I installed my brand-new GTX 970 and clean-installed the 344.16 WHQL drivers on Windows 8.1. The performance of this graphics card just blew me away!! Coming from a GTX 660, I have noticed performance in some games which exceeded my expectations. Battlefield 4 now runs at a constant 60 fps with v-sync on and ultra settings. Far Cry 3 stays at 60 fps on ultra, no questions asked. And what really shocked me was that Crysis 3 is running at 60 fps with SMAA x1 and all other settings fully maxed!!! Now for the hardware review:
 
Pros:
--Exceptional performance in gaming
--GPU temps stay fairly cool (max 68°C in Crysis 3)
--New EVGA Precision X 16 provides OSD without requiring RivaTuner
 
Cons:
--Fans are rather loud at full load at a higher fan speed setting, but since I wear a headset with noise cancellation during gaming, it's a non-issue and nothing major
--The screen brightness seems too high overall; I needed to turn down the brightness on my monitor and reduce the brightness in some games (likely a driver issue)
 
So far, an excellent upgrade. Will run further tests on more games later on to test stability.

Pictures of the GPU can be found here.
 
http://www.evga.com/Products/Product.aspx?pn=04G-P4-2975-KR

I'll do that later on, just don't have much time to fumble with the PC any further since the case panel is hard to close. But anyway, the fan noise seems to only occur in Crysis 3; it's not really an issue in Battlefield 4 and Far Cry 3. GPU temps hover in the 40s and 50s in those games.

banzaigtv
I'll do that later on, just don't have much time to fumble with the PC any further since the case panel is hard to close. But anyway, the fan noise seems to only occur in Crysis 3; it's not really an issue in Battlefield 4 and Far Cry 3. GPU temps hover in the 40s and 50s in those games.

oh sure, thank you, when you have some time that would be perfect! I am reading some newegg reviews and a bit disappointed at the gtx 970 reviews :(

banzaigtv
The more closely I listen to the fans, the less likely that any coil whine is present. So it seems that coil whine is not an issue with this GPU; the fans just spin pretty fast. In EVGA Precision X, I see the fan speed at about 1800 RPM during idle and GPU temp at 33°C. I have the fan speed on manual at 42%. How much should I decrease the fan speed to keep the GPU at or below 75°C?
 
 
UPDATE: I fixed the high fan noise problem by turning the fan speed down to the minimum setting (30%) in EVGA Precision X. The GPU is much quieter; however, the GPU temps have risen to 80°C in Crysis 3 on ultra. I can try 35% and see if that helps. But at least I did figure out how to reduce the fan noise. So I can now confirm that there is no coil whine. :)

I am receiving my card today, I will also check how my temps and frames are, I will be comparing it to an overclocked GTX 780 Ti and GTX 780

does the side of the card light up? does it have leds?
thanks

Hi guys
 
just got my unit and I am extremely disappointed :(, Bummer
the card feels extremely light and feels cheap. My card screams like a vacuum cleaner @ 54% fan load, and worst part is coil noise !!!!!. My card sounds like one of those mosquito killers. :(
 
come on EVGA, I have a GTX 780 Ti classified and GTX 780 that are built like a tank, what happened here.    

banzaigtv

haris525
Hi guys
 
just got my unit and I am extremely disappointed :(, Bummer
the card feels extremely light and feels cheap. My card screams like a vacuum cleaner @ 54% fan load, and worst part is coil noise !!!!!. My card sounds like one of those mosquito killers. :(
 
come on EVGA, I have a GTX 780 Ti classified and GTX 780 that are built like a tank, what happened here.    

Try running the fan curve in quiet mode in EVGA Precision X. That should fix the issue.

tried that Bro, but this card is going back :(, time to use my GTX 780, really disappointing.
here is a youtube video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwvHmhWLFpo
lol spent 400$ on this