Nvidia Launches GTX 980 And GTX 970 "Maxwell" Graphics Cards ($549 & $329)

Holy damn, had a look at those benchmarks. A 300$ card being able to push 4k @ 30fps? Exciting.

Waiting for my shop to get the EVGA 970 in stock. Decided to get one now to be easy on my budget and a second one along with a new PSU for christmas.
 
Am I imagining things, but is Zotac GTX 970 noticeably shorter than other cards Maxwells?

1167955.jpg
 
JaseC said:
The 670 is the cut-off point for an upgrade, I feel. It's the 770 users and higher who should wait.
Click to expand...

I am still trying to inject logic into all this. I cannot go sli with the card as I would need a new motherboard and balls to buying a new one of them. Games are still running competently at the resolution and frame rate I have a monitor for. Yes times will change but I can
wo
man up to turning a few settings down.

I think I can see this one out the more I give sane thought to it.

But those benchmarks and prices...

What would a second hand R7 265 sell for (not great amounts I know)? It is hardly used as I had it in our secondary PC. That could aid the decision a touch.
 
Seanspeed said:
And if Nvidia have some dedicated SLI VR technique to match per-eye rendering with each GPU, then I'd almost say that SLI is *the* best way to go with VR.
Click to expand...

They do and it has completely changed my perspective on the technology. AFR was always a band aid solution for multiple GPU scaling, but having each GPU render one viewpoint each makes so much sense that I can't wait to see the results.

It should actually reduce latency whereas SLI traditionally increases it. The importance of this announcement can not be understated and the fact that Nvidia have fast, affordable and most importantly, low power draw cards with a large chunk of memory to go along with it is what makes it so exciting.

Mainstream gamers @ 1080p: Buy a GTX 970
High end gamers @ 1440p and above: Buy 2 GTX 970s.
 
CyanideFuse said:
I am still trying to inject logic into all this. I cannot go sli with the card as I would need a new motherboard and balls to buying a new one of them. Games are still running competently at the resolution and frame rate I have a monitor for. Yes times will change but I can
wo
man up to turning a few settings down.

I think I can see this one out the more I give sane thought to it.

But those benchmarks and prices...

What would a second hand R7 265 sell for (not great amounts I know)? It is hardly used as I had it in our secondary PC. That could aid the decision a touch.
Click to expand...

2GB VRAM is going to become more of an issue going forward as the PS360 baseline is left behind entirely. I myself strongly regret not opting for 4GB 670s back in the day.
 
I keep hesitating on pulling the trigger.

I think as a 680 2GB owner, it may be about that time.

But if I hold off, until say The Witcher 3, what can we expect?
 
As a 660 owning 1080p gamer, even the 970 is looking like a significant jump. I'd be daring enough to hazard a guess that it would double my performance.

Being tethered to a front room TV is actually a huge benefit. I'll be able to reap the rewards of advancing technology without having to battle increasing resolutions.
 
brain_stew said:
They do and it has completely changed my perspective on the technology. AFR was always a band aid solution for multiple GPU scaling, but having each GPU render one viewpoint each makes so much sense that I can't wait to see the results.

It should actually reduce latency whereas SLI traditionally increases it. The importance of this announcement can not be understated and the fact that Nvidia have fast, affordable and most importantly, low power draw cards with a large chunk of memory to go along with it is what makes it so exciting.

Mainstream gamers @ 1080p: Buy a GTX 970
High end gamers @ 1440p and above: Buy 2 GTX 970s.
Click to expand...
1400p@90 FPS for CV1 on AAA looking games doesn't seems so crazy anymore.
 
Widge said:
As a 660 owning 1080p gamer, even the 970 is looking like a significant jump. I'd be daring enough to hazard a guess that it would double my performance.

Being tethered to a front room TV is actually a huge benefit. I'll be able to reap the rewards of advancing technology without having to battle increasing resolutions.
Click to expand...

Nvidia also invented downsampling last night in case you haven't heard. :p
 
 
dreamfall said:
I keep hesitating on pulling the trigger.

I think as a 680 2GB owner, it may be about that time.

But if I hold off, until say The Witcher 3, what can we expect?
Click to expand...

The 2GB VRAM means you will have to upgrade at some point over the next year or two but the best advice is always to hold off until you need to upgrade. If you're happy with performance now then you won't lose out by waiting a few months and scoring a few free games or a lower retail price.
 
Just another quick gut check before I go to bed

tnUArpb.jpg
Click to expand...

Newegg must be completely wrong about the length of the card, right? First of all, Guru3D says it's around 11.6 inches, not almost 16, and if it WAS 16, it'd appear way longer than this right?

EDIT: I must be insane to have taken the Newegg dimensions at face value considering they put the card at fucking 10 inches TALL.
 
JaseC said:
2GB VRAM is going to become more of an issue going forward as the PS360 baseline is left behind entirely. I myself strongly regret not opting for 4GB 670s back in the day.
Click to expand...

Yeah, the VRAM is the thing that has been the most bothersome. I know a few games like Titanfall need more than 2GB but that was abject junk on insane textures.

I have been able to dodge that problem but obviously future games are going to become the issue. I just thought I can ride out this generation of cards and see what next year brings. By then it will be 3 years of owning the 670 and the upgrade would be completely justifiable in my mind as I would be upgrading my monitor too.
 
brain_stew said:
They do and it has completely changed my perspective on the technology. AFR was always a band aid solution for multiple GPU scaling, but having each GPU render one viewpoint each makes so much sense that I can't wait to see the results.

It should actually reduce latency whereas SLI traditionally increases it. The importance of this announcement can not be understated and the fact that Nvidia have fast, affordable and most importantly, low power draw cards with a large chunk of memory to go along with it is what makes it so exciting.

Mainstream gamers @ 1080p: Buy a GTX 970
High end gamers @ 1440p and above: Buy 2 GTX 970s.
Click to expand...

I'm at @1080P and still going with SLI 970 since one card only is no guarantee for 60fps @1080P on all current games (even for a 980). And my rig needed to be ready for The Witcher 3 :D
Selling my 670's 300€ to a friend so that 800€ nearly doesn't sting as much.
 
This is so exciting! I think it's almost time for me to leave my 5870 behind. As a VR user who experiences a lot of low framerates during use, the increase in power and those VR specific features have me exciting. I can't wait to see how they work. Hopefully they get talked about tomorrow at Oculus Connect.
 
 
elyetis said:
1400p@90 FPS for CV1 on AAA looking games doesn't seems so crazy anymore.
Click to expand...

It made me nervous because I just didn't see how it would be possible at "mainstream" prices and power levels even after reducing settings and AA (heck, before the VR SLI announcement it didn't seem possible no matter how much money you threw at it).

$660 worth of GPUs and a 550w PSU will now give you a fantastic VR experience. That's not mainstream yet by a long shot but it's within reach of most enthusiasts. The holy grail finally looks achievable.
 
Ogs said:
Actually contemplating getting the EVGA SC 980 on finance for £12 a month (48 months). Someone talk me out of it.
Click to expand...

I'm gonna buy myself a 970.
Don't buy the 980 unless you really have nothing else to spend on it and money isn't an issue for you.
The price/performance ratio is way too low on 980 for a normal budget.
You will be satisfied with the 970 and if you really want to you could go SLI and get way better performance for a good price than a single 980.
 
Just ordered 2x Gigabyte GTX 970 G1 Gaming cards from Newegg. :) I'm upgrading from a GTX 680, and the main reason I'm upgrading is that 2GB is just not enough vram for quite a few current games, and I think the Witcher 3 will really struggle with just 2.
 
Rabid Wolverine said:
Yup 2GB memory for the 670 I regret getting.

For this round is it worth getting 8GB of memory or is that overkill for the moment?
Click to expand...

It's currently overkill.

If you're planning to go the SLI route with a 4K monitor yet you still want some longevity out of your purchase then there might be an argument for that but it's far from a cut and dry thing like 2GB vs. 4GB was.

No 8GB cards are available at launch.
 
mordecaii83 said:
Just ordered 2x Gigabyte GTX 970 G1 Gaming cards from Newegg. :) I'm upgrading from a GTX 680, and the main reason I'm upgrading is that 2GB is just not enough vram for quite a few current games, and I think the Witcher 3 will really struggle with just 2.
Click to expand...
Would the Gigabyte Z97X-Gaming 5 mainboard be a good choice for these cards? :)
 
Yudoken said:
I'm gonna buy myself a 970.
Don't buy the 980 unless you really have nothing else to spend on it and money isn't an issue for you.
The price/performance ratio is way too low on 980 for a normal budget.
You will be satisfied with the 970 and if you really want to you could go SLI and get way better performance for a good price than a single 980.
Click to expand...

Yup, the 970's are already out of stock on all the hardware websites I usually visit while the 980's are still available.
 
CyanideFuse said:
I know this site isn't a counseling service but to save me the brain ache (I have had some silly thoughts of upgrades):

I am gaming at 1080p @ 60fps max due to the monitor using a GTX 670 2GB. I can play pretty much most current games at 60fps with all settings on v.high or ultra. I know times will change into the coming year but new cards will also be available then.

I SHOULD NOT be considering a 970 should I?
Click to expand...

I have a GTX 670 and I game at 1080p/60Hz and I just bought a 970. With a 970 you'll be able to turn on high AA on current games and maintain 60fps and more importantly you'll be able to play upcoming games at 1080/60. I doubt the GTX 670 will be able to do AC Unity, Far Cry 4 or GTA V in 1080/60 on very high or ultra but 970 should. Also Watch Dogs proved that 2GB VRAM is not enough anymore.
 
Should probably post here instead of the livestream thread. :P

Xyber said:
Currently stable in Firestrike extreme at 1478MHz (boost) and 1914MHz on memory on my 970. 5974 in GPU score.

http://www.3dmark.com/3dm/4085242?

It did not want to work at 1500MHz yet, is it possible that a modded bios with higher voltage will be released? Remember doing that for my 680.
Click to expand...

Also, the Twin Frozr is one hell of a cooler. I can't even hear it rev up under full load with an open case and max temp is 68C. 35C while idle, 40 when the fans stop spinning.
 
Rabid Wolverine said:
Yup 2GB memory for the 670 I regret getting.

For this round is it worth getting 8GB of memory or is that overkill for the moment?
Click to expand...

8GB variants are likely going to be rare and comparatively expensive. Sapphire is the only manufacturer that released an 8GB 290X and in addition to launching at 600 pounds (150 pounds north of what the regular 290X launched at) it's exclusive to the UK.

Really, I think 4GB GPUs will last quite some time provided 4k and/or downsampling isn't on your agenda. Remember that the PS4 and X1 only have 5GB of addressable RAM in total, although this figure will creep up a bit over time.
 
Xyber said:
Should probably post here instead of the livestream thread. :P



Also, the Twin Frozr is one hell of a cooler. I can't even hear it rev up under full load with an open case and max temp is 68C. 35C while idle, 40 when the fans stop spinning.
Click to expand...

Oh I see, so you have this already

k0A-Y8ObnZ1-lYhEKp8kl68iLFhOcT6Fdkd2VfW29R7ApJHEatYKN0jnL0w6moWtGJa1SF48oxE=w1387-h767
Click to expand...

wasn't obvious from the other thread if it was your pic or just from the net
 
Widge said:
As a 660 owning 1080p gamer, even the 970 is looking like a significant jump. I'd be daring enough to hazard a guess that it would double my performance.

Being tethered to a front room TV is actually a huge benefit. I'll be able to reap the rewards of advancing technology without having to battle increasing resolutions.
Click to expand...
Don't worry, NV fixed that issue for you! DSR fuck yeah.
 
The card is based on a nice thin dual-slot dual fan cooling solution, revision V of TwinFrozr. The TwinFrozr V’s Fans actually stop spinning below 50°C to reduce noise and increase fan life time
Click to expand...
I don't like this at all. It reduces the chip's life time and noise isn't exactly a concern when fans are spinning at 1050-1089RPM.
 
Boss★Moogle;130730999 said:
Watch Dogs showed that that isn't the case. With 2GB the game would stutter on Ultra even in 1080p.
Click to expand...

All Watch_Dogs shows is that Ubisoft didn't care enough to QA their product. The game stutters with 6GB of VRAM.
 
Boss★Moogle;130730999 said:
Watch Dogs showed that that isn't the case. With 2GB the game would stutter on Ultra even in 1080p.
Click to expand...

One badly made game doesn't set the standard for VRAM needs.

riflen said:
All Watch_Dogs shows is that Ubisoft didn't care enough to QA their product. The game stutters with 6GB of VRAM.
Click to expand...

And this too.
 
Some of the 970s in Norway are now sold for 2700 nok, which is surprisingly cheap co sidering that much of the time 325 usd = 3250 nok...

Only MSI is in stock today.. hmm order one today or wait one week for the Asus one..
 
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