Dear MaelstromOC,
 
I am very sorry as it seems that you may have received some incorrect information. I can confirm that production is still ongoing with the GTX 980 cards and anyone that signed up for a GTX 980 Reference model will continue to process as a GTX 980 reference model. Please however understand that there is limited supply, but the queue has already moved forward and will continue to move as supply becomes available.
 
I think that maybe whoever you talked to may have been thinking of the GTX 970 Step-ups as we did upgrade everyone waiting from the ACX model to the ACX 2.0 model to assist them.
 
Please do not hesitate to let me know if you should have any additional questions that I can assist with. chrisb@evga.com 
 

MaelstromOC
Ok, I just called to try and clear this up. I was told that production has been stopped on the reference 980s. The CSR on the phone told me that if you signed up for a reference 980 in the step-up, that is what you would be receiving (I'd assume when their alloted amounts were gone through during sign up, they'd have taken it off automatically or switched it over to the ACX cards as they had done a few days after step-up went live.) My fear was that, if the production has halted, I may end up in a never-ending limbo if they didn't receive any more reference cards for me to actually step-up to (aka, my step-up line doesn't move because no more cards are received to actually move the queue along, meanwhile those that signed up later for the ACX cards continue to move as those cards are still being produced) >.< Also, if you change your step-up to the ACX 2.0 cards, you will be moved to the back of the step-up line.

I'm in the exact same situation. Stepped up to the reference 980 on September 19th. Was just about to call customer support. Chris do you advise that I stay in this queue or switch to the ACX 2.0. I am all for patience but it does seem like the ACX 2.0 is moving along quicker and it is a better card. 

Do you guys have a queue #? I have no number just says pending. Started mine September 20th... reference model.

I ended up dropping and swapping to the 970 FTW. I'm just going to SLI two of them.

I don't know why, maybe because I have no interests in this problem,  but I'm reading totally different answers than you guys are...
 
Quote -"" Please however understand that there is limited supply, but the queue has already moved forward and will continue to move,  as supply becomes available.  "" -unquote
 
 This is not denying the EOL status of the reference style...   
 
& this ....
 
http://forums.evga.com/980-Reference-Titan-Style-Cooler-EOL-Already-m2232993-p2.aspx#2234983
 
I'm pretty sure you might not ever see them....
 
 

..and first thing Chris says is-->
 
"" I cannot comment on this thread as I do not have any information to offer, but I can confirm that if you did request a GTX 980 Step-up that we will move the queue forward as the product requested does become available. ""
 
 
All Chris says is that someone in Customer Service would not know the answer of EOL , so the CS agents'  statement is untrue., 
 
Basically, no one knows .   I'm sure you guys will find out officially soon enough.

I just called and they told me Nvidia has stopped manufacturing them but EVGA will continue to. They guaranteed they are still producing them and I will get the reference card at some point. No information about current supply was given but he did say that most did switch to the ACX model when it was released so I would not want to be at the back of that line now. 

I know there's no official ETA for StepUp, but can any EVGA guys at least give a rough ballpark idea?  I've been waiting since the day of the GTX 9xx launch, and still have no status update, everything is just "Pending". That's perfectly fine, but I don't know if I could be waiting another week, another month, or until 2015... At some point I have to wonder if I'll be waiting so long to where I should have just sold my current card and bought a new GTX 980 outright.  :/

The lack of information also has me worried we will never see our cards. I ordered my 980 Step-Up on Sept 19th @ 12:47pm, only a couple of hours after it was made available.

To-date I have not received a queue number nor any status updates, much less my actual Step-Up card.

So far Customer Service has been unable/unwilling to provide any additional information. The only reason I bought EVGA was for their Step-Up and Customer Service reputation... I guess we'll know better in the future.

 
I have an email from EVGA for 4 days ago stating;
 
"I know of no plans to put the Titan-style cooler 980s back on the StepUp list; if you've already put in a request for one while they were on the list, then it will be processed as normal."
 
So if you're already on the list, and also as stated by ChrisB in this thread, you will get your reference cooler 980 card.
 
For those waiting for the reference 980's to become available again on the step-up list, you're out of luck, they ain't coming back.. which bugs me no end as they were on the list when I ordered my wife's 970SC reference, and now I want to step her card up, only the 980 ACX is available, and I will never be able to step up to the reference 980 card according to EVGA.
 
Doesn't make much sense if EVGA say the 980 reference is not end of line.
 
Also doesn't make much sense when there's clearly demand for the reference coolers... why are NVidia/EVGA stopping them so soon after release, and going with the ACX only? The ACX does not suit all builds.
 
Something weird going on. Maybe a new model coming that is like the existing reference card, but it's not NVidia.. and perhaps there's an NDA or something so EVGA can't discuss it yet.. I don't know, just idle speculation. I can return the 970SC but I'll get hit with a restocking fee and pay shipping for return plus be charged for the original shipping too. I'm in the queue for the 980 ACX now, but I don't actually want it.... frustrating.
 
 

 

keodark
Nereus, I'm curious - what is it about your build that isn't compatible/optimal with an ACX cooler? I know a lot of people go Reference because they're just going to take it off and watercool it so the extra expense of the ACX is unnecessary...

 
It's not for my build, it's for my wife's build. Obviously the need is because her build does not have optimal airflow.
 
The case my wife is using has a single 200mm intake fan only at the front, and the exhaust is through a 140mm radiator at the rear of the case (Corsair H90 CPU cooler), and another 200mm fan at the top of the case. That is not a lot of airflow, and if I have an ACX fan in there, the air going through the radiator is going to be hot air, which defeats the purpose of having the closed water loop. That is why I don't want an 980 with the ACX fan.
 
Btw, the ACX card is actually cheaper than reference cooler, so it makes more sense to get ACX if you want to change to a waterblock.
 
 
 

If it helps. I did the step up when it first started and I chose the reference GtX 980 card to step up to. I ended up waiting a while and then I saw the ACX 2.0 and I decided hell why not just upgrade to that since I was hoping they would include the overclocked editions, I was wrong lol. Anyways I think I would still be waiting to have my step up completed until now because of the reference 980 card but since I chose the GTX 980 AX 2.0 I just recently got my email and I sent out my card yesterday to EVGA. So I think it will be a long time to get the reference cards and if you are still queued for it I suggest cancelling it and redoing it for the ACX 2.0 if you dont need the reference card. 

True but the way I see it they are producing more 980 acx 2.0's than the reference cards if that EOL statement is somewhat true etc. I waited a while when I re did mine and I just got mine approved last week and im sure hundreds of people were in front of me when I went to the back of the line. So im sure it cant be a longer wait time. Just a suggestion. Would probably be faster to change it to the 2.0 otherwise keep the reference card if you had done it back in SEPT.

I step upped on the 19th of September for a reference 980 and just mailed my card out yesterday. The queue is moving.

Still nothing here (Stepped up Sept 19th). I'm selling somebody my second 770 once this goes through and the value is only decreasing. Not very impressed.