Can someone explain to me what the difference all the different types of 980 TIs?

zi colossus iz · Mar 15, 2016

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/4Tj2gs

This is the computer i will be buying very shortly and i want to make sure this is everything i want since im spending 2500$ on it. That mean aesthetically pleasing and performance. I dont quite understand the difference in the 980 tis and why there is so many editions. Do they offer diffent features ? do they specialize in a perticular thing? EVGA GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB FTW ACX 2.0+ Video Card is the graphics card i was suggested but i want to know what is the difference compared to the other 980 tis? Personally the backplate seems to change is what i notice... personally on the EVGA GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB FTW ACX 2.0+ Video Card the backplate is super ugly but i do like the way the GTX 980 Ti SC looks. Is it just the way the cards look or would this be a downgrade with less features. Let me know please cause this is the last decision i need to make before i buy my computer

TJ Hooker · Mar 15, 2016

They tend to all be clocked a little different. They'll have different coolers, which have different noise/cooling performance levels. Some of them have custom PCBs, which may have beefier VRMs and traces, allowing for greater overclocks (in theory). As you noticed, some will have backplates.

I don't know how much difference these things will actually make. I'd just try to find one with good reviews and a decent factory overclock and call it a day. Any 980 ti you buy is going to be a beast anyway.

rmarier83 · Mar 15, 2016

Some cards are overclocked and the ones that are will say OC or something like that in the model type. Other manufacturer's will put their own type of cooling fans on the shroud on the cards as well. Other than that, all 980ti's are the same. Other thing to note is all 980ti's I've seen currently have 6GB memory.

Darkbreeze · Mar 15, 2016

Backplate, included or not.

Factory base and overclock, higher or lower.

Cooling system, some more efficient and better performing than others. Some louder, some quieter than others due to fan selection and fan bearing quality.

Color scheme.

Length. Some won't fit in certain cases. Some are shorter, some longer. Cases without removeable drive cages or specific internal configurations may require shorter cards.

And there are commonly different qualities involved in the assembly of components on the PC board from one model or OEM to another. The level of component selection for caps, coils, etc. and also the workmanship of the solder points are not equal on every card.

I would say the FTX ACX 2.0+ is a very good choice. The Gigabyte G1 gaming and ASUS Strix are also good.

Customer service quality among OEMs is also an important consideration. Personally, I think EVGA has better CS than any of the other manufacturers, but others may disagree.

somePcNoob · Mar 15, 2016

So all the cards are the same processer, however each different manufacturer (whether that be asus/evga/gigabyte etc) offers a custon pcb (that is the circuit board) with slightly different layouts. These offer slightly different base and boost clock speeds and supposedly slightly better overclocking potential as opposed to others, as well as different cooling options (the evga acx 2.0 cooler is one of my favourites though). You will notice very little difference in performance between any of these cards, and only marginally different temperatures.

I believe the only difference between the SC and FTW evga cards is the addition of the backplate but I might be wrong there. I personally do like backplates as they keep the card slightly stiffer and offer a slight bit of protection from any leaks, but again they're not necessary. So in conclusion, if you like the look of the SC the most, get that one, you're going to have to look at it!

Also you could easily get away with an 850W PSU which would still have enough power if you wanted to add another gpu, plus if you don't need all the extra features of the PRO and x-99 A would be just fine (if you wanted to save a little bit of money)

zi colossus iz · Mar 15, 2016

somePcNoob :

so let me get this straight the GTX 980 Ti SC is super clocked which id assume means its overclocked out of the box. Id assume the EVGA GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB FTW ACX 2.0+ Video Card is not overclocked so its has less performance out of the box. Does the EVGA GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB FTW ACX 2.0+ Video Card have any features the GTX 980 Ti SC doesnt have? What does the FTW and acx stand for?

somePcNoob · Mar 15, 2016

Okay so I had a quick check and the teirs of cards from evga (in order of getting better) goes SC, SSC, Hybrid, FTW, Classified, Kingpin. This means that the FTW card will have slightly better components (only marginally) therefore slightly better overclocking potential (this is also largely dependent on whether you get a good chip, there will be some SC mdoels that out boost the classified models etc so I wouldn't worry about this unless you want to get into extreme overlcocking). Also the base/boost clocks on the SC and FTW respectively are 1102/1190 MHz and 1190/1291 MHz. So the FTW card will have a slightly higher overclock out of the box, but you will see very little performance between that and the SC version in games etc. They also have exactly the same I/O (1 hdmi 2.0, 3 display port 1.2, 1 dual link DVI).

Therefore the only differences are the small clock speed difference and the backplate on the FTW, as well as the small discrepancy in component quality.

ACX is just the name of their cooler, with both cards having the ACX 2.0+ cooler (their newest one).
FTW stands for For The Win (just the name they give to that teir of card, SC stands for superclocked, SSC for super super clocked etc)

TJ Hooker · Mar 15, 2016

FTW stands for the phrase For the Win. It's just the (stupid, in my opinion) name they gave to one of their card lineups. ACX is the name of the cooler (not sure what it stands for).

Each card variant will list its core and boost clocks, so you can compare and see which has the highest factory overclock.

The only noteable "features" I can think of would be fans that turn off completely at low load, and backplates (which are largely for aesthetics). I wouldn't consider either particularly important, personally.

Darkbreeze · Mar 15, 2016

We all know that's not REALLY what they meant by FTW, but we'll go with it, like they did, to the media anyhow.

As I mentioned in my previous post, and which nobody else seems to think is an important consideration, customer service is the #1 priority in my book. With as high of a failure rate as graphics cards tend to have in comparison to other hardware components, knowing you'll be able to actually reach somebody within a reasonable timeframe, get a response, and have your problem handled without having to jump through a bunch of hoops, is a major benefit when the playing field is as otherwise seemingly equal as it is.

I've dealt with RMAs from ALL of the major manufacturers, ASUS, Gigabyte, ASRock, MSI, Sapphire, EVGA, Zotac, Palit and others, and of them all, the units I had to have replaced from EVGA were the easiest, most hassle free of any of the manufacturers. Just something to consider because even with a high quality part, and even if you do nothing to cause the problem, graphics cards and motherboards tend to have much higher failure rates than other hardware so there's always a chance you will have to deal with an RMA and if you do you want it to be with a company that doesn't give your the runaround or send you back still broken crap.

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Can someone explain to me what the difference all the different types of 980 TIs?

zi colossus iz

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somePcNoob

TJ Hooker

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rmarier83

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Darkbreeze

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somePcNoob

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zi colossus iz

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somePcNoob

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TJ Hooker

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Darkbreeze

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