The Gigabyte GTX 970 WindForce OC’s specifications are quite different from the 980's in some places. According to Gigabyte, the 970 also uses GPUs binned for better-than-average overclocking potential and lower power consumption. Still, our tests show why this graphics card costs less than the flagship.
Fortunately, it retains the higher-end board's six video outputs (of which four can be actively used at a time). And again, Gigabyte keeps the second DVI connector that’s missing from the reference design. HDMI 2.0 makes this new card somewhat more future-proof.
| The Speeds And Feeds | |
|---|---|
| Form Factor | Dual-slot design |
| Length (from Slot Panel to End) | 297 mm |
| Height (from Slot to Top) | 108 mm |
| Depth 1 (from PCB to Front Cover) | 35 mm |
| Depth 2 (from PCB to Back Plate) | 5 mm |
| Weight | 797 g |
| Connectors | 1x DVI-I, 1x DVI-D, 1x HDMI 2.0, 3x DisplayPort |
| Pros | - GPUs binned for better overclocking and lower power consumption - Total of six video outputs (better connectivity) - Dual-slot design, well-suited for SLI - Suitable cooling headroom |
| Cons | - RPM at idle is too high (35 percent) |
Gigabyte's GTX 970 WindForce OC sports the WindForce cooler that we know from the company's older GeForce cards. It’s still a solid cooler that’s both thin and fairly quiet. It’s been updated with the new rotor blades found on the WindForce 600 W.
Once again, the backplate doesn’t contribute to the graphics card’s cooling. It only provides some stability and a nice finishing touch we aren't used to seeing on Nvidia-based boards.
The vertically-oriented fins send waste heat toward the top and bottom, and not toward your hard drives and SSDs. It'd be better to exhaust it entirely, though.
One 8- and one 6-pin PCIe power connector are supposed to keep the Gigabyte GTX 970 WindForce OC stable when overclocked. As on the 980, this card's WindForce label lights up blue.
You get a total of three DisplayPort connectors, two dual-link DVI connectors, and an HDMI 2.0 connector on the rear bracket. Together, they take up almost all the available space.
- Introducing GM204: There's A New Maxwell In Town
- New Features
- Nvidia GeForce GTX 980 Reference Card
- Gigabyte GTX 980 WindForce OC
- Gigabyte GTX 970 WindForce OC
- EVGA GTX 970 Superclock ACX 2.0
- Test System And Benchmarks
- Results: Battlefield 4 And Thief
- Results: Arma 3 And Grid Autosport
- Results: Assassin's Creed IV, Watchdogs, Far Cry 3
- A New Power Consumption Test Setup
- Power Consumption In Detail
- Power Consumption Overview
- Efficiency
- Temperatures And Noise
- Verdict








Looks like The Gtx 980 will become a part of my build family!
so roll on next week and hopefully they will have them back in stock...
-Top performance as always
-Low power consumption
-A right price this time XD
-Top performance as always
-Low power consumption
-A right price this time XD
nvidia
I have an oldish Antec TP New Series 650 watt modular psu. I had the gtx970 on one 25A 12v rail feeding the 8+6 connectors. It seems this was possibly not enough to cope with the peaks. Not up on psus but with 80% efficiency that 25x12 is not a full 300 watts - more like 240watts. So, I added another 12v rail for the 6pin and hey presto it worked fine no issue.
So anyone with such an issue might try this or get a more powerful psu.