MSI GTX 970 GAMING 4G versus MSI GTX 970 GAMING 4G LE

[wanderer27]

Hi all, need some help here.

I'm looking for a new card and I'm trying to narrow down the choices.

G1 is out as it'll never fit in my case, so now I'm looking at these two and wondering what the real difference is.


GAMING 4G
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814127832

GAMING 4G LE
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814127841



They both have the same design, cooling (Twin Frozr V), and 6 + 2 power delivery system.

Other than the clocks they come preset at, is there anything different here?

Anyone have experience with the GAMING 4G LE?


Also, if anyone can point me to some GAMING 4G LE reviews I'd appreciate it Google not's helping.


Thanks.





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[Rvenger]

The Gaming 4G LE is just a downclocked version of the regular 970 Gaming 4G. I don't think there will be any reviews but the regular 970 Gaming 4G version will be similar.


I believe it is on sale today too. Make sure you use the Visa Checkout coupon and get it for $305.99 shipped. Great deal on a good card.

 

[skipsneeky2]

Hopefully this sale can last till Friday,i'll be picking up the LE on that dayBeen on and off Newegg all week and this seems like the best deal that has cropped up all week for a 970.

 

[MeldarthX]

I'd hold fire until issue with 970 is fully explained. Nvidia while saying its working as intended; the memory split into two groups; its been shown going over 3.3-3.5gb of memory can cause an issue.......

 

[wanderer27]

Thanks for the input guys (was hoping a few more would chime in).

I went ahead and ordered the MSI GTX 970 GAMING 4G LE (got the $305 deal), should be here the end of the week hopefully.


Yea, I'm aware of the the Memory split configuration issue, and at least in my case I don't think it's as big an issue as it's made out to be.

One thread by a Tester said he'd still recommend the card for 1440p gaming and it should be fine (4k is just to much . . . even for 980 really), and since I game at 1200p the card should last me for quite some time.

Didn't really see the 980 or 290 as an option since I'd need to get another PSU as well, not to mention I don't see the premium on those as being worth it.


Still undecided as to whether or not I'll do any OC'ing, the card's going to be a huge jump in performance from what I've currently got.

If I do OC, I'll post any tidbits here for those also that may be considering these two cards.



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[amenx]

Congrats. Looking forward to hear your impressions.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

If you got the "LE" for less than $310, I'll flip a paraphrase of Elizabeth Warren: "You built a PC, you got a graphics card at lower than retail price -- Good for you!"

I must have a spendthrift incubus sitting on one shoulder, and a Scrooge incubus on the other.

I decided to pass on a GTX 570 to another fam-damn-ily member and spring for an MSI 970 card. I could have waited; I could have shelled out for a 980.

My purchase and possession of the card occurred about a week or so before the segmented-memory flap started up. So I took more time to examine that issue.

I conclude for myself that this was a marketing SNAFU. The card performs as the designers intended for it to perform. The stellar reviews of a month or more earlier still describe what you get for the money. It might have "looked different" or less appealing if the descriptions of the item said "3.5GB * " with a footnote, or even "4.0GB *" with a footnote.

Let me explain what else I did to throw more money into the equation. Did I get the "LE" version?" No. I wanted . . . the card . . . with the backplate. I might have attempted to build such a backplate myself, but I just decided to buy it. And of course -- the card comes "stock" with OC'd settings to start off.

I hope somebody precipitates that class-action suit. Prices may actually drop on these cards, and I can pick up another for less.

That being said, I can't even understand why you'd really "need" two in SLI. at 1920x1080, recently downloaded games like GRID2 seem like water off a duck's back . . . I gotta . . . think . . about that . . . some more . . .

 

[skipsneeky2]

Still a fine choice,i almost caved in to the idea of a 290x but my uses obviously are more catering to the 970.

 

[wanderer27]

@BonzaiDuck - used the Visa Checkout option Rvenger mentioned (thanks Rvenger) which took off another $25 for me on the already on sale price . . . so you, pretty much a deal I didn't want to pass up

@skipsneeky2 - might want to read my last post on the long bug thread (page 35, post #872) to see a few of my thoughts on what's going to transpire and why I went ahead and pulled the trigger on this card.



= = = As far as the card itself = = =


Welcome to 2015


Really didn't expect to see the card until maybe this weekend if I was lucky, but it was here when I got home today (big plus to NewEgg for this new Shipper they used).

Yeah, my GT9600 had served me well for 7 years, I just didn't know how tired it was

I've only briefly played one of the more demanding games I've been looking at lately (Planet Explorers Demo A0.72), which I've pretty much had turned down as much as possible (still hitches a bit) . . . turned up to max on this card and it's just buttery smooth.

Also, from my brief run so far, the card is waaaaaayyy quieter than my GT9600, even though this card has dual fans (Twin Frozer design).

From what little I've seen as of yet, the Temps are quite a bit lower as well (53C may be the high so far).

Afterburner Software - this I don't know much about.
Still trying to figure things out about, but I really get the impression that I could really Rock this card if I wanted too . . . can't confirm it, just my initial impression.


If I dig more into the OC portion of things I'll add those notes, but so far the initial impressions of this card has really pleased me.





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