 11, 2014 12:37:31 PM

The 970 is a beast that will match your system perfectly , For 375 bucks you can get the MSI Version which is rumored to be the best out there.

Make sure your PSU will support it.
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a b U Graphics card
October 11, 2014 12:39:32 PM

If you were to upgrade right now, as opposed to waiting I'd want at least a 280X to really feel the performance gain per your money spent. However for a bit more you'd obviously want the 970 instead, as a marginally newer and much more powerful solution.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB Superclocked ACX Video Card ($339.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $339.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-11 15:38 EDT-0400
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October 11, 2014 12:43:34 PM

I would get a 970 but.......I would wait for better stock to be out as the current one have coil whine issue (and in case of MSI also fans issue)!

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October 11, 2014 12:50:06 PM

The ASUS GTX 970 STRIX http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NJ9BJ8G would be an excellent upgrade and is one of the best models available.

There are no common issues found in this model of card. You can also still get a decent bit out of selling your GTX 660 if you sell it soon.
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October 11, 2014 12:58:15 PM

I would really suggest the asus gtx 970 strix its a top card , and for its price its just wounderful. i bought mine today to update my gtx 660 0c 2gb , and im really impressed with its performance. And since you have high specs, it would be a good option
Happy gaming
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a b U Graphics card
a b Î Nvidia
October 11, 2014 1:01:38 PM

The EVGA has some issues due to the misalignment of the fans on the ACX cooler , Wouldn't recommend it at all.

Best Versions are either the Strix , MSI or the G1 Gaming from Gigabyte.

Be wary that all of them has the coil whine issue.
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October 11, 2014 1:06:36 PM

Thank you, TopLuca. I am not as worried about the Coil Whine issues, as I more than likely won't be upgrading for a another month or so, and will do more research before i buy. @ptfpinho, and you are having no coil whine issues?
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October 11, 2014 1:11:21 PM

no @VenRaeder , not at all! Dont worry about that. Im very impressed with its overall performance. I would really recommend to go with the asus one! And i forgot to mention, i bought this to play shadow of mordor too, cause i was getting a little lag on my gtx 660 , and u will be impressed with the gtx 970 on that game
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October 13, 2014 12:41:44 AM

The EVGA 970 FTW edition doesn't have the cooler issue of the previous ACX cards (superclocked version linked for example) plus it's the fastest of EVGA's range;

1216MHz Base Clock
1367MHz Boost Clock
126GT/s Texture Fill Rate
4096MB GDDR5 Memory
7010MHz Memory Clock
224.3GB/s Memory Bandwidth

$369.99

http://www.evga.com/products/Product.aspx?pn=04G-P4-297...

Cheers
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2 minutes ago

Definitely get a 970. I'm currently using EVGA 970 SC, and got me really surprised, easily +175mhz core lock without any problem which is pretty awesome!
Benchmark with Metro LL @ 52fps comparing to my dad 780Ti SC @ 55fps. Heaven 4.0 @ 61fps compare to 780Ti SC @ 67fps.
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