Not going too far off topic, but why don't they have any coolers for the 9xx series that have the sweet looking LED cooler like the 780ti did?  I wanted to pick one up for that reason only, even if it was reference

the_real_maverick
Not going too far off topic, but why don't they have any coolers for the 9xx series that have the sweet looking LED cooler like the 780ti did?  I wanted to pick one up for that reason only, even if it was reference

The 980's have LEDs, but the 970's don't (970's can't even light up their own Pro SLI Bridge).  As to why not?  Cutting corners for cost is the only reason I can think off.

ManBearPig

the_real_maverick
Not going too far off topic, but why don't they have any coolers for the 9xx series that have the sweet looking LED cooler like the 780ti did?  I wanted to pick one up for that reason only, even if it was reference

The 980's have LEDs, but the 970's don't (970's can't even light up their own Pro SLI Bridge).  As to why not?  Cutting corners for cost is the only reason I can think off.

Ya, cost is most likely the reason.  At $330, you can't get a better deal for the power.  Still, would be sweet if every card had some cool lit up logo or something to help it stand out in a case.

aronh17

the_real_maverick
I pulled the trigger on the new GTX970 SSC yesterday.  As long as no issues arise like coil whine, all should be fine and I won't regret my purchase.  Why cry about a small clock increase when you can simply overclock yourself? 

Are you saying the regular 970 FTW will overclock with the FTW+ no problem? Because I can assure you the FTW+ will clock way higher, even the SSC will over the FTW. They can draw a lot more power with a 6+8 pin setup. Also which is why they should offer a step up, because the SSC outdoing the FTW which is their top model is not what should be happening.

Just because it has a 6+8 pin power delivery doesn't mean that it will overclock any better.  Just look at reviews for the MSI Gaming or the Gigabyte G1 that both have the same power delivery and are limited to similar overclocks as cards with less phases/pins.  Ultimately when overclocking its gonna be a silicon lottery issue more than power delivery.

Dakutagawa

aronh17

the_real_maverick
I pulled the trigger on the new GTX970 SSC yesterday.  As long as no issues arise like coil whine, all should be fine and I won't regret my purchase.  Why cry about a small clock increase when you can simply overclock yourself? 

Are you saying the regular 970 FTW will overclock with the FTW+ no problem? Because I can assure you the FTW+ will clock way higher, even the SSC will over the FTW. They can draw a lot more power with a 6+8 pin setup. Also which is why they should offer a step up, because the SSC outdoing the FTW which is their top model is not what should be happening.

Just because it has a 6+8 pin power delivery doesn't mean that it will overclock any better.  Just look at reviews for the MSI Gaming or the Gigabyte G1 that both have the same power delivery and are limited to similar overclocks as cards with less phases/pins.  Ultimately when overclocking its gonna be a silicon lottery issue more than power delivery.

There's obviously a reason why EVGA is re-releasing these cards then. And since it's their high end released again, I can guarantee you they will clock higher. My FTW is always limited by power and downclocks in a lot of games under it's max boost clock. I've already seen the new SSC pumping out better Firestrike scrores at stock clock than my overclocked FTW. Why? They are not limited by power. Obviously my GPU will hit max boost no problem in a game like Counter Strike, but not in a game like Crysis 3.

I would really like to see a step-up for the 970ftw+, that would be a smooth way to get rid of my 970 for the whine and avoid to spend money on rma shipments without knowing the end result.

aronh17

Dakutagawa

aronh17

the_real_maverick
I pulled the trigger on the new GTX970 SSC yesterday.  As long as no issues arise like coil whine, all should be fine and I won't regret my purchase.  Why cry about a small clock increase when you can simply overclock yourself? 

Are you saying the regular 970 FTW will overclock with the FTW+ no problem? Because I can assure you the FTW+ will clock way higher, even the SSC will over the FTW. They can draw a lot more power with a 6+8 pin setup. Also which is why they should offer a step up, because the SSC outdoing the FTW which is their top model is not what should be happening.

Just because it has a 6+8 pin power delivery doesn't mean that it will overclock any better.  Just look at reviews for the MSI Gaming or the Gigabyte G1 that both have the same power delivery and are limited to similar overclocks as cards with less phases/pins.  Ultimately when overclocking its gonna be a silicon lottery issue more than power delivery.

There's obviously a reason why EVGA is re-releasing these cards then. And since it's their high end released again, I can guarantee you they will clock higher. My FTW is always limited by power and downclocks in a lot of games under it's max boost clock. I've already seen the new SSC pumping out better Firestrike scrores at stock clock than my overclocked FTW. Why? They are not limited by power. Obviously my GPU will hit max boost no problem in a game like Counter Strike, but not in a game like Crysis 3.

I had a similar issue with my R9 290X and downclocking on COD:AW, but mine was from heat... I had to kick up the fan speed a bit for that to stop.
 
You could always go with a Zotac AMP! edition with dual 8 pin connectors. They seem to have done a revision on their high end cards as well. The originals came with dual 6 pin.

aronh17
There's obviously a reason why EVGA is re-releasing these cards then. And since it's their high end released again, I can guarantee you they will clock higher. My FTW is always limited by power and downclocks in a lot of games under it's max boost clock. I've already seen the new SSC pumping out better Firestrike scrores at stock clock than my overclocked FTW. Why? They are not limited by power. Obviously my GPU will hit max boost no problem in a game like Counter Strike, but not in a game like Crysis 3.

Yeah, my FTWs downclock all the time.  I can get my top FTW card to hit 1594 MHz in OC scanner and anything non demanding, but it will never get anywhere near that in any real game.  When I play BF4 it will fluctuate between low 1500's to high 1400's depending on how much is going in the game.  And won't even get to 1500 in Crysis 3 all because it hits the power limit so fast and easily.

Yes, you're right. This is frustrating.

RainStryke
Eh... Earlier buyers got a free backplate with their purchase. I'd love to have one, but they don't even have any in stock... I'm also glad they made revisions and recognized issues or areas where they could improve in such a short time, it does not mean every single person that purchased a EVGA card is having issues with the coolers. Just because others do not do it, does not mean they don't have issues. I know Gigabytes windforce coolers have issues, from personal experience. I've also read about issues with other vendors as well. I wish they would of put out revisions, cause the one I had problems with was a late end model HD7970 right before the R9 series came out. I don't see why everyone is getting worked up over this... If you are having issues with your card, you can always RMA it and I bet you would get a revision if they found it defective.

This is a mess as well, my so called free backplate is yet to arrive.
 
I fear even if they did offer the stepup, which lets be honest they should do, I will order a FTW+ on it and it may never turn up and be sent using cheap courier with no tracking.