What is a good price for a quality 970?

GameMusic3

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I do not find a lot of particularly amazing 970 deals out there. I think it was around $250 on black friday and now I see a lot of $300.

Which price should I consider the price to target?

I would like a cool running long reliability card and MSI/Giagabyte are generally the ones recommended.

Would a twin frozr justify about $30 extra? I saw a deal on one for $300 but do not understand which specific models justify a large premium.
 

RCFProd

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I see justice in higher priced GTX 970 models, however most of the models out on the market are well good enough and you don't really have to pay extra. For example this EVGA model is quality, 295 dollars + 25 dollars MIR.

Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB Superclocked ACX 2.0 Video Card ($295.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $295.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-01-31 13:31 EST-0500
 

vinnie_febs

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I got the MSI Gaming 4G and I love it. Plus it came with a free copy of the new tomb raider and 20 mail in rebate. I think I end up paying Iike $320, can't remember. But I love the card, runs cool and super quiet. I played COD for like 10 hours straight (don't judge me lol) and not once did it go over 60c and fans at about 40%. Mind you I have it OC'd at 1469Mhz comfortability
 

RCFProd

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Hmm well yeah it could be true actually. I'm basing it from my experience with the MSI GTX 960 Gaming 2G, but It's simply a different graphics card even though they use the same Twin Frozr coolers. Even the MSI R9 290 Gaming 4G felt more silent than my current Asus Strix GTX 970.
 

GameMusic3

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http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127833&utm_medium=Email&utm_source=IGNEFL020216&cm_mmc=EMC-IGNEFL020216-_-EMC-020216-Latest-_-DesktopGraphicsCards-_-14127833-S1A4A

Right now I find the best offer is a $280 or $320 MSI.

I would just buy a 4GDST but am wondering how it compares to other 970s in temperature, reliability, and energy use. I am not a heavy 3D person. It was quite a while ago that I researched graphics cards and I would like to ask if any 970 I get would turn off while not gaming to preserve energy?
 
It is still a quality card, but the Armor 2x cooler is not on the same level as the TF V cooler.
If you dont plan to OC, and have a decent case its a very nice option on a budget.
There arent any that shutdown when not in use, the fans turn off on models like the TF V, and they downclock to near no power draw as well. So while they dont shutdown, they enter a low power state.
 
Keep an eye out for "open box" items too (NOT refurbished). Got an Asus Strix 970 for $300 even. That was before the bundle and MIR was available for that model. At the time (about a month ago) the only one at that price was a low end zotac card and the MSI one you linked.

The tipping point was the zero db fan feature on the Strix. Even when the fans do turn on it is inaudible inside my Define R5. Another point to consider is apparently some models of the 970 has weird issues with some games. The EVGA ones seem to have some unstable OC on them. I don't know the specifics and I just avoided it completely. Something to check if you play one game a lot if there are issues with that card.
 

GameMusic3

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Would the 4GDST shut off fans and downclock too?
 

That card you have listed is the one. I did a scan of Newegg just now, and that is by far the best deal. At $280 after rebate, all the others are at least $300. That MSI card is going to be one of the best at any price, with a nice factory overclock, all custom "Military Class" components, and the very effective Twin Frozr cooler. At this moment in time, that is your best deal for one of the best models.

"0 dB" fan technology is much more common, but not all GTX 970s have it.
 

GameMusic3

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Do you mean the 4G? It would cost quite a bit over the 4GDST so I must compare them.

One has twin which is a very effective cooler which can shut off under low load, while one has a more standard fan.

Would I save a lot on power costs by getting a twin frozr?