Need help choosing between a GTX 960 and 970 for 1080p gaming.

inneruniverse · Dec 23, 2015

So here's what I'm looking at:

This monitor: Asus VS238H-P 23"
https://jet.com/product/Asus-VS238H-P-23-LED-LCD-Monitor-169-2-ms/1962c850d7914c26955bb62e3cb679d9

With one of these cards:

GPU: Zotac - ZT-90101-10P
https://jet.com/product/Zotac-ZT-90101-10P-Zotac-ZT-90101-10P-GeForce-GTX-970-Graphic-Card-108-GHz-Core-/e7f49c84a9a34b4f87f40cfe506e5491

or

GPU: Gigabyte GV-N960WF2OC-4GD
https://jet.com/product/Gigabyte-GV-N960WF2OC-4GD-Graphics-card-GF-GTX-960-4-GB-GDDR5-PCI-Express-30-x16/7ca1c15cf7ee4febac39b9dc297eaec1

The Zotac 970 + monitor will cost me $374.70 after all the discounts available.

The Gigabyte 960 + monitor will cost me $297.73 after all the discounts available. It potentially has a $30 rebate dropping the cost further to $267.73. However, I am uncertain if it is possible to do a rebate when ordering through Jet so I do not know if it is wise to take the rebate price into consideration.

The potential price difference sans rebate is $76.97.

So I am looking at $374.70 with a GTX 970 vs $297.73 with a GTX 960. Please keep in mind I am only gaming at 1080p and I will never be going beyond 1080p on this machine. As such, please consider performance of either card at 1080p only when offering an opinion.

So I have three questions:

1. Which will be the best bang for my buck considering my gaming situation of sticking to 1080p?

2. Is there a different brand of 4GB 960 I should be getting instead of the Gigabyte version? (The 970 I chose is the cheapest one so if I go 970 I have to stick with that one since it's what I can afford)

3. Is there a better monitor for the same price or cheaper I should be looking at?

Note: one of the critical factors in me considering a 960 is that the Zotac 970 has many complaints of high noise and coil whine. It's the only 970 for $300 however.

Thank you to anyone willing to help.

SBennett13 · Dec 23, 2015

I would go with the 970 because of higher texture fill rates and a bigger memory bus. Basically, that means the card is more efficient at what it is used for; graphics. I personally am a fan of EVGA graphics cards and would definitely recommend the FTW versions! Look into the ASUS VG248QE. 1080p with a refresh rate of 144 Hz for super smooth gaming

Onus · Dec 23, 2015

At 1920x1080, you should be able to play mostly on UltraMaxOhWOW! with a GTX970, and a mix of High to Ultra with a GTX960, depending on the game. As good as most modern games look even on Medium, if money is tight, get the GTX960.

pete_101 · Dec 23, 2015

Even for 1080p you really want the 970. Sure a 960 can run most games at close to 60Hz at 1080p, however even now if you set the maximum settings it can't always get there and it will only get worse in the future as games become more demanding.
I've never used a Zotac, so I can't comment on it's noise or reliability, but usually you get what you pay for. If you can afford to pay a little extra it's usually well worth it in the long run.

inneruniverse · Dec 23, 2015

Hello. The problem with going with the ASUS VG248QE is that it costs $358 which would mean I couldn't afford to buy a card with it. I need a monitor that costs $150 or less to pair with either of the card choices.

inneruniverse · Dec 23, 2015

The processor I use is an i5 2500k which is fairly old by now. Would it bottleneck a 970? If so, would that still be the case if I overclocked the CPU?

Onus · Dec 23, 2015

If you can afford it, the GTX970 is certainly the stronger card, but you absolutely will not be "suffering" if you get a GTX960. What PSU do you have (brand and model please, not just wattage)?

SBennett13 · Dec 23, 2015

inneruniverse :

Im not sure where you got that price. its less than 250 dollars

inneruniverse · Dec 23, 2015

Onus :

FirePower ZT Series 750W is the PSU that I have.

I also own a EVGA SuperNOVA B2 750W but I am thinking of returning the EVGA SuperNOVA because I purchased it to replace the Firepower when I thought it was failing but it turned out it was another issue that I resolved.

SBennett13 :

Amazon showed 350 but even 250 would be too much for me.

Onus · Dec 23, 2015

The EVGA is definitely the better unit, but the Firepower appears to be decent as well: http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story6&reid=455
I asked to be sure you can run the stronger card; you certainly can.

inneruniverse · Dec 23, 2015

Onus :

So what's your opinion on spending the extra $77 for a Zotac 970? Reviews on the 970 show it as a lower end 970, but it's still a 970 which will be better than a 960. However, I could get a higher end 960. If I do decide for the 960, is there a better alternative to the Gigabyte 4GB model I chose?

Onus · Dec 23, 2015

It really depends on your budget and the [types of] games you want to play. If you can comfortably afford it, get the GTX970, especially if you like the absolute latest and most demanding games. If your budget really doesn't allow it, do not fear that you will be "suffering" if you have to get the GTX960.
Last week I was playing GW2 on a GTX750Ti. Settings were mostly High, and it looked pretty good.

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