# NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 SLI



## W1zzard (Sep 18, 2014)

At half the price of a GeForce GTX 780 Ti, the GeForce GTX 970 can tempt you into buy a pair of them. With Ultra HD monitors dropping below the $500 mark, a playable Ultra HD gaming PC under $2000 suddenly sounds realistic. Here's why spending 3 grand on a GTX TITAN-Z was a bad idea.

*Show full review*


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## Steevo (Sep 19, 2014)

No less than 3.26 light years away. LOL


Yep, unless AMD comes back with anything solid they are screwed this year in sales.


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## terroralpha (Sep 19, 2014)

what time do these go on sale?!? it's about 1 am eastern right now. i'm getting anxious! 

i'm going to be one of those douche bags who will cause the early stock to deplete too fast. i'll be ordering 4 EVGA ACX SC cards. 2 for myself and 2 as gifts.


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## Steevo (Sep 19, 2014)

W1zzard could gift me one and I would love him long time.


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## GreiverBlade (Sep 19, 2014)

oh well ... as i said, w1zz reviews shall make me shift color... all hail @W1zzard  (nope not nVidia ... it's the review who is awesome ... not the product)


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## The Von Matrices (Sep 19, 2014)

One statement in the conclusion is incorrect:


			
				btarunr said:
			
		

> With most $150-ish Intel Z87 and Z97 chipset motherboards shipping with a third PCI-Express gen 3.0 slot that works at x4 when three slots are populated (bandwidth comparable to PCI-Express 1.1 x16), a third GTX 970 could be an audacious alternative to spending $999 on a single R9 295X2.


While that would be a nice idea, NVIDIA doesn't allow SLI using slots with any fewer than 8 lanes.  So unfortunately Z87/Z97 users are stuck with 2-way SLI.


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## Maban (Sep 19, 2014)

The Von Matrices said:


> One statement in the conclusion is incorrect:
> 
> While that would be a nice idea, NVIDIA doesn't allow SLI using slots with any fewer than 8 lanes.  So unfortunately Z87/Z97 users are stuck with 2-way SLI.


This is unfortunately true. You're going to need either HEDT or a PLX switch for 3/4-way SLI.


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## Fluffmeister (Sep 19, 2014)

GreiverBlade said:


> oh well ... as i said, w1zz reviews shall make me shift color... all hail @W1zzard  (nope not nVidia ... it's the review who is awesome ... *not the product*)



Livid?

Hehe


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## GreiverBlade (Sep 19, 2014)

Fluffmeister said:


> Livid?
> 
> Hehe


bahahahah, thanks now i can go to work after a good abs excercise 

naaa red to green obviously ... but i have to say i am green to let down the red ... but since i got blue from red for CPU ... then why not


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## ensabrenoir (Sep 19, 2014)

awe man ...... these are so awesome ....but we know there will be ti's and non reference models that will push it even further....waiting hurts


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## Frick (Sep 19, 2014)

ensabrenoir said:


> awe man ...... these are so awesome ....but we know there will be ti's and non reference models that will push it even further....waiting hurts



Screw that, i want to know what the lower end cards will do, the 960's and 950's.


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## seanmac (Sep 19, 2014)

Dear AMD. Goodbye for now. I might be back one day. Hello GTX 970 ( 1 at first, then another ).Hello better thermals and great power consumption !


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## zsolt_93 (Sep 19, 2014)

They seriously need to up the 750Ti and not just rebadge. That fits more like a 940 with much less than half of the top dogs performance. The 950/Ti is what i am waiting for, having lived with the 450 for a bit too long. And now , not even the X2 is worth the price with the 970SLI.


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## 2big2fail (Sep 19, 2014)

Only one word to describe this:







$660 SLI setup beats both $1500/$1000 R925X2 and $3000 Titan Z at 2/3 the W(s).

No way the $330 price tag is gonna not inflate by $100 by next month.


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## raptori (Sep 19, 2014)

You made SLI looks like heaven .....


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## hv43082 (Sep 19, 2014)

Big question, for gaming at 3440x1440, would 3 x Gtx 970 be faster than 2 x Gtx 980?  The latter solution is about $100 more expensive.


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## W1zzard (Sep 19, 2014)

hv43082 said:


> would 3 x Gtx 970 be faster than 2 x Gtx 980?


yes, but 3x sli scaling might differ from game to game. But both solutions need SLI support in games in the first place.
Not 100% sure what I would buy, probably 3x 970 due to much better pricing (if I have a mobo which supports triple slot SLI with at least x8 on all slots)


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## 2big2fail (Sep 19, 2014)

hv43082 said:


> Big question, for gaming at 3440x1440, would 3 x Gtx 970 be faster than 2 x Gtx 980?  The latter solution is about $100 more expensive.



That's a tough question.

First of all, at these performance numbers, I don't see why GTX 970 SLI couldn't handle 5K (i.e. 4x1440p) decently.

If your bound and determined to squeeze more performance out by going triple 970 or 980 SLI, then I would say this: *get 980 SLI.*

Why? Driver issues and motherboard. 980 SLI is going to be more efficient and better supported than 3x 970s. That's well worth the extra $100, not to mention you'd need to spend an extra $100 to get a motherboard with a PLX chip to get (3-4x) PCIE 3.0 x8 slots.


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## hv43082 (Sep 19, 2014)

Thanks for both quick responses.  I am still on Sandy Bridge with the Intel 2500k chip at 4.6 Ghz and a Asus P87 motherboard that only support 2 way SLI.   Perhaps 980 SLI would be easier to upgrade.


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## W1zzard (Sep 19, 2014)

hv43082 said:


> Perhaps 980 SLI would be easier to upgrade.


In that case, yes. But do the whole platform cost math, maybe it can work out to be a cheap upgrade.


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## hv43082 (Sep 19, 2014)

W1zzard said:


> In that case, yes. But do the whole platform cost math, maybe it can work out to be a cheap upgrade.


 
I ended up getting a pair of EVGA GTX 980 and the LG 34UM94 to go with my current set up.


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## Champ (Sep 20, 2014)

W1zzard said:


> yes, but 3x sli scaling might differ from game to game. But both solutions need SLI support in games in the first place.
> Not 100% sure what I would buy, probably 3x 970 due to much better pricing (if I have a mobo which supports triple slot SLI with at least x8 on all slots)



Interesting. I'm looking to drive my 4K monitor. Just SLI usually covers 3 way also? On a side note, it wasn't this site but the power consumption to FPS ratio is amazing with these cards. One site test a x99 OCed to 4 GHz  and 980 sli and stayed under 500 watts,


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## Durvelle27 (Sep 20, 2014)

I didn't see this in the review. How much did these cards draw in SLI as i'm trying to see if i need to get a new PSU if i get 2x 970s.


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## W1zzard (Sep 20, 2014)

Durvelle27 said:


> I didn't see this in the review. How much did these cards draw in SLI as i'm trying to see if i need to get a new PSU if i get 2x 970s.


Due to lack of reference cards I didn't test power consumption. It is safe to assume that power draw will not be bigger than single card multiplied by the amount of cards you have. So I'd say 150-180 W per card.


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## Durvelle27 (Sep 20, 2014)

W1zzard said:


> Due to lack of reference cards I didn't test power consumption. It is safe to assume that power draw will not be bigger than single card multiplied by the amount of cards you have. So I'd say 150-180 W per card.


Do you think 850W would be sufficient for 2x 970s


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## W1zzard (Sep 20, 2014)

Durvelle27 said:


> Do you think 850W would be sufficient for 2x 970s


Absolutely


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## Durvelle27 (Sep 20, 2014)

W1zzard said:


> Absolutely


Thank you so much W1zz


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## SteelStroke (Sep 20, 2014)

That should be plenty..always depends on how much total load is placed on the PSU (You know..Drives, Fans, CPU, CPU Water Cooler, etc..)


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## GreiverBlade (Sep 20, 2014)

Durvelle27 said:


> Do you think 850W would be sufficient for 2x 970s


more than enough i bet, it's what i get as recommendation (not minimum) for 2 290 with my actual setup


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## Durvelle27 (Sep 20, 2014)

GreiverBlade said:


> more than enough i bet, it's what i get as recommendation (not minimum) for 2 290 with my actual setup


Thanks bud. So excited now


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## GreiverBlade (Sep 20, 2014)

Durvelle27 said:


> Thanks bud. So excited now


i know right ... i plan of a 970 Strix SLI to replace my 290 (instead of buying a 2nd 290)


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## Durvelle27 (Sep 20, 2014)

GreiverBlade said:


> i know right ... i plan of a 970 Strix SLI to replace my 290 (instead of buying a 2nd 290)


EVGA 970 ACX Here


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## arbiter (Sep 20, 2014)

Durvelle27 said:


> Do you think 850W would be sufficient for 2x 970s



easy, could run 3x970's off 850watt.


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## haswrong (Sep 21, 2014)

hv43082 said:


> I ended up getting a pair of EVGA GTX 980 and the LG 34UM94 to go with my current set up.



please, do tell how gaming feels on this monitor!


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## Tallencor (Sep 22, 2014)

terroralpha said:


> what time do these go on sale?!? it's about 1 am eastern right now. i'm getting anxious!
> 
> i'm going to be one of those douche bags who will cause the early stock to deplete too fast. i'll be ordering* 4 EVGA ACX SC* cards. 2 for myself and 2 as gifts.


http://www.eteknix.com/evga-gtx-970-feature-manufacturing-defect/


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## Champ (Sep 23, 2014)

arbiter said:


> easy, could run 3x970's off 850watt.


 
I'm kinda leaning toward this. It should scale but even if it doesn't, it won't ruining my gameplay. I have a HX 850 and I feel that this setup is the best bang for the buck.


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## Debat0r (Sep 23, 2014)

Durvelle27 said:


> Do you think 850W would be sufficient for 2x 970s


The 900 series aren't listed yet unfortunately, but you can normally use this tool to calculate you wattage needs.


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## Joeh4384 (Sep 24, 2014)

I don't really see a reason to get a 980 at all when you can stretch your budget a tad and SLI 970s.


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## hv43082 (Sep 25, 2014)

haswrong said:


> please, do tell how gaming feels on this monitor!



Just got my LG 34UM94 today. Nice and immersive screen but there is a 2 inch patch of purple stuck pixels. Very apparent when the screen is dark but less so in bright screen. Also the light bleed is massive in one corner. I'm quite disappointed and will be returning it. Hopefully the local electronic stores will start carrying it so I can do a quick exchange if needed to.  My pair of GTX 980 is on back order (double boned) and I have to use a pair of 670 GTX's instead.  They can barely handle BF4 at 3440x1440 on Medium.


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## Nelly (Sep 25, 2014)

Would of been nice if power consumption was included for 970 SLI in the review.


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## GoldenTiger (Sep 25, 2014)

Hey @W1zzard, are you seeing the same behavior as I outline here with two 970's in SLI (during your review for example)? One card always runs at 50mv lower than the other in SLI mode regardless of voltage settings or which card is where in the system, though both are able to run 1.243-1.2500v when placed alone. This appears to be a driver bug but I wanted to see if there's something I can do as a workaround...



			
				GoldenTiger said:
			
		

> I have...
> 
> 1) Tried each card individually to verify they work properly on their own.
> 2) Tried each card in SLI in either slot (card 1 on top and card 2 on bottom, vs. card 2 on top and card 1 on bottom).
> ...



https://forums.geforce.com/default/topic/777448/


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## W1zzard (Sep 25, 2014)

Nelly said:


> Would of been nice if power consumption was included for 970 SLI in the review.


Would have been nice if NVIDIA sent me a reference design so I can properly measure power, but they sent none, so I had to use custom boards clocked down, which work ok to represent performance, but won't work to represent power draw.

For your intents and purposes, assume 2x single card power consumption.


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## DaedalusHelios (Sep 27, 2014)

W1zzard said:


> Would have been nice if NVIDIA sent me a reference design so I can properly measure power, but they sent none, so I had to use custom boards clocked down, which work ok to represent performance, but won't work to represent power draw.
> 
> For your intents and purposes, assume 2x single card power consumption.



Is this an accurate assessment? http://us.hardware.info/reviews/562...way-sli-review-test-results-power-consumption

^^429 Watt^^ That is system power consumption with Haswell-E. Is there a 12V rail Amperage to consider?


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## theelviscerator (Oct 17, 2014)

I am running my 970s SLI with a 4790K at 4.6GHz with a corsair HX750. Runs nice.

http://www.3dmark.com/fs/2989706


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## RealNeil (Oct 17, 2014)

theelviscerator said:


> I am running my 970s SLI with a 4790K at 4.6GHz with a corsair HX750. Runs nice.
> 
> http://www.3dmark.com/fs/2989706


That must be a blast to game on.
I want a pair of those too.


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## theelviscerator (Oct 17, 2014)

RealNeil said:


> That must be a blast to game on.
> I want a pair of those too.



I am playing through Crysis 3 again at 2560x1600 settings maxed. framerate running high 40s to 70. Looks gorgeous


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## daftvader (Nov 10, 2014)

I bought my second GTX 970 for two way SLI and both are ASUS Strix OC editions. When I installed it I was filled with excitement to see the performance increase but no. Instead I opened up several high end games; Metro Last Light, Assassins Creed IV Black Flag, Splinter Cell Blacklist, Far Cry 3 etc... to find lag, extreme lag and its very frustrating because I don't know what's wrong and it like 300 quid wasted. It could be the driver, I am using the latest one from Nvidia but all reviews don't report any lag/issues.


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## RealNeil (Nov 10, 2014)

theelviscerator said:


> I am playing through Crysis 3 again at 2560x1600 settings maxed. framerate running high 40s to 70. Looks gorgeous



What is that "Unsupported Hardware" notification on the upper left of your screen all about?




daftvader said:


> I bought my second GTX 970 for two way SLI and both are ASUS Strix OC editions. When I installed it I was filled with excitement to see the performance increase but no. Instead I opened up several high end games; Metro Last Light, Assassins Creed IV Black Flag, Splinter Cell Blacklist, Far Cry 3 etc... to find lag, extreme lag and its very frustrating because I don't know what's wrong and it like 300 quid wasted. It could be the driver, I am using the latest one from Nvidia but all reviews don't report any lag/issues.



Read post #7 at *this link. *


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## The Von Matrices (Nov 10, 2014)

RealNeil said:


> What is that "Unsupported Hardware" notification on the upper left of your screen all about?



It's not related to the real world.  It's just a part of Crysis's HUD when you're carrying a Ceph weapon.


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## Jurassic1024 (Jan 2, 2015)

hv43082 said:


> Big question, for gaming at 3440x1440, would 3 x Gtx 970 be faster than 2 x Gtx 980?  The latter solution is about $100 more expensive.



Running one monitor, I would go with the 980's if those are the only options. Otherwise two 970's. Triple SLi is a fickle bitch.


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## BlackDeath (Feb 11, 2015)

Have you / or can you revise the performance per dollar charts?  With the drastic price drop of the 295x2 last November will yield far different (not to mention more up to date) results.


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