Hey guys, I have a quick question since this is my first time building a pc. Im on the fence about which GTX 970 I should get because honestly, Im not sure how good of one I will need. I have a single monitor setup and I play games like DayZ, Battlefield, WoW, and Diablo. Do games like that really NEED something like the GTX 970 FTW ACX 2.0 or would I be fine getting something like GTX 970 Superclocked ACX 2.0? or even just the GTX 970 ACX 2.0? Any information will help! Im new to this stuff!
 
P.S- I also want my computer pretty futureproofed, so would it be wise to just get the FTW?

Future proofing is a myth for single GPU configurations. The FTW line has a little stronger plate on the cooler and the GPU has a bit better OCability and was the reason why i got the 760FTW and i am very pleased. If i were you i would grab the FTW card but take note that it isn't really future proof unless you do SLI.

There is an old saying where if you have to ask about worth or need, then you probably don't, since those that justify it usually don't ask.
 
That being said, factory overclocked models exist for only one reason: People will pay to have stuff done for them, in this case, a overclock locked in via BIOS.  Those that like to manually overclock have suggested that vendors bin their factory-overclocked models from the coincidence they got lucky via the silicon lottery, but that is the catch: There are no guarantees beyond what we purchase; you will not get any assurance the factory overclocked model will go farther.  The factory overclock applied to most cards is well within the average that many (not all) reference models can achieve anyway.  Except vendors will add a premium for their efforts on top of the clockspeed difference, so the cost will never scale equally with the price; this means only the reference model will have the best value per dollar.  So in that sense, maybe you don't need the other models and just stick with the reference GTX970.  You need only Google those other models with the keyword "review" and do some reading.
 
Also, just so you know, many consider "future-proof" a myth because their cravings happen to force upgrades often.  But if they managed to control the craving, then maybe their system would last longer.  But many will put up with upgrading often just to maintain the other myth known as "best".
 
IMO, future-proof is possible only if trying any combination of the following:

1. The expensive route by getting more than you need early on to prevent/postpone incremental upgrades, i.e. consider two GTX970's even if you don't need them.
2. The cheaper route by controlling your cravings either by:
   1. not playing as often so you aren't constantly reminded how slow the system is starting to get
   2. turning down the details since there are a dozen combinations of custom settings below Ultra/Max.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

As far as availability, I thought I heard in the PC Perspective Live stream with Jacob that the 970 FTW was launching late september/early october.  The 980 FTW/Classy were mid to late october.