dingo_boy99
What, exactly, do additional BIOS on the card do for you (or performance)?  From what I see, the 980SC is very slightly slower than the classified specs, but the classifieds have the triple BIOS; given that they are always in heavy demand, I assume the performance blows away most of the other cards.  
 
E: what I gather is that multiple BIOS allow for multiple settings for OC purposes.  Other than that, is there any benefit to getting the classified over the 980SC?

It lets you try out different BIOS files.  If you run into problems due to another BIOS file you can also go back to the original (you should always save one that is not modified) and flash the bad one back to stock.  Reason for another file would be for overclocking.

Any of u guys got a guess as to how much a 980 classified will cost? I never even bothered with past classified cards but thinking bout snagging if price aint to much higher, my other concern is that if i buy the classified in oct there will be a 980ti released or a different version of the 980 with 6-8gb right after which has happened before lol...might be overkill to some but games like Skyrim that i play that just eat up vram with mods would be nice to have for extra room and a bit of future proofing too. Idk if anyone even knows for sure if there gonna release higher vram cards "soon" but be nice to have a guesstimate so can choose weather to wait it out or snag a classified this month. 

dingo_boy99
E: what I gather is that multiple BIOS allow for multiple settings for OC purposes.  Other than that, is there any benefit to getting the classified over the 980SC?

Higher overclock from the factory as you can see. The PCB is also custom, and usually about an inch wider to accommodate extra components to aid in overclocking. Notice, these cards are generally aimed at extreme overclockers and always perform better when in the low negative temperatures, as that is what they are built to love. You can get good performance on air and using watercooling, but when running phase change, Dry Ice/Acetone and Liquid Nitrogen, these cards shine compared to reference PCBs. On that note, if you are not using extreme cooling, you can sometimes get the exact same performance out of the reference PCBs.

These are MEANT for extreme overclocking in general. The normal people, like me, usually get them and leave them at stock settings for gaming. When I can finally afford DICE/LN2 pots or a phase change, I will move to extreme cooling measures.

Too many people purchase them and then say "it doesn't say meant for extreme blah blah blah..." it is. They also generally have 5 of the brightest LEDs you will ever see, that can NOT be turned off or controlled. These are meant for the time when using the extreme cooling and the vapors block out the ability to see if the Core, VRMs, and such are OK. If they are not, the led will shut off, killing the light to the corresponding faulted section of the card giving an alert that something failed to function.

I'd mark your post helpful if I could, Scarlet.  Thanks for the info - it's roughly what I suspected, but had never confirmed.  I'd be one of the people not OCing them - I did my time with OC years ago, and I'm quite happy with the speeds of today's hardware @ stock.

I never OC unless running benchmarks for Points.  I found that after paying for Tri Sli, there was no benefit to pushing 3 cards outside of benchmarks.. heck, 2way SLI is incredible with the 780ti Classifieds. 
 
The lights are the worst part, for most people. I do not get bothered by them, but they look like this: *disclaimer* I do not like the cheap plastic window that holds every particle of dust that has ever existed.. please ignore this issue, lol. The lights are much brighter without the flash going off, but my phone is also a hater.
 

Scarlet-Tech
I never OC unless running benchmarks for Points.  I found that after paying for Tri Sli, there was no benefit to pushing 3 cards outside of benchmarks.. heck, 2way SLI is incredible with the 780ti Classifieds. 

Yes, The upcoming GTX 980 Classified Cards will be more useful if you are into Overclocking/Benching that I personally have always found enjoyable.
 
Even though I have One 3-Way SLI Rig for Gaming/General Everyday Use, My Second Extreme Rig is used mainly to do Testing/Benching with 4-Way SLI setups, Which is one of the reasons why I'm waiting for the EVGA GTX 980 Classifieds with the Triple BIOS/EVBot Port so as to be able to use different modded Vbios's for increased Overclocking ability along with being able to use my EVBot controller to make Graphics Voltage adjustments "On the Fly" while running those programs.
I also generally don't keep using just Air Cooling for my cards, But eventually will go to a Chilled Water Setup, So it doesn't matter to me if the Stock Fan/Heatsink Cooling method that came with the cards are ACX or blow-through designs since I'll be installing Water Blocks on them anyway.
 
Every one has different reasons/uses for choosing a particular Graphics Card and whether or not to run them in a single, 2-Way, 3-Way or 4-Way SLI setup, But I am looking forward to the GTX 980 Classifieds being released soon.

I'm patiently waiting too!  

Will they be available on Amazon or will i have to stalk the EVGA website? 

You never really know where they will show up first.
I found my four EVGA GTX 980 SC's available on Newegg (although at a higher price) before they were available on Amazon or the EVGA Products Page.
 
Right Now you can find the GTX 980 Classified and Hydro Copper listed on Ebay albeit at a ridiculous asking price, But Also take notice that the earliest delivery date is not until around Oct. 23rd and states "Item will be shipped 15 days after cleared payment" which leads me to speculate these sellers do not have the product "in their hands" at this date and time either.

hallowen
You never really know where they will show up first.
I found my four EVGA GTX 980 SC's available on Newegg (although at a higher price) before they were available on Amazon or the EVGA Products Page.
 
Right Now you can find the GTX 980 Classified and Hydro Copper listed on Ebay albeit at a ridiculous asking price, But Also take notice that the earliest delivery date is not until around Oct. 23rd and states "Item will be shipped 15 days after cleared payment" which leads me to speculate these sellers do not have the product "in their hands" at this date and time either.

Saw those Ebay ones and i would never even considering buying from those shady sellers. I just want one to play with :)