CONCLUSION

   Although there was a time when I’d be amongst the first to use (not always test) every new card in the market lately this has changed so the GeForce GTX 970 WindForce 3X OC 4GB by GIGABYTE is the first one of its line to make it to my hands (I hope not the last). So after almost 2 years since doing my last GPU review did the GTX 970 blow me away with its performance and features? Well performance is great especially from a card that requires roughly the same amount of electricity as the GTX 670 did so if you add the massive overclocking headroom and the low noise and temperature levels thanks to the WindForce 3X cooler things can hardly get any better than this. Now I would like a better looking OC Guru II software since I think this is way too “simple” but as mentioned earlier that may be a good thing for some people. Also I’ve been keeping tabs on the ROP/Memory issue with the GTX 970 line since the beginning and I have to agree with all of the editors who say that in the end it doesn’t matter since indeed the performance has been there from the start so that doesn’t really change anything. True 3.5GB usable compared to 4GB is not the same and in 4k resolutions it “may” cut down performance by a very small percentage but really if 3.5GB aren’t enough for a game I doubt 4GB would be. In the end this was all a marketing error (or stunt) which changes nothing really, not for the end user.

   Since the GeForce GTX 970 is not very new in the market its price has dropped over the months and so today you can find the WindForce 3X OC 4GB edition by GIGABYTE (GV-N970WF3OC-4GD) for just USD331.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and 352Euros inside the EU (Amazon.co.uk). Of course you can always opt for the higher OC model (G1) again by GIGABYTE which retails for around USD20/20Euros more but from what we see there’s very little reason for that (we’d only get it because of the extra support by the backplate). Long story short if 4k gaming is not your thing you simply can’t go wrong with a GeForce GTX 970 and especially the WindForce 3X OC by GIGABYTE which is why it gets our Platinum Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Excellent Performance
- FLEX Display Technology
- WindForce 3X Cooler (Silent With Low Temperatures)
- Power Consumption
- Good Factory Overclock
- Overclocking Headroom
- HDMI v2.0 / 3x DisplayPort / 2xDVI
- 4GB VRAM (3.5GB Usable)
- OC Guru II (Easy to Use)

CONS

- Only USD20/20Euros Cheaper Compared To the Higher OC G1 Model
- Factory OC Just For the GPU