Was offered 2 gtx 970 MSI Gaming 4gb for $450... should I take it?

Rustywasp · Dec 2, 2015

The title says it all but i'll add in some stuff anyways. I have heard that 1 of this card OC can perform on par or even beyond a single gtx 980. Theoretically if I were to put two of them in sli (overclocked) i'd get a setup on par (or at least a little below) with the performance of a gtx 980 ti. Would this be correct?

mapesdhs · Dec 2, 2015

Are you playing games that need the performance of two 970s? What is the rationale for overclocking the cards? If you need to oc even a 970 SLI config, that would suggest you're likely to be playing games which need significantly more than 4GB VRAM, in which case starting off with a single 980 Ti would be more sensible, despite the higher cost.

As for the value of the offer, two MSI 970s for $450 is pretty good IMO. Remember though of course that 980s can be oc'd very nicely aswell, ditto 980 Tis.

Ian.

Rustywasp · Dec 2, 2015

mapesdhs :

My budget is $500. I play CSGO a lot but I also do play games like, Fallout 4, Just Cause 3, Skyrim, really all AAA titles. I just want to know if these cards in sli would beat the 980 and get close to the 980 ti. Because my deal is cheaper than buying 2 new 970s and cheaper than buying a single 980/980 ti, I really don't see myself having buyer's remorse.

Edit:I don't need to oc, I just want the most out of the cards

mapesdhs · Dec 2, 2015

Two 970s would certainly beat a 980; not sure about a 980 Ti though, and do remember the VRAM capacity difference.

I should imagine that unless you push the detail settings, resolution, modding options, etc. to the point where much more than 4GB VRAM is being used, you'd be very happy with two 970s. 8) (I would!) I had an older setup for some time which was in some ways kinda equivalent with respect to how performance demands evolve over time, namely two 3GB GTX 580s. I was playing games that didn't exceed the VRAM capacity (Crysis), but upgrading to a single 980 did provide the extra performance I wanted, while for newer games (Elite Dangerous at silly high detail levels) the higher VRAM definitely did help.

Thus, all of those games will be well served by the performance level offered by two 970s, they'll be great in that regard. Just keep an eye on the VRAM usage; choose detail settings, resolution, etc. that keeps it sensibly below 4GB. Certainly, if you start modding Skyrim up the wazoo, that does need more than 4GB if you want to get results akin to what people have been achieving with the numerous available mods (112MB zip):

http://www.sgidepot.co.uk/misc/skyrimpics.zip

Ian.

Cons29 · Dec 2, 2015

if that deal is legit, then why not get it. if it was me, i'll use one and sell the other

mapesdhs · Dec 2, 2015

Cons29 makes an interesting point; if you find performance is more than adequate with one card, then you could indeed sell the other. In the UK, 970s normally sell for at least 200 UKP on eBay ($300+), usually somewhat more.

Ian.

User3335 · Dec 2, 2015

Yo basically buyin a 980ti but with 4 gigs of memory

mapesdhs · Dec 2, 2015

Not at all, a 980 Ti costs a lot more than $450. The cheapest 980 Ti on newegg is $600.

Ian.

KNARF XD · Dec 2, 2015

not 4gb but 3,5gb

mapesdhs · Dec 2, 2015

Oh please don't start that nonsense. 8\ It's not an issue in any practical terms, so leave it be, not relevant at all. So sick of seeing the 3.5 FUD on toms. I expect better from readers here.

Ian.

AreFlame · Dec 2, 2015

mapesdhs :

He has the right to speak for whatever is related to this topic.

KNARF XD · Dec 2, 2015

AreFlame :

especially when it is true

mapesdhs · Dec 2, 2015

He doesn't have the right to spread falsehoods, and it's not related to this topic at all.

There is NO evidence that for _relevant gaming scenarios_ the split RAM design of the 970 matters the slightest whit! Site reviews & tests confirmed this, go look for yourself. Any gaming scenario which would need significantly more than 3.5 to 4GB RAM would need a lot more than the power of a 970 anyway, in which case one would be better off with 980 or 980 Ti, so it simply isn't relevant.

Blah blah, it's true, etc. Sorry, it's not, site tests, including the reviewers here at toms, could not demonstrate a scenario where for relevant gaming situations suitable to a 970 the design remotely matters. People have just decided to believe it's true because they want to, because it's fun bashing NVIDIA. If one is gaming and already approaching 4GB RAM usage, then a higher base level of GPU power is more sensible by default, whether that's NVIDIA or AMD. Even with newer titles like JC3, the 970 runs very well at HD:

http://images.nvidia.com/geforce-com/international/images/just-cause-3/just-cause-3-nvidia-geforce-gtx-900-series-performance.png

Ian.

AreFlame · Dec 2, 2015

KNARF XD :

AreFlame :

especially when it is true

Yep, however i do want to include that there is the 0.5extra ram but its very slow.

KNARF XD · Dec 2, 2015

AreFlame :

KNARF XD :

Yep, however i do want to include that there is the 0.5extra ram but its very slow.

hah, that's almost the same speed as ram, or do you include ram with the vram as well?

mapesdhs · Dec 2, 2015

More trolling, show me a single concrete example where the way in which the RAM operates remotely matters. Oh dear, you can't, because the suggestion it does matter has been shown to be false.

Ian.

KNARF XD · Dec 2, 2015

mapesdhs :

you sir, are lacking some brain cells.
but on topic, yes that is a sick deal

mapesdhs · Dec 2, 2015

You made a claim with no evidence to back it up, so instead of insults, why not produce some examples that demonstrate your claim? Responding with an insult merely shows I was right. You can't produce an example though, because there aren't any, hence you're just trolling.

Quoting the tomshardware conclusiong about this matter:

"But from a purely practical standpoint, this doesn’t really change anything for the end user. The GeForce GTX 970 remains one of the best graphics card buys on the market. It performs the same way it did at launch — which is really good. As such, we will continue to recommend it until there is a better-performing option for the price."

And yes, it is a good deal.

Ian.

AreFlame · Dec 3, 2015

mapesdhs :

Even Nvidia posted a news story about the card and said sorry for this issue. They said though however they would not resolve the issue as the card was operating fine just with a little less usable vram.

JUICEhunter · Dec 3, 2015

OP: Are you able to buy just one, I think you'll get the most enjoyment per dollar going with a single 970, I know selling the 2nd was mentioned but just trying to save you some work.

970 Haters: What games run bad on a 970 to where OP should not buy one for cheap?

Mark_1970 · Dec 3, 2015

I offer $250 for the 970 if you buy and not use both.

mapesdhs · Dec 7, 2015

JUICEhunter :

None. Hence my challenge to list any with evidence, to which of course there was no response.

I'll say it again: any gaming scenario which might require approaching or more than 4GB RAM is going to be a situation which needs significantly more than the raw power of a single 970 anyway. In terms of any impact on real games, it's been a non-issue from the beginning. Beyond that, it's just been an NVIDIA-bashing exercise, though I do agree that the continued generic RAM spec description shouldn't be used; problem is, how to reword it in a way which doesn't confuse people, because let's face it, the vast majority of people buying GPUs don't understand any of the technical issues anyway. People who read sites like toms are a minority.

Ian.

Ebusu · Dec 7, 2015

If you do not want the 970s, I'd love to pass on my information. I'm looking for exactly this option right now.

On a side note, while I would LOVE the 970 right now there is one thing that I personally think is important. When has it been okay for a company to be misleading about its product. The point is not 3.5 vs 4, the point is misinformation. That is what I believe most people don't like. it is what I don't like.

While the end result may not have a direct impact on the product users, there is no way to quantify the impact it had an purchase decisions. Providing accurate information is paramount because ALL OF US compare specs. When the information can't be trusted or is only partially true or missing key points, it is suspect and needs to be pointed out.

In the end though, I'll take them today for $450.

mapesdhs · Dec 7, 2015

Again, re the original moaning at the time, I say it's all a pile of nonsense because what's completely false is the notion that NVIDIA did this deliberately. Misinformation implies intent, and there's no evidence that was the case. People who claim there was are saying so because they want to believe that's the case, not because there's any evidence to back up their claim.

If I have any complaint about the 970 it's merely that it's too expensive.

Prices are actually higher now than when they first launched. There's a wide gap between the 960 and the 970. Anyone remember the GTX 460 launch? Price-wise back then, the 460 and 470 would sit right in the middle, but NV has nothing there atm.

Ian.

Cons29 · Dec 29, 2015

what happened, did he get both or what?

Was offered 2 gtx 970 MSI Gaming 4gb for $450... should I take it?

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